Baked Lemon Pepper Salmon

Lemon pepper salmon in a non-stick pan with lemon wedges.

This baked Lemon Pepper Salmon is a delicious hands-off dinner all done in 22 minutes with just 3 ingredients. The combination of lemon juice and lemon pepper creates a flavor-packed crust while keeping the salmon moist inside. It's all the flavor you want, you don't even need to add a sauce!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Northern European

Diet Gluten Free

Prep Time 2

Cook Time 20

Total Time 22

Servings

Calories 221kcal

Author Emmeline Kemperyd

Equipment

Ingredients

1¼ lb whole salmon filet with skin see note below for other types of salmon
½ lemon juice only
2 tablespoon lemon pepper or citrus pepper

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
Place the salmon skin-side down in an oven-safe pan. Squeeze over the juice from the lemon and then spread out the lemon pepper evenly on top.
1¼ lb whole salmon filet with skin, ½ lemon, 2 tablespoon lemon pepper
Bake in the middle of the oven for 18-20 minutes, until done. Serve immediately with your choice of sides!

Video

Notes

Cook the fish skin-side down. This makes serving easier and keeps the fish moist. If your fish doesn't have skin, brush the pan with oil first.

Don't skimp on the seasonings. This dish is meant to be heavily seasoned and basically covered in lemon pepper.

Don't overcook the salmon. Salmon is a delicious protein, but it is quite sensitive to overcooking. To make this easier to avoid, use a meat thermometer and bring it out when it's close to 145°F (63°C). You can bring it out when it's slightly below and it will still cook fully, as the temperature keeps rising for a while after removing it from the oven. Never let it go above or it will be overcooked.

Check doneness early. Sometimes it cooks quicker, depending on thickness and your oven. Start checking at around 15 minutes to be sure not to overcook it.

How to Make It With Different Types of Salmon

Individual salmon filets with skin: Follow the recipe as written but shorten the cook time to 12-15 minutes.

Salmon without skin: Brush the pan with a good amount of oil before adding in the salmon, and otherwise follow the recipe as written.

Frozen salmon: Thaw it first or cook it from frozen in the air fryer.

What to Do with Leftovers:

Freezing: This dish does not freeze well.

Leftovers: I prefer to eat leftovers cold, or reheat them gently. Be careful not to overcook!

Reheating: Reheat leftovers in the microwave in 30-second increments.

Nutrition