Lemon Butter Salmon Recipe

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.

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

Main Ingredients

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

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.

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4. Sauce

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. 

If you want your salmon tangy but less buttery, our oven-baked lemon pepper salmon recipe might suit you better. If you like it buttery but not tangy, our honey mustard salmon would do.

Tips for Making

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

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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.

For more salmon recipes with awesome marinades, check out our salmon marinade recipes.

Lemon Butter Salmon Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Our lemon butter salmon recipe introduces an easy, delicious way to enjoy salmon. It takes 30 minutes, and most of it is hands-free.

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• cook TIME 25 mins
• prep TIME 5 mins
• total TIME 30 mins

• COURSE Main Course
• CUISINE Global
• SERVINGS
  4

  servings
• CALORIES 455 kcal

INGREDIENTS

1x2x3x

• 30 oz boneless salmon (about 4 medium fillets)
• 18 oz asparagus (woody end trimmed/ shaved)
• 8 oz cherry tomatoes
• 2 oz lemon (sliced)
• 5 tbsp unsalted butter (about 2.5 oz, room-temp)
• 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
• 2 tbsp parsley (finely chopped)

INSTRUCTIONS

Image instructions

1

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Marinate 30 oz salmon with 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1/2 tbsp garlic, 1 tsp Cajun, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper.

2

Line a baking tray with foil and brush the foil with 1 tbsp room-temp butter.

3

Onto the tray place the salmon, 18 oz asparagus, 8 oz cherry tomatoes, and 2 oz lemon slices. Try to spread them out so they bake evenly.

4

Cut the butter block (4 tbsp) into small pieces and place them on the fillets and vegetables like so:

5

Bake in the preheated oven at 350°F for 15 minutes. Flip the asparagus and bake for another 5 minutes.

6

Sprinkle with 2 tbsp parsley and serve.

NUTRITION

Nutrition Facts

Lemon Butter Salmon Recipe

Amount Per Serving (1 serving)

Calories 455Calories from Fat 225

% Daily Value*

Fat 25g

38%

Saturated Fat 11g

69%

Polyunsaturated Fat 3g

Monounsaturated Fat 7g

Cholesterol 147mg

49%

Sodium 549mg

24%

Potassium 1218mg

35%

Carbohydrate 10g

3%

Fiber 4g

17%

Sugar 4g

4%

Protein 51g

102%

Vitamin A 1882IU

38%

Vitamin C 32mg

39%

Calcium 71mg

7%

Iron 4mg

22%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Keywords: how to make lemon butter salmon, lemon butter salmon, lemon butter salmon recipe