Dinner can be quick, healthy, and unbelievably delicious with this Lemon Pepper Salmon recipe, which is sure to delight your family.
Salmon is such a versatile fish that you will welcome new recipes featuring exciting and tasty ways to prepare it for your family. Baking salmon in foil-wrapped packages infuses flavor and tenderness into the fish, keeping it from drying out. While Lemon Pepper Salmon is best served fresh, you can do plenty of things with any leftovers you might have.
One of my favorite ways to use leftover salmon is in Salmon Patties. If you’ve only ever made these using salmon in cans or pouches, you don’t know what you’re missing. The flavor profile is through the roof when you use leftover fresh salmon. The same goes for making tuna patties with leftover tuna. In fact, you could use any leftover fish to make patties the following day. It is quite a treat.
Why I Love This Recipe
Can we talk for a minute about simplicity? I’m not just discussing preparation but also cleanup. Covering the baking dish in foil (I recommend a few layers to prevent leaks) means there is no pan to wash, just your zester and a knife. Can life get any easier?
Of course, that’s not the only reason I love this recipe. Salmon is a fish often recommended for diets for its many health benefits. It is high in protein, omega-3 fatty acids, and essential vitamins and minerals. Salmon is one of the most heart-healthy foods on the planet—or in the seas, to be exact. This recipe incorporates abundant lemons, which are high in vitamin C and limonoids. Not to mention, it tastes great!
Should I Cook Salmon With the Skin On or Off?
Salmon can be cooked with the skin on or off, but leaving it on helps infuse additional flavor and prevents the fish from sticking and drying out. When you cook salmon in a pan with the skin side down, it yields a nice crunch to the skin. When you do not want to eat it, cooked salmon skin peels easily off the fish.
Cooking fish can sometimes seem daunting without experience, but this recipe makes it virtually foolproof for even novice cooks. You can tell when the fish is done by sticking a fork into it to see if it flakes off. If so, your fish is done.
How to Make Ahead and Store
Salmon is a dish you want to enjoy when it’s freshly made because reheating can dry out the fish. You also don’t want to prepare the fish packet in advance; the acid in the lemon juice can negatively affect the texture of the raw salmon if left for too long.
Serving Suggestions
You can serve lemon pepper salmon with a side of rice or quinoa, a nice salad, such as this Beet Salad recipe, or even this amazing Quinoa Bowl that you can top with the salmon. It is packed with layers of flavors for the perfect meal. A dinner as light and delicious as this needs the ideal dessert. Take advantage of summer’s abundant peach harvest and whip up some Grilled Peach Ice Cream. There’s never a wrong time for ice cream!
Lemon Pepper Salmon
Ingredients
- 2 pounds salmon boneless, skin optional
- 2 medium lemons
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and optionally, place parchment paper on the foil.
- Place the salmon on the prepared baking sheet.
- Drizzle olive oil over the salmon. Zest one lemon and sprinkle the zest over the salmon along with salt and black pepper.
- Slice the zested lemon and place the slices on top of the salmon.
- Juice the second lemon and pour the juice evenly over the salmon.
- Fold the foil over the salmon, sealing it to form a packet, leaving space inside for air to circulate.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 18-21 minutes, depending on the thickness of the salmon.
- Open the foil, switch the oven to broil, and broil the salmon for 3 minutes until slightly golden and fully cooked.
- Remove from the oven and let it rest for a few minutes before serving. Serve with additional lemon slices if desired.
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