How Long Do You Cook Salmon And What Temperature

Salmon is one of our favorite meals and we are experts at crafting delicious Salmon recipes. Knowing how to bake the perfect piece of fish is a key element for delicious buttery salmon, and this how to guide will show you how to get perfect salmon every time!

2 salmon filets cooked on a sheet pan with salt and pepper

The key to making perfect Salmon is to bake it until it is a few degrees less than fully done, then let it come up to temperature while it rests.

Baking salmon is easy- use a tablespoon of olive oil, salt, pepper and a baking sheet and you're good to go! Salmon is considered 'fully' cooked when it is 145 degrees Fahrenheit at its most thickest, internal part of the fish.

salt and pepper coated salmon on a foil lined sheet pan

By cooking salmon to a temperature of 135 degrees Fahrenheit and letting it come up to 145 degrees farenheit outside of the oven, you're letting the fish cook completely, without it becoming dry and overdone. The end result is perfect, buttery, melt in your mouth salmon!

How to Perfectly Bake Salmon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Place salmon on foil lined sheet pan.
Rub 1 tablespoon of olive oil or avocado oil on salmon.
Sprinkle salt and pepper lightly over salmon.
Bake for 15 minutes, or until thickets part of salmon is 135 degrees Fahrenheit, keeping an eye on salmon temperature to ensure it does not overcook. Remove from oven at 135 degrees farenheit, allowing salmon to rest and come up to 145 degrees Fahrenheit during resting period.

cooked salmon on a white plate with dill and lemon

If you are looking for similar recipes, here's a few of our favorites.

Pecan Crusted Rosemary Salmon
Salmon with Lemon Dill Sauce
Garlic Lemon Baked Salmon with Broccoli
Sheet Pan Orange Ginger Salmon
Honey Glazed Sheet Pan Salmon Dinner
Feta and Herb Crusted Salmon

Check out this infographic to help show you how to perfectly cook your salmon using other methods, too!

infographic about cooking salmon

Enjoy healthy and delicious fish! And to make it even easier on home chefs, here is a video for how we do it! – Kathi and Rachel

side view of cooked salmon filet on a sheet pan

an easy how to guide for perfect, buttery, flakey salmon!

Course: american, Company Dinner, Dinner, salmon, seafood

Cuisine: American, dinner

Servings: 4 people

: 32 kcal

4 6 oz fresh (not frozen) salmon filets (Atlantic is my favorite. 1 filet per peson)
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit.
Line a sheet pan with foil and spray with nonstick.
Place salmon onto foil lined sheetpan. Rub filets with olive oil, and sprinkle each piece with salt and pepper.
Bake for about 10-15 minutes, or until fish is 135 degrees at its thickest most internal part. Allow to rest and come up to temperature (fish is considered full cooked at 145 degrees Fahrenheit internally), for about 5-10 minutes.
Serve & enjoy!

Nutrition Facts

Perfect Baked Salmon

Amount Per Serving

Calories 32 Calories from Fat 36

% Daily Value*

Fat 4g 6%

Saturated Fat 1g 5%

Cholesterol 1mg 0%

Sodium 1mg 0%

Potassium 5mg 0%

Protein 1g 2%

Vitamin A 1IU 0%

Calcium 1mg 0%

Iron 1mg 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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