This baked lemon dill 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. In this baked salmon recipe, the foil pouch seals in the moisture and steams the fish so it delivers a flaky, tender result. And the lemon, garlic, and herbs combine perfectly for a bright, fresh flavor that is truly delicious!
Best of all, this recipe is also super quick and easy. From start to finish, it's under 30 minutes! And since the salmon is cooked on a sheet pan in a foil pouch, clean up is a breeze too!
For another quick and easy salmon dinner, check out my air fryer salmon recipe.
Ingredient Notes
- Salmon - you can use filets or a whole side of salmon for an impressive ceterpiece.
- Lemon - Fresh sliced lemon is best for this recipe, but you can use lemon juice if needed.
- Fresh dill - You'll also want to use fresh dill in this recipe for the best flavor. Dried will work in a pinch.
See the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the complete list of ingredients and measurements.
How to Prepare the Salmon
- Line 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 side of salmon in one piece.
- Drizzle the salmon with 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
- 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.
What to Serve with 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 or a vegetable medley.
My garlic butter green beans or Instant Pot garlic mashed potatoes are also good options if you want to double down on the garlic flavor.
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 Weeknight Meals
📖 Recipe
Baked Salmon with Lemon and Dill
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
* All nutrition information we provide are estimates based on third party calculators. We encourage you to calculate these on your own for accurate results.
Audrey Rowlands
Tried this tonight and it’s delicious!
Eleanor Cook
Super easy and delicious!