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This zesty baked salmon with lemon is such a light, fresh meal. Try our creamy tzatziki sauce with Greek yogurt as an optional topping to the salmon. It really puts it over the top!
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This Baked Salmon with Lemon is, HANDS DOWN the best salmon I have ever made, or had. The fish comes out super tender and filled with flavor. The lemon bakes right into the salmon, so the dish is permeated with just the right amount of citrus.
Kid-Friendly Fish
As most moms probably know, unless it is in stick form, kids don’t particularly love fish. And I can’t wholly blame them, if it isn’t cooked properly, salmon can be tough and flavorless. Imagine my delight when I made this for my family and it disappeared off the table. There was not a single flake of leftovers.
Plus, dinner needs to be easy and quick to prepare in our home, and I’m guessing yours too. This baked salmon takes less than 30 minutes to make, but you would never know it but how flavorful it is.
Ingredients
- Salmon filets
- Olive oil
- Lemon zest
- Lemon juice
- Salt and pepper
For the Tzatziki sauce:
- Greek yogurt – plain
- Sour cream
- Lemon juice
- Rice vinegar
- Olive oil
- Garlic – minced
- Fresh dill – chopped
- Montreal seasoning
- Salt and pepper
Tzatziki Sauce
I never would have thought to put Tzatziki sauce on salmon, but it complements it so well! I couldn’t believe it the first time I tried it. I love Greek food and I love salmon, so putting the two together just makes sense, and it works!
The recipe I used for the baked salmon tzatziki comes from our Chicken Gyro recipe (also a very tasty dish, you HAVE to try it). The only change I made was that I didn’t add the cucumbers.
If you have leftover sauce, you can use it as a dip for vegetables, like carrots or broccoli, and it also makes a very good dressing for salads or wraps. It is very important that you use fresh dill. You can find it in the produce section of most grocery stores. Using the fresh stuff just gives it so much more flavor, you won’t regret it.
What Makes Salmon so Healthy?
You have likely heard that baked salmon is really good for you. The good news is, you’ve heard correctly! Baked salmon is a superfood with so many incredible benefits. It’s full of protein (about 22 grams in a 4 oz boneless filet), but there’s more benefits than just the protein.
One of the most important reasons to eat baked salmon is that it is full of Omega-3 fatty acids. These acids are essential to healthy brain and heart function. Just having baked salmon twice a week will give you enough Omega-3 (but if you make it more often than that, we won’t tell!).
Plus, baked salmon is also filled with high-quality nutrients such as potassium, selenium, and B12. A 3.5-oz serving of salmon gives you 51% of your daily B12 needs. If you struggle with autoimmune issues or chronic inflammation, baked salmon has been shown to reduce inflammatory markers in studies.
In short? Baked salmon is awesome and incredibly healthy.
Reviews of this Baked Salmon Recipe
So many of you have made this baked fish and given us two thumbs up. Here are some reviews of this recipe.
I’m always looking for easy ways to prepare fish and this fits the bill! -Krissy
This was such a light and sweet dish, it has quickly become a family favorite recipe! Delicious! – Sarah
I couldn’t believe how easy this was to make! It also has amazing flavor! – Suzy
See a common thread? Our readers absolutely LOVE this baked salmon recipe – and you will too!
Frequently Asked Questions
In this easy salmon recipe, we use the juice of the lemon and the lemon zest as a marinade on the salmon and then bake it without any lemon slices on top.
Baked salmon is versatile! Roasted potatoes with black pepper and fresh herbs, such as parsley and dill, would be delicious, as would roasted asparagus. You could squeeze some fresh lemon juice on the roasted asparagus for a fresh flavor. Pasta with lemon and a little melted butter sounds great too!
Read More:35+ Quick and Easy To Follow Dinner Ideas Your Family Will Surely Love
More Seafood Recipes
If you’re in the mood for seafood, here are some of our favorite recipes besides baked salmon to try:
- 10-minute spicy shrimp tacos
- Canjun-style shrimp foil packets
- Instant Pot seafood gumbo
- Fiesta fish taco bowls
How to Make Baked Salmon
Lemon Salmon
Video
Equipment
- 9×13 inch pan
Ingredients
- 4 6 ounce salmon fillets
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the Tzatziki sauce
- 1 cup Greek yogurt plain
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon Montreal seasoning
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400.
- Place salmon fillets in a well-greased 9×13 pan.
- In a small bowl, mix olive oil, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Drizzle over fillets.
- Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Let sit for 10 minutes.
- Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until salmon is cooked through (it depends on the thickness of your fillets).
- While the salmon is cooking, mix together the Greek yogurt, sour cream, lemon juice, rice vinegar, and olive oil until smooth.
- Add garlic, fresh dill, Montreal seasoning, and salt and pepper. Mix well. Let sit at room temperature until the salmon is cooked.
- Once the salmon is done, pour the Tzatziki sauce over the top and serve.
Notes
- Serve with roasted potatoes, roasted asparagus, or even fresh pasta!
- Make sure to grease your baking sheet, or use parchment paper on a sheet pan for easy clean-up.
- Use an instant read thermometer to check the internal temperature. Salmon should be between 120-125 degrees.
- For a sweet crust on top of your salmon, drizzle some honey on top and then broil for just a minute or two until golden.
since I don’t eat meat, I would definitely choose the lemon salmon or your previous posted pecan salmon along with roasted asparagus. End it with your lemon bars and key lime pie!
Love Love the Baked Salmon with Lemon.
Hubby & family enjoyed this dish immensely!!
It is so good! I am making this on Easter as well. I have some fresh caught salmon in my freezer that my Dad brought back from Alaska. I can’t wait to make it. Thank you!
The salmon with taziki is incredible! We are trying to eat more fish and this is a keeper.
Such a delicious and easy way to cook delicious salmon.
So excited this was lemon salmon when I saw the recipe and even more excited its a CREAMY lemon salmon and that I have all the ingredients to try!
I couldn’t believe how easy this was to make! It also has amazing flavor!
This was such a light and sweet dish, it has quickly become a family favorite recipe! Delicious!
I’m always looking for easy ways to prepare fish and this fits the bill!
Sorry, you say that Montreal seasoning is in the spice section of most grocery stores, but when one lives in Australia and stores here don’t stock this seasoning what can one use in replacement?
You can buy it on Amazon.
Combine 2 tablespoons paprika, 2 tablespoons crushed black pepper, 2 tablespoons kosher salt, 1 tablespoon granulated garlic, 1 tablespoon granulated onion, 1 tablespoon crushed coriander, 1 tablespoon dill, and 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes, and mix well.
What is Montreal seasoning?
It’s mixed spices, you can find it in the spice section of most grocery stores.
Of course she’d go there to look for it. IVe also never heard of it.