I have tried a lot of salmon recipes but this is one of the best. This is adapted from an Ina Garten recipe, and the first time we made it my husband said it was the best salmon he had ever had, even from a restaurant! That was quite a compliment. The salmon almost poaches in the juices of the pan sauce while baking and it creates an incredibly moist and flavorful salmon.
TIPS: Make sure your baking dish is not too large as you don’t want the juices to spread out too thin, but you want the liquid to surround the salmon pieces. Feel free to substitute another thicker fish, such as cod, in this dish. In truth, Ina’s original recipe does use cod.
Baked Salmon with Lemon and Herbs
Ingredients
- olive oil
- 4 boneless skinless salmon fillets (6-8 oz each)
- kosher salt and pepper
- 1/2 C panko bread crumbs
- 2 Tbsp fresh parsley minced (or chives)
- 1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp grated lemon zest
- 3 Tbsp butter melted
- 1/4 C dry white wine
- 2 Tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees (not convection).
- Pour 2 Tbsp olive oil in a 9×9 or 7×11 ceramic baking dish (just big enough to hold the fish). Place the fish in the dish and turn to coat both sides of the fish with oil. Sprinkle the fish with salt and pepper and bake for 8 minutes.
- Meanwhile combine the panko crumbs, parsley, garlic, lemon zest and 1 tsp of salt into a small bowl. Add melted butter and stir until evenly moistened. Set aside.
- Remove the fish from the oven after 8 minutes and pour the wine and the lemon juice directly over the top of the fish. Pat the panko crumb mixture on top of each fillet, pressing gently to adhere. (It is okay if some fall into the dish, but try to keep it mostly on the fish). Return the pan to the oven for about 10-12 minutes until the fish are just cooked through in the middle, about 120 degrees, and the panko has started to brown.
- Serve hot with the pan juices.
- Enjoy!