Oct 20, 2022, Updated Jun 18, 2024 This easy baked salmon recipe starts with mayonnaise in a simple, flavourful sauce and is flaky, moist perfection every time. Perfect for weeknights when you’re looking for something healthy and a little special that can be made in a jiffy. I love a good speedy weeknight dinner, don’t you? This salmon is a cinch to make and layered with hits of umami and maple syrupy sweetness (Psst. if you love glazed salmon, you must also try my Honey Teriyaki Glazed Salmon and Cajun Honey Butter Salmon recipes). I think you’ll love the taste as much as I do.
Why You’ll Love Baked Salmon Recipe With Mayonnaise
Although it is easy to make, this recipe has a restaurant-quality edge to it. It’s special occasion worthy. It’s made with everyday pantry staples that you don’t need to search high and low for. The result is perfectly balanced as the mayonnaise mixture reflects salty, savory, and sweet and has a hit of garlic. It can be doubled up, and the leftovers can be used as meal preparation for the next day. I love having extra salmon in the fridge to eat for lunch. I make a big healthy salad as a side dish and have that with it. 5 minutes of prep time. What more can I say?
What You’ll Need To Make It
Here’s a list of the handful of everyday ingredients you’ll need to gather for this recipe:
Mayonnaise. The mayonnaise is the base for the creamy sauce and what makes it so succulent. Maple syrup. Salmon does well with a bit of sweetness added to it as it brings out the flavor in the fish. Soy sauce. This is the salty component of the dish. You could use regular or low sodium. Minced garlic. Garlic gives this dish a little zing. You could use minced shallot if you don’t have any garlic. Salmon. While you can use frozen salmon for this recipe, I always try to use fresh fish as it gives the best result, especially the texture. This recipe can also be made with individual salmon fillets too. Sliced almonds. You could switch out the almonds for chopped pine nuts or cashews. These give the salmon a nice little crunch. Minced chives or onion. I sometimes omit the soy sauce and maple and use fresh dill, parsley, or basil as a stand-in for the chives for an herby variation (just season the fish with salt first).
How To Make Baked Salmon With Mayonnaise
Here are the instructions for making this baked salmon dish. Baking the fish in this dreamy sauce is how the magic happens. The fish gets drizzled with the sauce, baked, and then rested. This process allows the sauce to permeate the fish, resulting in butter-soft fish flakes.
What To Serve It With
With the speediness being a key draw to this recipe, I love to serve simple boiled potatoes and fresh steamed green veg like broccoli or asparagus to go with it. Try basmati rice with steamed green beans. Alternatively, I load the baking pan up with veggies tossed with salt and oil to bake right alongside the salmon. (You’ll just have to use a rimless baking sheet to remove the fish when it’s done, as the veggies take longer.) The result is crunchy vegetables to balance the creamy salmon. Another side that tastes wonderful with this recipe is my Easy Couscous Salad with Lemon Dressing & Fresh Herbs. RELATED: 35+ Best Side Dishes for Salmon
How To Cook Salmon Without Drying It Out
The way I cook juicy, succulent salmon is by checking the internal temperature from about 6 minutes into the cook time. I let it get up to about 125ºF, then take it out of the oven and transfer it with a rimless baking sheet off the hot baking tray to stop the cooking process. It continues to cook by carry-over cooking, but won’t dry out. Salmon comes in all shapes and sizes, so it’s best to use the internal temperature as a guide. This will help prevent overcooking it. The wonder of this particular recipe is that the mayonnaise mixture actually insulates the fish with moisture, which will also help it to stay moist and soft. NEXT READING: Moist Salmon Recipes (+ a food science expert’s 7 PRO tips for meltingly moist and tender salmon every time!)
What Is the Best Temperature To Bake Salmon At?
Bake salmon at 425ºF to take advantage of the quick-cooking nature of fish. Cooking salmon at a lower temperature allows for more even cooking and less shrinking, but I love a hot oven sear on a good salmon filet, and it makes for dinner at lightning speed.
How Long Does It Take For Salmon To Cook In the Oven?
Generally speaking, a piece of fish around 3/4 of an inch thick will take around 12-16 minutes to cook. There are so many variables when it comes to the cooking time of salmon. The total time will vary based on how cold your salmon was when it went into the oven, how thick it was, how long your oven was preheated, even the colour of your baking sheet. I strongly recommend using the internal temperature to know when it’s done.
Other Fish Recipes You Don’t Want To Miss
Here are a couple of other quick and moreish weekday dinners to try out:
Spicy Fish Tacos with Cabbage Slaw + Lime Crema Crispy Potato Fish Cakes with Cod
More Favorite Salmon Recipes
I couldn’t possibly let you leave without sharing some of my own favorite salmon recipes!
This cajun-honey butter salmon (pictured above) is just luscious, you guys – add it to your meal rotation STAT.
Another recipe not to be missed is this honey teriyaki glazed salmon, where the savory and sweet flavors seep deep inside the salmon; it’s too good.
Great for summer is my grilled salmon with avo and melon cucumber salsa. Salmon Satay Skewers with Peanut Sauce. A perfect summery salmon recipe! Air Fryer Frozen Salmon. She ain’t fancy, but boy is she perfect on a weekday. Fall-apart flaky fish that goes straight from freezer to air fryer.
