Best Baked Salmon

This is the best baked salmon recipe with dry rub baked in the oven that will knock your socks off!! Your filet will turn out super fork-tender and flaky fillet to serve as a healthy dinner your family will love.

This is the best salmon in the oven you’ll ever make. In just 12 minutes you too can cook flaky fish with TONS of flavor that’s sweet and a bit spicy. Adjust the heat to your liking but bold flavors is where it’s at.

We used this same mixture on our smoked salmon recipe years ago. It was so popular we stuck with it and no matter how we cooked it, that is what we used. For a sweet and savory mixture you’ve gotta’ make it just as it states below, don’t doubt it. Yes it is right. 😉 I’ll share the ingredients for that below.

Baked Salmon with Dry Rub

If you are only cooking half a salmon fillet, then you could cut the dry rub for salmon recipe in half, or I would make it all and save the rest for another day. Just store it in a baggie so next time you don’t have to measure anything.

I prefer fresh versus frozen and defrosted if possible. The reason is the texture. To me defrosted tends to be a bit softer on the top. If you have a fisherman in the house, right out of the water is over the top amazing! There are

Are you supposed to flip salmon in the oven?

No. Whether you leave the skin on (suggested) or remove it, there’s no need to flip it to the other side. The most important element to baking salmon in the oven is timing, and the rub too. If you did try to turn it over it would likely lose all of it’s goodness on top.

I also want a bit of crowning on top where the meat is so I want the flesh facing up the whole time. We don’t eat the skin so I don’t care what the heck that looks like. It’s going in the garbage so whatever.

Trust me when I say that the dry rub listed below is amazing. Some have questioned the amount of salt or this or that but please just make it as directed. If you just want a light dusting then sprinkle half of it on and you can save the other in a baggie for another batch.

Want really bold flavors, then use all of it and pack it on the top. Lift the filet off the cutting board and just let what falls off be discarded. Not sure which one you’ll like best? Cut your piece in half and do one half light and the other with a heavier hand. Then the next time you’ll know which you prefer.

We use this so often that I make a few portions of this and just store it in a small freezer bag. I write on the outside salmon dry rub and then it’s ready to go when I find fish on sale. Makes the process faster that way.

Ingredient Notes

The amount of seasoning is appropriate for 1 salmon filet – I suggest keeping the skin on, with salmon skin side down for this one ideally. I like to take it out beforehand so it’s closer to room temperature when starting

How Long to Leave Dry Fub on Salmon

This is subjective depnding on how strong of a flavor you want it to have. If you want a lighter taste then just coat, lift up and allow the excess to fall off and bake. BUT you can leave it on for up to 1 hour set in the fridge covered with plastic wrap for a bolder yum, I wouldn’t leave on longer than that though or the flesh will get icky. Just combine;

1. Brown sugar will bring out a bit of sweetness
2. Sugar will as well, sugar-free could be an option
3. Paprika I like either smoked or regular to create a warm flavor
4. Chili powder can be adjusted but what’s listed will not make it spicy
5. Garlic powder goes in everything I make basically, could use onion powder instead
6. Salt and pepper (if you like pepper on all the things), could top with a few lemon slices if you like (I typically don’t)

How do you get dry rub to stick to fish?

This is a favorite sweet and savory mixture that everyone loves. You don’t need melted butter or olive oil really. You do want to kinda’ blot the top with some paper towels to remove what moisture is on the top. If it doesn’t stick then a very light spray of olive oil will be just fine. It will stick just fine with the moistness of the fish itself. Don’t doubt it, just make it!

Should you cover salmon with foil in oven?

You do not want to cover the top with foil however I do lay on the bottom for easier cleanup. I like the non stick version if you can find it. If some of the rub falls off it is likely to get quite brown and may bake on to your pan so you do want to lay foil or parchment paper underneath it.

You will also want a small bowl to mix the seasonings. A baking sheet / cooking sheet is needed or a 9×13 inch pan might work depending on it’s length

Frozen Baked Salmon

If you have been forgetful you may still have a rock solid piece. We have information about How to Cook Frozen Salmon here, it can be done. As far as the seasonings are concerned they won’t stick well though, a bit with a brush of olive oil. You can add more halfway thru though when the flesh is tender for best results though.

Tips

Coat all sides for the salmon with rub. Use some plastic wrap to cover and wrap up your coated piece. I like to refrigerate and let it sit for about an hour. If you want it done more immediately you could sit for 15 minutes minimum.

Cover baking sheet with non stick foil. This will make it easier to clean up especially if the skin sticks during the oven baking time. Always preheat oven before adding food and I suggest that you do switch to broil hi for 2 minutes cooking time to crisp the top just a bit for best results.

Before switching to broil look to see if there is excess rub that has burned on to the foil on the side of the fish, if so just add a small piece of foil on top of that to cover it so it doesn’t smoke when you put it under the broiler. You could roast potatoes on another sheet but those take longer.

This is what it looks like when it’s done. Seriously it is my favorite every recipe, next to having it smoked on our Traeger (using the same rub). Serve with some air fryer red potatoes with a bit of minced garlic on them and serve! I mean anything goes with this y’all, side salad, mixed veggies, rice, etc…

Looking for a few more easy recipes. Of course you are. If you have been following me for any length of time you know that simple is the name of the game if you’re a busy family like we are. Here are a few other baked mouthwatering recipes using meat we love:

You have to try our Melt in the Mouth Roast Beef some night too! Our baked pork chops get ***** five stars from everyone who has tried them. Some say they never liked this cut until they tried this!

Make our dutch oven chicken with creamed spinach some night, that is killer too. Of course since we love fish so much we have a lot of other ways to cook this too. In the smoker is shared above.

Instant Pot frozen salmon comes out quite well too. It is good to have on hand if you forget to defrost what’s for dinner. I am always forgetting that here and there so I keep this “trick” in my pocket for those evenings.

Can I freeze leftovers

I don’t know why you would want to but you could. You’d need to ensure it was at room temperature. Then wrap in plastic wrap and then in foil. Alternatively you could put into a freezer bag and suck the air out. Freeze for up to six months. When defrosting leave in fridge overnight or submerge into water.

Can you reheat cooked salmon?

We rarely have any leftover but occasionally there might be a small piece. I will flake it into some butter noodles and just stir in to warm. If I am eating as is I’ll just put into the microwave in 30 second intervals until warm.

How to Save Leftovers

The trick to keeping leftover salmon moist is to eat as soon as possible of course. Another is to wrap it tightly so moisture can’t escape. The longer it is refrigerated or frozen the more it will change it’s texture, not for the good.

Just cut thickest part in half and reheat in the oven for best results. Do not over cook, heat just until warmed and squeeze a bit of lemon juice on top and enjoy. You could use your air fryer too but that will make it crispy on the outside and kinda’ dry it out more than you’d like. You can flake it on top of some rice for a healthy second meal, mix it with a little mayo and enjoy with some crackers, or enjoy as is.

FAQ