• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to header navigation
  • Skip to footer navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About
  • Collaborate
  • Contact
Facebook
Pinterest
Instagram
Twitter
YouTube
BlogLovin'
RSS

Valerie's Kitchen

Simple, seasonal home cooking

  • Recipe Box
  • Videos
  • The Cookbook
  • Beyond the Kitchen
Home » Main Dish » 30 Minute Meals » Salmon Baked in Foil with Garlic Butter Sauce

Salmon Baked in Foil with Garlic Butter Sauce

By Valerie · August 18, 2015 · Updated May 25, 2019 Leave a Comment

30 30 Minute Meals MD Main Dish
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

This is one of the best methods for cooking extremely moist and tender salmon. Salmon Baked in Foil is quick, easy, and cleanup is a breeze!

Salmon-Baked-in-Foil-with-Garlic-Butter-Sauce

When I was young, my mom would let us choose what we wanted her to prepare for our birthday dinner each year. From as far back as I can remember, I always asked for salmon. Kind of weird for a kid, I know, but her simply prepared, amazingly delicious salmon made me a fish lover from a very young age. She baked it simply, without any heavy seasonings, allowing the delicious flavor of the salmon to shine through. It became my favorite meal and it is still at the tippy top of my list.

Salmon is a very low maintenance fish and needs very little to make it happy. A little salt and pepper, some butter and garlic, and definitely a squeeze of fresh lemon juice is enough. It is the baking method that is the key to a good result and baking it in foil is the most fool-proof, simple method around for creating incredibly moist, melt-in-your-mouth fish. If you’ve had issues with your salmon ending up dry, you need to give this method a try.

Let’s do it!

Salmon Baked in Foil with a Garlic Butter Sauce

I like to pick up one of these great big salmon fillets at Costco on nearly every visit. They run in the 2 to 3 pound range and will comfortably serve 4 to 6. They carry these massive fillets in different varieties including farmed Atlantic and fresh wild Coho.

Salmon Baked in Foil with Garlic Butter Sauce

Start by laying a very large piece of heavy duty foil over the top of a rimmed baking sheet and lay the salmon fillet, skin-side down, on the foil. In a small saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons butter with a teaspoon of minced garlic. Allow it to simmer for a few minutes until the garlic is fragrant. Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool for several minutes.

Salmon Baked in Foil with Garlic Butter Sauce

Once the garlic butter mixture has slightly cooled, pour it over the top and season the salmon fillet with salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste.

Salmon-Baked-in-Foil-with-Garlic-Butter-Sauce

Enclose the salmon in the heavy duty foil, folding the edges up and over to secure it. Pop it in a preheated 400 F degree oven and let it bake for about 12 to 15 minutes. Check it at the lower range of the cooking time to avoid over cooking. You’ll know the salmon is done when it flakes easily and is no longer dark pink in the center.

Salmon Baked in Foil with Garlic Butter Sauce

Spoon the garlic butter sauce over the cooked fish and then squeeze the juice from one lemon over the top. I like to add the lemon juice after I pull it out of the oven to keep the flavor bright and fresh.

Salmon Baked in Foil with Garlic Butter Sauce

Salmon Baked in Foil with Garlic Butter Sauce

It’s a rare thing for me to serve fish in this house without making Creamy Dill Sauce to serve along with it. It is the perfect complement to simply baked fish.

Salmon topped with a creamy sauce on a blue plate.

Salmon Baked in Foil with Garlic Butter Sauce

This is one of the best methods for cooking extremely moist and tender salmon. Salmon Baked in Foil is quick, easy, and cleanup is a breeze!

0 from 0 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
0 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 335kcal
Author: Valerie Brunmeier

Ingredients

  • 2 to 2-1/2 pound salmon fillet
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
  • 3 fresh lemons
  • Creamy Dill Sauce optional

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400 F degrees.
  • Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add minced garlic and allow to simmer for a minute or two until fragrant. Remove from heat. Allow mixture to cool for 2 or 3 minutes.
  • Lay a piece of foil large enough to fully enclose your salmon on a rimmed baking sheet. Place salmon on the foil and pour the slightly cooled butter/garlic mixture over the top. Season the salmon with sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste. Enclose the salmon completely in the foil, folding over the ends to seal in the sauce. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until salmon is fully cooked through, flakes easily, and is no longer dark pink in center.
  • Remove baking sheet from oven and allow to sit for a minute or two. Open foil and spoon garlic butter sauce over the salmon. Squeeze the juice from one lemon over the top.
  • Cut remaining two lemons into quarters. Serve salmon with Creamy Dill Sauce and extra lemons on the side.

Nutrition

Calories: 335kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 119mg | Sodium: 231mg | Potassium: 1001mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 260IU | Vitamin C: 28.8mg | Calcium: 38mg | Iron: 1.8mg
LOVE MY RECIPES? GET THE COOKBOOK!
The Foolproof Family Slow Cooker and Other One-Pot Solutions

Categories: 30 Minute Meals, Main Dish, Recipe, Seafood

< Previous
Next >

You May Also Like...

Blackened Mahi Mahi Blackened Mahi Mahi
Breaded fish on a plate with creamy dill sauce. Crispy Baked Fish with Creamy Dill Sauce
A piece of blackened salmon on a plate with rice and a slice of lemon. Blackened Salmon
Orange Sesame Ginger Glazed Salmon Orange Sesame Ginger Glazed Salmon

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Recipe Rating




Stay Connected with Valerie’s Kitchen

Facebook
Pinterest
Instagram
Twitter
YouTube
BlogLovin'
RSS

Stay updated!

Subscribe by Email

Get the latest straight from my kitchen to your email inbox. You can choose to receive an email every time a new recipe is published or a weekly summary.

Click to Subscribe

Primary Sidebar

Browse the Recipes

by Category
CP Slow Cooker OP One Pot 30 30 Minute Meals SD Side Dish S Dessert H Holidays A Appetizers MD Main Dish
Valerie Brunmeier, founder and author of Valerie's Kitchen

MeetValerie Brunmeier

Hello and welcome to my online kitchen! My focus here is to provide simple, seasonal meal solutions for busy households. I hope you find some inspiration while you’re here and visit again soon!

...
More About Me

Looking for something?

Archives

Categories

Soups and Stews

A ladle scoops up beef stew from a pot.
Broccoli Cheese Soup in a round bread bowl topped with shredded cheddar cheese.
A close up, over the top image of Hamburger Stew in a Dutch oven.
A ladle scoops some beef stew from an Instant Pot.
A mug filled with ham and bean soup.

Holiday Favorites

A bowl of fruit salad with whipped cream.
Slices of ham and a small bowl of pineapple sauce on a white platter.
A tray of cheese, meats, nuts, and bacon jam in a small glass container.
Mashed potatoes in a white bowl topped with butter and chives
A sliced bundt cake on a cake plate.
A white bowl filed with crab dip with a spoon.

Reader Favorites

A white serving dish filled with shredded beef, carrots, and potatoes.
A white bowl filed with crab dip with a spoon.
A spatula scoops up a zucchini boat from a casserole dish.
Blackened Mahi Mahi
A close up of a cheesesteak sandwich with peppers and onions.
Slow Cooker Beef Tips with Gravey
As Featured On
Back to Top
  • Home
  • About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Collaborate
  • Contact
Facebook
Pinterest
Instagram
Twitter
YouTube
BlogLovin'
RSS
Valerie's Kitchen
Copyright © 2011–2021 · Valerie's Kitchen

Valerie's Kitchen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.