How long to bake salmon at 400 degrees F frozen or fresh fillet so it comes out flaky and fork tender every time. Use our dry rub for fish or orange citrus sauce blend. Based off of our most popular dry rub baked salmon recipe that has gone crazy with my fans, but with a citrus twist.
We love fish for dinner! With that said it needs to be baked correctly and not dried out, that is tragic. Baked salmon at 400 is the perfect temperature to keep it moist and super flavorful. From there you can season a ton of different ways. Just one of many easy fish recipes on our site. (affiliate links present)
Table of Contents
- How Long to Bake Salmon at 400 without Foil
- Baked Frozen Salmon at 400
- How long to bake frozen salmon at 400
- Should you bake salmon in foil?
- Salmon Baked at 400
- How to cook sockeye salmon in the oven
- Citrus Salmon Recipe
- What temperature should salmon be when done?
- Other ways to cook salmon
- How Long to Bake Salmon at 400 Recipe
How Long to Bake Salmon at 400 without Foil
We love ours to have a sweet and savory flavor with just a few seasonings that you likely have in your cupboards right now. There is a citrus salmon sauce you could try as well below. Either one is fabulous and makes for a healthy dinner choice that is super family friendly.
There’s no aluminum foil necessary to bake this way. It’s such a quick trip in the oven and I actually do love a bit of crisp on the very top at the end. The only time I would wrap it up is if I were to add a sauce on top like our teriyaki salmon in foil recipe.
Baked Frozen Salmon at 400
If you are starting from right out of the freezer the timing isn’t much different surprisingly. I typically recommend 450 F for 16 minutes adding butter to the top halfway thru. You could lower the temp to 400F. for 18 minutes or until white pockets start to rise to the surface.
How long to bake frozen salmon at 400
You can read more about how to cook frozen salmon a number of different ways here but in the oven you will want to cover at the beginning for 15 minutes, uncover and season. Continue baking for another 10-12 minutes or until flaky.
This is about the basics really, not the hundreds of ways you could season your fillet. I’ll offer the one below that has lemon and orange in it, and link my rub as well because those two we make most often. If you prefer just super simple with just a light dusting of salt and pepper with a bit of garlic powder then go with that.
Should you bake salmon in foil?
This isn’t necessary since it is such a short time in the oven but if you are really against any sort of crisp on the top then yes you could use the same directions covered for the whole time.
For the basics you only need 3 things. A salmon fillet that is no longer than your sheet pan, and a piece of non stick foil or parchment paper on the bottom. You will want it to be fresh or thawed.
Salmon Baked at 400
First you want to decide what flavor profile you’re going for. If you want super low prep but more of a punch than just salt and pepper you could use this bottled seasoning made for fish. I would HIGHLY suggest using ours though, I will share a link to that below.
Our salmon dry rub is amazing. With a little brown sugar for sweetness, salt to balance it out and paprika and garlic it is the perfect combination of all the things. If you use this you would skip all the other ingredients below. You just blot flesh dry with paper towels, rub that on and let it sit for a bit before baking.
Ingredients
- Salmon filet
- For a citrus orange sauce you are going to need;
- Salt and a little pinch of pepper
- Paprika
- Olive oil
- Squeeze of fresh lemon juice or a bit that has been bottled
- A fresh orange
- Sliced or diced red onion is a nice touch on top but optional
We typically use the timing for a 2 lb. piece that is whole as you see here. Of course if yours is much larger you may need to increase the timing, or if your piece is rather thick it may need to be adjusted as well. Sometimes I’ll slice it in half to cook more evenly. This is how long to bake salmon at 350 if your side needs that temp too.
Obviously because of the name of this blog post I prefer a higher temp. If you use our VERY accurate cook time and instructions it will not dry out, get grey, or lose it’s moisture. You want the outside to bake the seasonings on with a lighter pink in the middle. Period.
I do not. I feel it is better to get a bit of very light browning on the top. Adding foil to the top would work well for steaming but the texture overall would remain quite soft. That is an option if you prefer, the timing either way would remain the same.
No need for that and I wouldn’t recommend that as it will break apart and make a huge mess. If you want the bottom to get a bit of browning just set it on a cooling rack on top of your baking sheet.
If you choose this sort of marinade you will soak the onions for just a bit in it, and add it in stages along the way. You could also make it as mustard salmon which is amazing instead. I have a printable recipe at the bottom of this post you can keep on hand but here is a quick rundown of how we cook it to perfectly tender.
How to cook sockeye salmon in the oven
- Always preheat your oven to 400 degrees F at the beginning. Place fish on a baking sheet (skin side down) lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Season top flesh with salt and pepper.
- if you are using our salmon dry rub mixture instead, you don’t have to make the sauce listed below
- Lay filet on parchment paper on top of your baking sheet and bake salmon in oven time 10 minutes.
- If you want the top to have a light crisp set to broil for last 2 minutes, for just tender continue baking another 2 minutes.
- Bake salmon for 12 -15 minutes max (+3 min. for much larger pieces) total is typically perfect.
Citrus Salmon Recipe
- Zest and juice your fresh lemon and orange. Combine the juices with the olive oil. Pour half over the salmon.
- Sprinkle the lemon and orange zest over the top, bake in oven for 10 minutes.
- Place the sliced red onions in the olive oil bowl and toss with remaining mixture. Allow to sit while fish bakes.
- After 10 minutes, remove the salmon from the oven and sprinkle the marinated onions over top (not the juices).
- Return to oven to bake or broil for a bit of crisp for remaining 2 minutes
What temperature should salmon be when done?
Wondering what temp to bake Salmon? Salmon should be at an internal temperature 135 F. now. Combine the last bit of the olive oil mixture in your bowl with diced cilantro and parsley leaves. Once the salmon is done baking, drizzle the oil-herb mixture over the top
Other ways to cook salmon
If you are anti onion you could make this same mixture but without them too. Red are better than other colors in my opinion for flavor and just a bit of texture on top. This is by far the best way to cook sockeye salmon or if you had a piece of farm raised.
If you were looking for a new way to make Salmon in the airfryer I would make this marinade too. Follow those directions in the post above in regards to temperature and timing, but add some of this mid way thru and add the end.
In the case that your piece is frozen you can still add a sauce to it, just wait until it has cooked a bit and is thawed. That would be the case for air fryer frozen salmon. You will be surprised if this is all you have at how well it actually turns out. Adding some melted butter, sauce or marinade on the top adds to the moisture.
How Long to Bake Salmon at 400
Equipment
- 1 baking sheet
Ingredients
- 2 lb salmon, filet
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/3 c olive oil
- 1 lemon
- 1 orange
- 1/2 red onion, sliced
- 2 tbsp cilantro
- 2 tbsp parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F. Place salmon on a baking sheet (skin side down) lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Season top flesh with salt, pepper and paprika. (or use our salmon dry rub mixture instead and skip the rest of the sauce listed below) Set aside.
- Zest and juice the lemon and orange. Combine the orange and lemon juices with the olive oil. Pour half over the salmon. Sprinkle the lemon and orange zest over the top, then place in the oven for 10 minutes.
- Place the sliced red onions in the olive oil bowl and toss with remaining mixture. Allow to sit while fish bakes.
- After 10 minutes, remove the salmon from the oven and sprinkle the marinated onions over top (not the juices). Return to oven to bake for remaining 2 minutes (baked or broiled if you want a bit of crisp on top).
- Salmon should be at an internal temperature of 135 F. at this point. Combine the last bit of the olive oil-juice mixture in your bowl with the cilantro and parsley leaves. Once the salmon is done baking, drizzle the oil-herb mixture over the top
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
