How to Cook Salmon

For a nutritious meal, bake a salmon fillet.

Due to its high concentration of omega-3 fatty acids and other nutrients, salmon is one of the healthiest foods you can eat. Baked salmon is easy to prepare and cooks fast. While many recipes for baked salmon can be found, this salmon recipe is quick and easy to make with ordinary kitchen ingredients.

Things You'll Need

• 1-pound salmon fillet
• Butter
• Lemon pepper
• Dried parsley
• Fresh lemon wedges
• Lemon zest
• Tartar sauce
• Oven pan
• Aluminum foil
• Zester

Instructions

1. Preheat a regular oven or a toaster oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Check the salmon fillet carefully for bones. If you find any, remove them.

3. Place salmon on an oven tray lined with aluminum foil for easy cleanup.

4. Smear the fillet with butter. Make sure to cover all of salmon with butter, getting into all cracks and crevices. Soften the butter in a microwave, if necessary.

5. Sprinkle the salmon with lemon pepper and dried parsley. Squirt a little bit of fresh lemon juice on the fillet.

6. Loosely cover the oven tray with aluminum foil and place it into the preheated oven.

7. Bake the salmon for approximately 12 to 15 minutes. The longer cooking time may be needed for a larger, thicker salmon cut and less cooking time may be needed for a smaller fillet.

8. While salmon is baking, zest a lemon.

9. After 12 minutes of cooking time, check the salmon to see if it is cooked. Stick a fork in the thickest part of the salmon. If the fillet flakes when you stick the fork in it, it's done. If the salmon is still a bit tough or raw, continue cooking and check in two-minute increments thereafter.

10. Remove the tray from the oven and take off the foil. Sprinkle lemon zest on top and serve with fresh lemon wedges and tartar sauce.

Tips & Warnings

• Salmon is done cooking when it becomes flaky and tender when a fork is stuck in it.

• Cooking salmon can be a bit tricky to perfect, but the key is checking in two-minute increments after the first 12 minutes of cooking time.

• Do not forgo the butter (use margarine or olive oil, if you prefer). It moisturizes salmon as it cooks, preventing it from becoming too dry.

• Raw salmon should smell fresh, like the ocean. If salmon smells overly fishy or is very slimy, it is probably going bad and you should avoid it.

References

• Salmon Facts: Health, Nutrition & Taste