This easy, healthy Garlic Salmon with Butter and Lemon recipe is Saturday night special meets Monday night mayhem. It takes less than 10 minutes to prep, cooks on a single sheet pan, and provides you with a full serving of lean protein and veggies on your dinner plate.
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Do your weekdays ever feel like a countdown?
Some mornings, it’s as if my alarm is chirping, “Five days until Friday night!” “Four days left!” “Only three days to go!”
It’s a mentality I’m trying to shake.
Why spend nearly a week of potential living wishing it was a different day?
Since I can’t make every day Saturday, I’ve found that squeezing in simple but scrumptious meals, like this butter garlic salmon, Honey Garlic Salmon, or other 30-minute meals work magic on my weekday mood.
5 Star Review
“My family and I LOVE this recipe and make it all the time now. It’s the only way we eat salmon!”
— Laura —
As with all my healthy salmon recipes, I love this weeknight baked garlic salmon recipe for several reasons:
- It requires no-fuss prep and bakes on a single sheet pan (seriously, my love for one-pan meals is real).
- It can easily be dressed up. Add a glass of wine and you have a meal that’s fit for high heels, all for a yoga-pants level of effort.
- It’s healthy, yet satisfying thanks to nutritious salmon paired with rich and flavorful compound butter.
How to Make Garlic Salmon with Butter and Lemon
This easy baked salmon recipe is only 10 ingredients including salt and pepper, yet it tastes as if it could have come from a restaurant.
When it comes to what you should put on your salmon, garlic, butter, and lemon are at the very top of the list.
These flavors go well with salmon and pair beautifully together.
Ingredients
- Salmon. Rich in omega-3 fatty acids and a great source of protein. Salmon is also a great source of potassium and selenium.
- Garlic + Butter. If there was ever an ingredient power couple that could rival PB&J, it’s garlic and butter. This dynamic duo makes the salmon perfectly moist, ultra flaky, and packed with flavor, acting almost like a garlic salmon marinade or sauce.
- Parsley. Parsley is an herb that’s good with salmon (I use it in my Salmon Meuniere too). It adds freshness and color.
- Lemons. Pairs beautifully with salmon while adding brightness to the dish.
- Green Beans. A tender, yet crisp addition to this dish. They’re an easy way to sneak in extra veggies.
- Tomatoes. For contrasting color, added moisture, and great tomato flavor.
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and arrange salmon fillets on a large rimmed baking sheet coated with nonstick spray.
- Mash together softened butter, garlic, lemon zest, parsley, black pepper, then rub the compound butter onto the salmon fillets.
- Toss the green beans and tomatoes together with olive oil, salt, and black pepper then arrange them around the salmon. Drizzle everything with lemon juice and top with additional slices of lemon.
- Bake salmon at 400 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes as suggested in my Baked Salmon Temperature Guide, until it reaches an internal temperature of 135 to 140 degrees F. Remove, let rest a few minutes, and garnish with additional parsley, salt, and pepper to taste. ENJOY!
Storage Tips
- To Store. Refrigerate leftover salmon in an airtight storage container for up to 1 day.
- To Reheat. This recipe is best enjoyed the day that it is made, as salmon usually dries out when reheated. If you have leftover salmon, try serving it at room temperature over a salad the next day or flaking and scrambling it with eggs. Extra veggies can be reheated and mixed into a salad or eggs, or enjoyed on their own.
Leftover Ideas
Flake leftover salmon into this Garlic Pasta for a scrumptious and easy lemon garlic salmon pasta.
What to Serve with Garlic Salmon
Recommended Tools to Make this Recipe
- Baking Sheet. The perfect lemon garlic salmon pan.
- Instant Read Thermometer. The best way to check your garlic butter salmon for doneness.
- Citrus Juicer. The easiest way to juice a lemon for this creamy lemon garlic salmon.
Quick to prep and delicious to eat, this baked garlic salmon shifts the focus away from the time we don’t have by allowing us to make the most of the time we do have.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you’d like this lemon garlic salmon grilled, you can certainly do so! Use my Grilled Salmon in Foil recipe as a guide, adding the ingredients from this recipe.
While we enjoy the built-in sides of green beans and tomatoes, you can skip them if you prefer this garlic butter baked salmon recipe on its own (or make Roasted Green Beans and Roasted Tomatoes separately).
While I haven’t tried making a garlic salmon air fryer recipe, I think it would turn out great. Use my Air Fryer Salmon recipe as a guide.
Garlic Salmon with Butter and Lemon
Video
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Ingredients
- 4 (6-ounce) skin-on salmon fillets
- 4 tablespoons softened butter or canola oil butter spread
- 4 large cloves garlic chopped (about 4 teaspoons)
- Zest and juice of 1 large lemon divided (about 1 tablespoon zest and 1/4 cup juice)
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley divided
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper divided, plus additional to taste
- Additional lemon slices optional
- 1 pound fresh green beans trimmed
- 2 pints cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes, left whole
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt plus additional to taste
Instructions
- Place a rack in the center of your oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Generously coat a large rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray. Arrange the salmon fillets in the center of the sheet.
- In a small bowl with a fork, combine the softened butter, garlic, lemon zest, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Mash to create a paste, then rub on the salmon fillets. If desired, arrange extra lemon slices on top.
- Place the green beans and tomatoes in a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Toss to coat, then arrange around the salmon. Drizzle the lemon juice over the top of the salmon and vegetables.
- Place the sheet pan in the oven and cook until the fish flakes easily with a fork and reaches an internal temperature of 135 to 140 degrees F, about 16 to 20 minutes.* Let rest 3 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons parsley, then serve, sprinkled with additional salt and/or pepper to taste.
Notes
- *The cooking time will vary based on the thickness of your salmon. Thicker (2-inch-plus) slices will need several extra minutes, while thinner slices may cook more quickly. My salmon fillets were a little more than 1 inch thick and cooked in 19 minutes.
- To Store. Place leftover salmon in an airtight storage container for up to 1 day.
- To Reheat. This recipe is best enjoyed the day that it is made, as salmon usually dries out when reheated. If you have leftover salmon, try serving it at room temperature over a salad the next day or flaking and scrambling it with eggs. Extra veggies can be reheated and mixed into a salad or eggs, or enjoyed on their own.
Nutrition
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