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Step 1: Preheat Your Oven
- You'll want your oven to preheat while you are preparing the fish.
- The recipes we consulted suggested preheating your oven somewhere between 350 degrees and 450 degrees.
- Consult your recipe to determine the proper temperature for your fish, but to be on the safe side, remain closer to 350 so you don't overcook the salmon.
- You'll also want to line an oven-safe baking sheet with aluminum foil to cook the fish on; this will make for easy clean-up later!
Step 2: Prepare the Fish
- There are myriad ways to prepare fish before baking, and some can be done several hours ahead of time.
- Rubs: A salmon fillet can be patted down with dry herbs and seasonings like paprika, sea salt or chili powder before baking. The following recipes offer some great rub alternatives:
- Real Simple: Chili-Rubbed Salmon
- RecipeZaar: Gene's Salmon Rub Recipe
- Whole Foods Market: Salmon with Basil Butter Rub
- Glazes: Another salmon baking option is a glaze, which can be drizzled over the fish prior to baking. A glaze can also be achieved by baking a sweet fruit like a pineapple on top of the fish; the juices coating the fish during baking. Some of the most common glaze recipes include:
- Prevention: Salmon with Ginger Glaze
- Real Simple: Maple-Glazed Salmon with Pineapple
- Real Simple: Glazed Salmon with Mint and Cucumber Slaw
- Marinades: You can marinade a salmon fillet overnight in a store-bought mix or a combination of such ingredients as olive oil, white wine, lemon juice, soy sauce, brown sugar and ginger among others. Some salmon marinade recipes include:
- About.com: Lemon Pepper Marinade for Salmon
WARNING: Pop-ups - MayoClinic.com: Baked salmon with Southeast Asian marinade
- Cooks.com: Marinated Salmon Steaks or Fillets
- About.com: Lemon Pepper Marinade for Salmon
Step 3: Bake
- The main event—you're almost done!
- Put your baking sheet with your fish into the oven. Check your recipe to see if the fish should be closer or farther from the heat source.
- Bake the fish for about 10-12 minutes or until just opaque throughout.
- How long you bake the fish will depend on the thickness of your fillets. The general rule is it will take 10 minutes per 1 inch of thickness to cook through.
Step 4: Check for Doneness
- You want your salmon to be medium-rare, firm but still extremely tender inside.
- As with all fish, overcooking is a death sentence. Well, maybe that's a little harsh, but it certainly won't taste succulent and fresh.
- To avoid overcooking, remain close to your oven. Remove fish promptly when your timer goes off and remember it will continue to cook a bit on the pan even after it's out of the oven.
- If it looks almost or just barely done (just barely pink all the way through), you've timed things perfectly.
Resources for How to Bake Salmon