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Easy Baked Salmon Lemon Butter Cream Sauce is a quick and easy dinner recipe! The sauce is so good, you’ll be drinking the sauce straight out of the pan.
The kind of recipe perfect for busy weeknights when you don’t have time to cook. This baked salmon with an incredible lemon butter cream sauce comes together so easily, you’ll be shocked it was made at home!
EASY SALMON RECIPE
If you’ve had our Easy Salmon Piccata or our Easy Honey Garlic Salmon, you’d know how much we love an easy salmon recipe. Well, this easy baked salmon is no different!
A truly effortless 15 minute recipe, this salmon is baked first with garlic, lemon and optional white wine, then drizzled with a crazy good sauce straight into the pan. The natural pan juices released from the fish while baking, mix through the cream sauce to create one hell of a salmon dish!
Using minimal ingredients that you likely already have in your kitchen, you’ll have the most tender salmon fillets drowning in a creamy, lemon butter sauce on a plate in minutes.
OVEN BAKED SALMON
When salmon is cooked in the oven, it doesn’t get that sexy, brightly seared orange colour with crispy edges. What you do get, is tender salmon just about falling apart with each forkful. The only thing salmon needs is a good amount of flavour rubbed all over it before baking and of course, a magic sauce to drizzle over it when it’s done.
That’s where our easy baked salmon recipe comes in. You’ll love the generous amount of creamy sauce that you’ll simply have to mop up with a couple of slices of our Artisan Bread, Soft Dinner Rolls or Cheesy Garlic Bread. Pour over plain rice or Creamy Mashed Potato!
What you need:
- Salmon fillets – middle pieces roughly the same size and thickness are the best for even cooking.
- White wine – can be omitted or subbed for dijon mustard. Wine adds that restaurant flavour.
- Garlic – just because.
- Cream – use heavy cream (or thickened cream) if you can. You can also use half and half (an American product using half milk and half cream).
- Butter – more flavour!
- Lemon – is salmon’s best friend.
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WHAT TEMP TO BAKE SALMON
Bake your salmon, uncovered, at 425°F (220°C) on the middle shelf of your oven.
HOW LONG TO BAKE SALMON
Roast for 4 – 6 minutes per 1/2-inch (1 cm) thickness of fillet. Baking time depends on the thickness of your salmon fillets.
- MEDIUM: 4 minutes per 1/2-inch.
- WELL DONE: 6 minutes per 1/2-inch.
The salmon fillets pictured needed 11 minutes. Be careful not to over bake as salmon can become dry and unpleasant to eat when over-cooked.
spoon pouring thick, lemon butter sauce ob
HOW TO TELL WHEN SALMON IS BAKED
Check the thickest part of your salmon fillets with a fork. Once the flesh easily flakes and softly falls apart, it’s ready!
You can also use an instant read thermometer to check for doneness. The USDA recommends a minimum internal temperature of 145°F (61°C). For an accurate reading, insert thermometer into the thickest part of the salmon.
LEFTOVERS
Refrigerate for up to three days in an airtight container. Gently reheat in the microwave.
MORE BAKED SALMON RECIPES
Crispy Garlic Parmesan Salmon
Honey Garlic Butter Salmon In Foil
Lemon Baked Salmon with Asparagus
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Easy Salmon Recipe Lemon Butter Sauce
Ingredients
EASY SALMON:
- 4 skinless salmon fillets
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice freshly squeezed, divided
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons dry white wine optional - can sub with 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon salt to season
- 1/4 teaspoon cracked pepper to season
CREAM SAUCE:
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons dry white wine can sub with 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup cream heavy, whipping or thickened
- 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped, divided
Instructions
- Heat oven to 425°F (220°C). Lightly grease a baking dish.
- Pat the salmon dry with a paper towel. Combine lemon juice, olive oil, garlic and wine together in a small bowl. Rub salmon with the mixture and arrange in baking dish. Season with a good pinch of salt and pepper.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until salmon is opaque throughout.
- While salmon is baking, melt butter in a small pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant (30 seconds).
- Pour in the wine and let cook for 2-3 minutes until just starting to reduce. Add in cream and cook until sauce thickens slightly.
- Take off the heat and stir through lemon juice and parsley.
- Pour the sauce over the cooked salmon in the dish to mix through the natural pan juices released from the salmon while baking.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
HOW LONG TO BAKE SALMON
Bake for 4 - 6 minutes per 1/2-inch (1 cm) thickness of fillet. Baking time depends on the thickness of your salmon fillets.- MEDIUM: 4 minutes PER 1/2-inch.
- WELL DONE: 6 minutes per 1/2-inch.
HOW TO KNOW WHEN SALMON IS READY
Leftovers
Refrigerate for up to 3 days in an airtight container. Gently reheat in the microwave.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is a ‘from lips to hips” rich sauce recipe, but…. it’s delicious! I added a little grated nutmeg when I stirred in the lemon juice just before serving.
DELISH! I prepared this dish for dinner tonight and it was really easy and amazingly fast to cook. I have 4 kids and 2 of them are super picky but they ALL enjoyed it! It took around 12 minutes for the salmon to reach 170’F and it was perfect. I replaced the white wine with a combo of chicken broth and spicy mustard– taste was awesome! I’m going to cook it again this weekend : )
Super yummy and so easy to make. I used light cream and cooked my salon for 12 minutes as hubby and I like it well done. This will be a regular for us 🙂
Made this dish for my partner and he was in love!!! Was a smash hit! Tried it the Dijon mustard way, but will use white wine next time. Can’t wait to cook for my guests. Thanks Karina!
This was ‘to-die-for’ delicious !! I paired it with confetti rice (rice cooked with minced veggies). https://imgur.com/a/Rac226j
I used a 5oz slice of salmon, with half the sauce since I’m cooking for 1.
Didn’t have parsley, swapped in some Italian seasoning.
I grated half a clove of garlic for the baking, minced the rest for the sauce, and thickened the half&half with about 1/2 teaspoon of cornstarch.
The salmon wasn’t quite up to temp after 11 minutes, so I poured the sauce over, and baked for another 4-5 minutes.
Licked the plate clean – the cats never had a chance 😋
Made this last evening using left over salmon fillets. I made the sauce and then warmed the fish in it. This sauce is very good. I recommend garnishing with a little fresh parsley. It will dress it up a little. Well done. .
We eat a lot of fish and I’m always looking for something new to try. Made this tonight and its a keeper for sure. I do have a question though, in the ingredients for the BAKED SALMON you say to divide the lemon juice but no where could I see what the reason for it was or where to use it other than when mixing it altogether — all or half?
You are right, so did you just use the one tablespoon then.
Sounds delicious great for Christmas Eve.
Merry Christmas to you and your family
Can not wait too try baked salmon with lemon butter cream sauce this looks amazing maybe even try it with family on Christmas Day enjoying each other’s company Talking and cherishing every minute we are so thankful and blessed thank you, Lynda
This was fabulous! We eat salmon once a week and this has really amp’d up our salmon dish!
Thank you!
I recently became a Salmon convert, lol, I truly believe it’s in the way it’s cooked. This Christmas season will feature this recipe mainly because of the yummy sauce! Thanks for another wonderful recipe.