This Oven Baked Salmon is brushed with garlic butter, then sprinkled with a delicious brown sugar spice mix for the perfectly baked, flavorful salmon fillet.
Prep: Heat oven to 375°F. Place a large piece of foil on rimmed baking sheet, place salmon fillet on top (skin side down, pink side up). Crimp edges of foil around salmon to make a little "boat".
Season: Combine melted butter and minced garlic. Brush half of mixture over salmon. Combine remaining ingredients in a small bowl, evenly sprinkle over salmon. Drizzle with remaining garlic butter.
Bake: Bake salmon for 15-22 minutes, depending on preferred doneness (see notes for internal temperatures). Baste salmon with juices halfway through baking, if desired. Once done, remove salmon from oven and rest for 5 minutes, then serve.
Notes
Ingredient notes
Salmon: I always use a whole skin-on side of salmon. I like to because it's much harder to overcook vs single fillets. Feel free to use 4 cut fillets though, and bake them for 10-15 minutes instead.Garlic: If you don't have fresh garlic, you can use 1 extra teaspoon dried garlic powder.Italian seasoning: I love the flavor this adds, but feel free to leave it out or use a different dried herb (oregano is delicious, so is rosemary).
Recipe tips
I like to stir the garlic into the hot, just-melted butter for the best flavor. I let the butter sit on the counter for 5 minutes to make it cool down a little and get a little thicker in texture to make it easier to brush onto the fish.
I appreciate that some of you may not want to use aluminium foil, but please know that cleanup can be a real chore if you choose to skip it. You will also potentially lose some of the garlic butter due to more evaporation when it runs all over the baking sheet.
15 minutes of baking usually puts a whole salmon fillet at exactly 125°F for me. After 20 minutes, it will be at 140°F. After 22 minutes, at 145°F. See below for recommended temperatures.
Internal temperature
The USDA recommends an internal temperature of 145°F minimum for all fish.However, this is quite high for salmon and if you're willing to forego this internal temperature recommendation at your own risk, 125°F - 130°F is actually when salmon is the most succulent, while still perfectly flaky.I usually cook my salmon to 125°F, then let it rest until it reaches 130°F - about 5 minutes. Then I serve it. But please pick a temperature you feel comfortable with, and if you want to cook your salmon to 145°F it will still be perfectly nice. Just make sure you pull it FAST when it reaches the temperature.I do highly recommend a food thermometer (affiliate link) for controlled cooking. They are cheap and effective, and I've been a huge fan ever since I started using one a few years ago. I even use it to check the internal temperature of cake. Well worth the small investment!