Name: Lemon Butter Salmon Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 30 oz boneless salmon (about 4 medium fillets); 1 tbsp lemon juice; 1/2 tbsp garlic (about 2 cloves, minced); 1 tsp Cajun seasoning; 1/2 tsp paprika; 1/2 tsp garlic powder; 1/2 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp ground black pepper; 5 tbsp unsalted butter (about 2.5 oz, room-temp); 18 oz asparagus (woody end trimmed/ shaved); 8 oz cherry tomatoes; 2 oz lemon (sliced); 2 tbsp parsley (finely chopped)

This lemon butter salmon recipe introduces a delicious take on this tender fish. It’s slathered with spices and baked to perfection in a healthy amount of butter.

Is Lemon Butter Salmon Healthy?

Yes, our lemon butter salmon recipe is healthy.

To begin, it has an attractive nutritional profile: 455 calories, 10.8 g saturated fats, and 546.8 mg sodium. This is the result of using butter and salt reasonably while controlling portion size.

Among the proteins, salmon is particularly healthy due to its omega-3 content. These fats have been shown to have beneficial effects on the human body and reduce the risk of certain diseases.

Baked alongside the salmon are asparagus and cherry tomatoes. These ingredients add texture, flavor, and extra micronutrients to the dish.

Ingredients for Lemon Butter Salmon

For this lemon butter salmon recipe you’ll need salmon, asparagus, cherry tomatoes, lemons, and other ingredients to add flavor:

1. Salmon

Skin-on, boneless salmon fillets are the perfect choice for this dish. The skin will shrink and add a deliciously chewy texture once baked in the oven.

There were no fillets left in the size we wanted, so we had to purchase a larger variety and perform some trimming. The trimmings are perfect for making casseroles or simply with rice and soy sauce.

Keep in mind that there are also sushi-grade fillets, which can be a tad more expensive. Regular fillets are good enough for this recipe.

2. Vegetables

Asparagus is the classic choice of veg for salmon. With the woody end trimmed, they’ll turn tender, juicy, and slightly sweet with a subtle fragrance.

While most people chop off the woody end of asparagus, it can actually be shaved with a peeler and eaten. This both reduces food waste and leaves more room in your fridge.

We also added some cherry tomatoes. They add extra acidity to enhance the tangy flavor of the dish.

3. Seasonings for Lemon Butter Salmon

We seasoned the fillets with lemon juice, minced garlic, garlic powder for extra savoriness, paprika and Cajun for a kick, and salt and pepper. Besides adding flavor, lemon juice also helps to increase the salmon’s tenderness.

Once marinated, the fillets are placed onto a tray along with the veg, then topped with chunks of butter. The butter will drip down over the ingredients to cook them evenly and fuse with the seasonings to become a fragrant, delicious sauce.

For even more fragrance, we used the juice from half a lemon, then sliced the other thinly and added the slices to the tray.

4. Lemon Garlic Butter Sauce for Salmon

If you like, you can turn these seasonings into a sauce instead: Sauté the garlic with butter first, whisk in the seasonings, then reduce it until a thick consistency is reached. Brush the salmon and vegetables every 5 minutes of baking, and drizzle what’s left onto the final product.

How to Make Lemon Butter Salmon

Once you’ve gathered all the ingredients:

Season the salmon fillets. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Line the baking tray with foil and grease it with butter.

Arrange the salmon and vegetables onto it.

Cut butter into chunks and scatter across the tray.

Bake.

Enjoy.

For the best result, follow our printable ‘Lemon Butter Salmon Recipe’ card at the bottom of this article.

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Tips for Making Lemon Butter Salmon

If the oven’s unavailable, you can make this dish using a skillet.

First, grease the skillet with a thin layer of butter, then sear the marinated salmon skin-side down for 3 minutes. No flipping is needed – they cook fast.
Put the salmon aside, and add the rest of the butter along with the asparagus, tomatoes, and lemon to cook for 7 minutes over medium-low heat.
Whisk in minced garlic until it’s fragrant and plate the dish.

If you’ve got some frozen salmon fillets, partially thaw them, and cook them for 5 minutes instead of 3. Cooking thick cuts of meat or fish from frozen puts you at risk of eating it raw.

Storage and Reheating

Portion the leftovers and either refrigerate or freeze. Refrigerated cooked fish keeps for 4 days, whereas frozen cooked fish lasts for up to 3 months. Be sure to wrap/seal it tightly before storing.

To reheat, transfer them to a baking dish, cover with foil, and bake at 450°F for 5 minutes. If frozen, 10 minutes.

Alternatively, cover the container with plastic wrap and microwave it on medium for 3 (5 if frozen) minutes.

Although the foil helps to retain moisture, reheated foods aren’t as juicy as freshly-made. We encourage consumption in one sitting while treating storage as the last resort.

What to Serve With Lemon Butter Salmon

Due to the lack of carbs in this recipe, we’re serving it with potato wedges. For refreshments, this tangy dish goes great with a sweet beverage, and our orange-pineapple juice is just the thing:

Recipes	Course	Calories	Saturated fat	Sodium
Lemon Butter Salmon	Main Dish	455	10.8 g	547 mg
Air Fryer Potato Wedges	Side Dish	185	0.6 g	298 mg
Orange Pineapple Juice	Beverage	112	0.0 g	6 mg
Total		752	11.4 g	851 mg

Nutritional values in this table vary somewhat to those below due to different app calculations. Read more...

Other Savory Salmon Recipes

Switch up your diet with these tasty salmon recipes. They’re tasty, delicious, and comply with our healthy eating standards:

Lemon Butter Salmon Recipe

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