This sheet pan baked salmon is a delicious healthy dish with tender, flaky salmon and the bright, fresh flavors of lemon and dill. It's also one of the easiest recipes that you'll ever find! It only takes a few minutes to put together and about 20 minutes to bake so it's perfect for busy weeknights.
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Why this recipe works
We eat a lot of salmon in my house. It's on the menu pretty much every week, so I'm always looking for new ideas for cooking it. With my wife and I both working full time and having two kids under 5, I'm also always looking for quick and easy healthy recipes that I can get on the table fast. This easy salmon recipe ticks all the boxes! And it's easy to scale up so it's great for serving a crowd too.
Ingredients
The flavors in this dish are amazing! The combination of the baked salmon with lemon and dill is bright and fresh and goes perfectly together. For this recipe you'll need:
- Salmon
- 2 Lemons
- Fresh dill
- Olive oil
- Garlic
- Salt and pepper
How to prepare the salmon
- You'll start by lining a sheet pan with foil. I like to keep a roll of wide heavy duty foil on hand for dishes like this. They're wide enough that you can fold each side up and crumple the ends together to seal it. If you just standard with foil that's fine too though. You can also use parchment paper if you prefer.
- Place your salmon on the foil. I like to pre-slice mine because I love the crispy edges but you can also use one large piece. If you're serving a crowd it looks really impressive to have the whole large side of salmon in one piece.
- Drizzle the salmon with a little olive oil and rub it on the surface to coat evenly. Sprinkle on some minced garlic, salt, fresh ground pepper, and half of the fresh chopped dill. Then place some thin slices of lemon on top.
- Fold the sides of your foil up and over the salmon then crumple or fold the pieces together to seal. Do the same with the two ends so you end up with a sealed pouch. Just make sure not to make the pouch too tight, you want to have a little room in there for the air and steam to circulate.
- If you don't have wide foil you can just place the second sheet over top and seal it around the edges of your sheet pan.
How to cook salmon in a foil pouch
Many people are intimidated by cooking seafood at home, but salmon is pretty forgiving and this dish is almost foolproof. The foil pouch seals in the moisture and steams the fish so it delivers a flaky, tender result.
- To cook, place the prepared salmon in an oven heated to 375°F and bake for about 15 minutes.
- Remove the pan and carefully open up the foil pouch. Turn on the broiler in your oven. Fold the foil over the sides of the pan and move the lemons off the top of salmon and place them around the sides.
- Return the pan to the oven and broil for a few minutes. Keep a close eye on it and broil until the top and edges begin to brown a little.
- The salmon is done when it's pink but still very slightly translucent in the middle of the thickest part. Around 140-145°F if you prefer to cook to temperature.
- If you find your fish isn't quite done to your liking after broiling you can seal the foil pouch back up and let it rest for a few minutes to finish cooking. when it's done add the remaining chopped dill.
How to serve your baked salmon
This baked salmon packs a lot of bold flavors with lemon, dill, and garlic, so I like to serve this with pretty simple sides like steamed broccoli, green beans, or a vegetable medley.
The sheet pan salmon looks great served with the slightly charred lemon slices but I like to add a little more color with some whole sprigs of dill around the salmon as well if I'm serving the dish to guests.
More of my favorite weeknight meals
- Soy Ginger Salmon
- Chicken Marsala
- Vegetable Lo Mein
- Chicken Enchiladas
- Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy
- Tuscan Chicken Pasta
📖 Recipe
Lemon Dill Salmon
Ingredients
- 2 pounds salmon
- 2 medium lemons
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 3 tbsp fresh chopped dill, divided
- fresh ground pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F
- Line a sheet pan with foil and coat lightly with cooking spray then add the salmon.
- Drizzle the olive oil over the salmon then rub to coat. Add the minced garlic on top of the salmon spreading evenly, then sprinkle with salt and pepper and half of the fresh dill. Place thin slices of lemon on top of the salmon.
- Fold the foil up and around the salmon and crumple or fold the pieces together to seal. Fold up the ends to seal and form a large pouch.
- Place the salmon in the oven and bake for around 15 minutes. Remove from oven and change the oven setting to broil. Carefully open the pouch and fold the foil back over the edges of the sheet pan. Move the lemons off of the salmon and place around the sides. Return the salmon to the oven and broil for around 3 minutes until the top begins to brown and the edges begin to crisp up.
- Remove from oven and top with the remaining dill and serve immediately.
Nutrition Facts
* All nutrition information we provide are estimates based on third party calculators. We encourage you to calculate these on your own for accurate results.
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