Easy Baked Salmon in Foil

Baked salmon in foil is a moist, flavorful, and flaky whole side of salmon infused with lemon garlic butter sauce. It makes a nice centerpiece for your holiday dinner table, and it’s also perfect to make for dinner without a special occasion. Salmon in foil is healthy, easy, and ready in under half an hour!

Honey Salmon Recipe

Nothing beats the combination of salmon with honey garlic butter and lemon juice! Baking salmon in foil with this incredible sauce makes it so tender, flaky, and it literally falls apart (without overcooking it!). It’s one of my all time favorite dinner recipes as it’s absolutely delicious!

A whole side of salmon in foil is a great alternative to a roast turkey, or a honey ham for a holiday dinner especially if you’re cooking for a smaller group this year.

It is SO easy to make, takes no time to be ready, and you only need 6 ingredients (if you don’t count salt and pepper 😉). The result is incredible moist, flaky, flavorful salmon that you can serve for dinner on a busy weeknight dinner or for a weekend dinner.

Salmon in Foil Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make honey salmon in foil:

• A whole side of salmon that is boneless with skin on or off. If possible, get wild caught salmon.
• Butter, honey, garlic, lemon juice and lemon slices, fresh herbs, salt and pepper.
• You will also need aluminum foil that is large enough to cover the salmon.

Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.

How to Bake Salmon

1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
2. Make the honey lemon garlic butter sauce – In a small jug or glass bowl, melt the butter then add the honey, lemon juice, garlic, herbs, salt and pepper. Whisk until well combined.
3. Get a rimmed baking sheet/tray, place a sheet foil over it and then place the salmon in the center of the foil. Check for bones, remove if you find any.
4. Drizzle the sauce over the salmon fillet, if necessary, use a pastry brush to distribute the sauce well and make sure that the salmon is well coated in sauce.
5. Wrap the salmon in foil and seal the edges to create a foil packet. Bake for 15 minutes, or if using a thicker cut then bake for 20 minutes.
6. Remove from the oven, uncover, add lemon slices and broil for 3-4 minutes. And that’s your baked salmon in foil ready!

How Long Do You Bake Salmon

For a large whole side of salmon, bake for 15-20 minutes in total, then place under the broiler for 3-4 minutes to get a crispy top and nicer color.

The cooking time depends on the thickness of your salmon and the desired doneness of the fish. But I usually check the internal temperature of the thickest part of the salmon and know it’s ready when it reaches 125°F/52°C (my preference + what professional chefs recommend), or 145°F/63°C (FDA recommendation).

Another way to check for the doneness is when the salmon can be easily flaked by a fork, but be careful not to overcook the fish as there’s nothing worse than dry tough salmon.

Top Tips

• If you don’t want to use a large salmon fillet, you can easily make this recipe using 4-6 individual salmon fillets but the baking time will be around 12-15 minutes.
• Make sure that the pin bones are removed. Usually when you get salmon from the fishmonger, the pin bones are removed but I like to double check just in case by running my fingers along the fish and feel any bones poking. If you find any, just take them out and discard them.
• The baking time depends on the thickness of the salmon and also the desired amount of doneness. It is recommended by professional chefs (and what I prefer) that the internal temperature of the salmon reaches 125°F/52°C, but the FDA recommends 145°F/63°C, check using an instant read thermometer and it will be perfectly cooked at this temperature.

Storing Leftovers

If you have leftovers, just slice the salmon into individual portions and transfer to airtight containers to store in the fridge for up to 3 days. This is perfect for meal prep, and what I normally do! Yay for healthy dinner to be ready and just reheated for 3 days!

You can also freeze the leftovers for 4-6 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight in its freezing container, then gently reheat in the microwave or oven before serving or use flaked at room temperature in salads. Leftover salmon is perfect for using in casseroles, sandwiches, salads, and over pasta and in risottos!

How to Serve Salmon

To keep things simple and healthy, I like to serve cooked salmon with rice or a side of potatoes and steamed or roasted vegetables. In the picture above, I served my salmon with roasted parmesan asparagus and air fryer roasted potatoes.

Salmon is also perfect to be served with a fresh green salad, and herb cream sauce (recipe below).

Herb Cream Sauce

When I’m feeling a little fancy, or if I’m making this salmon for a holiday dinner, I always make this delicious herb cream sauce. It is SO simple, but adds so much flavor, and it’s quite light and healthy too.

To make the cream sauce, in a bowl, combine yogurt or sour cream with fresh lemon juice, grainy mustard, garlic, honey, fresh herbs (I used dill and chives), salt, and pepper. Give it a good mix, and that’s it your cream sauce is ready!

Wine Pairing

Salmon goes so well with chilled Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, or Sauvignon Blanc.