This lemon herb salmon recipe stands the test of time. It’s consistently in our dinner rotation because it’s quick, flavorful, pretty nutritious, and the prep work is minimal.
When life is just too busy at 5 p.m., homemade dinners like this are always appreciated. You’ll enjoy the robust herb flavors paired with garlic, lemon, and pepper. A little butter adds richness and you can even roast vegetables at the same time making this a convenient dish. We often serve everything with brown rice or a side salad.
Honey garlic soy glazed salmon is equally easy and satisfying and if you’re in the mood for chicken, I always love this cilantro lime chicken.
Video Tutorial: How to Make Lemon Herb Salmon
Enjoy All the Flavor
Brushing the salmon fillets with a smidgen of melted butter is key to its fantastic flavor. This helps the herb mixture on top stick while keeping the cooked centers extra moist and tender.
After you brush each salmon fillet with butter, spread your herb mixture on top. We usually use rosemary and parsley as the herbs, then mix in garlic and freshly ground black pepper. A squeeze of lemon rounds out all these savory flavors.
You can even add your favorite vegetable to the baking sheet to cook it at the same time as the salmon. Some options are brussels sprouts, sliced zucchini, cut asparagus, or broccoli. Feel free to add another squeeze of lemon and a sprinkle of salt & pepper on top of the vegetables.
That’s all you do. Dinner tonight is this simple. When a dinner recipe delivers on taste AND requires so little effort, it’s a major win.
More Favorite Dinner Recipes
- Maple Sesame Salmon
- Slow Cooker Chicken Chili
- Honey Garlic Shrimp
- Apple Cider Chicken
- Sausage Stuffed Peppers
- Lemon Thyme Chicken
- Chicken Meatballs
- Zucchini Fritters or Corn Fritters
- Creamy Garlic Chicken
Baked Lemon Herb Salmon
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: serves 4
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This moist and tender lemon herb salmon takes about 30 minutes. Feel free to use other vegetables instead of brussels sprouts. See note below.
Ingredients
- 4 salmon fillets, skin removed (about 2 lbs. (900g) total)
- 4 cups halved brussels sprouts*
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary (or use 1 Tablespoon dried)
- 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (or use 1 Tablespoon dried)
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 medium lemons, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
- sea salt, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Arrange salmon and brussels sprouts evenly spaced on top.
- Brush the melted butter on top of each salmon fillet. In a small bowl, stir the rosemary, parsley, garlic, juice of 1 lemon (around 4 Tablespoons), and 1/4 teaspoon pepper together. Spoon evenly onto each fillet, spreading all over the top. Slice 1/2 of the 2nd lemon and arrange 1-2 slices on top of each fillet. Squeeze the other lemon half on top of the brussels sprouts. Sprinkle the brussels sprouts with remaining 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Sprinkle sea salt evenly over the whole pan—not much is needed, but go by your preference.
- Bake the salmon for 15-20 minutes depending on thickness, about 10 minutes per 1-inch inch thickness measured from the thickest part of the fillet or until the thickest part reaches 145°F (63°C) internal heat.
- Serve warm.
- Leftovers keep well in the refrigerator for a few days. Reheat to your liking.
Notes
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Baking Sheet | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Pastry Brush | Glass Mixing Bowl | Instant-Read Thermometer
- Frozen Salmon: If using frozen salmon, thaw completely before starting.
- Other Vegetables: Instead of brussels sprouts, you can use broccoli, chopped asparagus, or zucchini. Chop your vegetables small so they cook in the same amount of time as the salmon OR start the vegetables in the oven a few minutes earlier than the salmon.
- Other Herbs: Feel free to use thyme or chopped basil, or a combination of your favorite herbs.
- Nutrition Information: Using SparkRecipes calculator and including the brussels sprouts, this recipe comes out to 330 calories, 16g fat, and 37g protein. If your salmon fillets are smaller than about 6 ounces each, these numbers will be lower.
quite underwhelming. much prefer lemon-dill (makes it pop) over lemon-rosemary (meh).
Easy, healthy, and lots of flavor! I also added a bit of fresh chopped basil from the garden to the herb mix.
Can I use basil instead of parsley and rosemary?
Absolutely!
Made this last night. It was delicious! Stuck with the brussel sprouts and made homemade mashed potatoes.
I made this for my family tonight. Delicious!! My husband and I couldn’t get enough of it. My two little munchkins really enjoyed the salmon as well. I think I will be making this many more times. Thanks for sharing!!
Made this tonight enjoying it now! Excellent recipe. My salmon is cooked to perfection and the veggies (I used what I had broccoli & zucchini) are delicious. Thanks for sharing your talents! I feel talented pulling off this tasty dish!
Hi Sally, I was just wondering if there are any other vegetables you would suggest roasting with the salmon that would finish in the same amount of time as the salmon. For example, do you think baby red potatoes cut in halves would work? Let me know if you have any suggestions! Thank you 🙂
Hey Abby! I think potatoes would take a little longer but you can start them 10 minutes before adding the salmon. Equal baking time veggies… let’s see… broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, squash to name a couple.
I made this last night for dinner as I was hoping to find a salmon recipe where I’d already have the ingredients on hand…and I did! And I had fresh parsley, too! This was wonderful and so flavorful and so simple. I love this technique, especially using melted butter. Thanks, Sally. 🙂
Wow, I just made this dish today and it was bursting with flavor. I LOVED IT!!! I only changed one thing, I substituted  olive oil for butter and added some cilantro.  Made these  with sweet potatoes  and a side of quinoa.  Thank you for sharing.  This is going to be my go to recipe when I want salmon. Â
I made this recipe tonight for dinner, and my self-professed salmon-hater boyfriend had two helpings! Thanks for a wonderful (and simple, and healthy!) recipe that I will definitely make again and again.
Absolutely delish!!!! Love your recipes!!
I absolutely love this! The brussel sprouts add such a wonderful balance, and the rosemary is heavenly with the lemon and salmon.
Not only is this delicious, healthy & insanely easy to make, but this would also be great to make ahead of time and take to work. Healthy, delicious & easy “work day” recipes, yes please! Beautiful pics by the way…