Baked Salmon Dill Lemon (Printable)

Flaky salmon baked with olive oil, topped with aromatic lemon dill butter sauce.

# What You Need:

→ Fish

01 - 4 salmon fillets (6 oz each), skinless or skin-on
02 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
03 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
04 - 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

→ Lemon Dill Butter Sauce

05 - 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
06 - 2 tablespoons fresh dill, finely chopped
07 - 1 garlic clove, minced
08 - Zest of 1 lemon
09 - 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
10 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
11 - 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

→ Garnish

12 - Lemon slices
13 - Additional fresh dill (optional)

# How-To:

01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease lightly.
02 - Pat salmon fillets dry with paper towels. Arrange on prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season both sides with salt and pepper.
03 - Bake salmon for 12 to 15 minutes, depending on thickness, until just opaque and flakes easily with a fork.
04 - In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Add minced garlic and sauté for 30 seconds until fragrant.
05 - Stir in fresh dill, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Cook for 1 more minute, then remove from heat.
06 - Transfer baked salmon to serving plates. Spoon warm lemon dill butter sauce over each fillet. Garnish with lemon slices and extra dill if desired. Serve immediately.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • Salmon fillets stay impossibly tender and flaky when you don't overthink the baking time.
  • The lemon dill butter sauce comes together in the time it takes salmon to cook, so you're never standing around waiting.
  • It tastes like you spent all afternoon in the kitchen but feels effortless to execute.
  • Works beautifully for weeknight dinners or when you want to feed guests something they'll remember.
02 -
  • Overcooked salmon becomes dry and unforgiving, so use a fork test rather than guessing—the difference between perfect and overdone is literally two minutes.
  • Adding dill after the heat comes off keeps it vivid and fresh instead of turning dark and muted from residual heat.
  • Lemon juice curdles if you add it to actively simmering butter, so removing the pan from heat first prevents a broken sauce.
03 -
  • If salmon fillets are very thick, tent them loosely with foil for the first 8 minutes, then uncover to finish baking and develop a delicate exterior.
  • Make the sauce in advance and gently reheat it just before serving instead of trying to time it perfectly with the fish.

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