Baked Salmon with Lemon Dill (Print Version)

Tender salmon baked with lemon slices and fresh dill for a bright, flavorful meal.

# What You Need:

01 - 4 salmon fillets (6 oz each), skin-on or skinless

02 - 2 tablespoons olive oil

03 - 1 large lemon, sliced into thin rounds

04 - 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped (or 2 teaspoons dried dill)

05 - 2 cloves garlic, minced

06 - 1 teaspoon sea salt

07 - 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

08 - Extra fresh dill

09 - Lemon wedges

01 - Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease it.

02 - Pat the salmon fillets dry with paper towels and place them skin-side down on the prepared baking sheet.

03 - Drizzle olive oil over each fillet and sprinkle with minced garlic, chopped dill, sea salt, and black pepper.

04 - Place lemon slices on top of the salmon fillets, overlapping slightly.

05 - Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the salmon flakes easily with a fork and is opaque in the center.

06 - Remove from the oven. Garnish with extra dill and lemon wedges if desired. Serve immediately.

01 -

It's genuinely done in 30 minutes, no shortcuts required, which means weeknight dinners stop feeling like a chore.
The lemon and dill combo tastes like you spent hours thinking about flavor, but it's really just smart simplicity.
Salmon cooks so forgivingly that even if you're not confident in the kitchen, this turns out beautiful every time.

02 -

Don't skip the paper towels when drying the salmon—moisture is the enemy of anything resembling a crust, and dryness changes the entire texture and appeal.
The lemon slices aren't just decoration; they're actively cooking the fish from above and keeping it from drying out, so arrange them thoughtfully.
Salmon continues cooking a tiny bit after it comes out of the oven, so pull it when it's still just barely opaque in the thickest part.

03 -

Buy salmon from a fishmonger you trust and ask them to smell it with you—fresh salmon smells like the ocean, briny and clean, never fishy or ammonia-like.
If you're marinating ahead, do it for no more than 30 minutes with just oil, dill, lemon, and salt, because prolonged exposure to acid will start cooking the exterior before the oven gets a chance to.