All you need is a handful of ingredients and about 15 minutes to make this flavorful and healthy herb crusted salmon! Loads of fresh herbs are pressed onto wild salmon filets and roasted with a simple mixture of white wine, fresh lemon juice and rich olive oil, resulting in tender and succulent salmon with fresh flavors that everyone will love!
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About This Recipe
If you were to ask me about my ultimate go-to weeknight dinner, I'd always go for herb crusted salmon! With a handful of staple ingredients like fresh herbs (parsley, cilantro, or dill), citrus, and olive oil, magic happens in the kitchen.
The premise of this roasted salmon recipe is to load it with fresh herbs, citrus and olive oil and let the flavors do the rest. Any citrus works, including Meyer lemon, grapefruit or even sweet cara cara oranges.
Living in the Pacific Northwest, we are lucky enough to be surrounded by fresh wild salmon. And you might have noticed all of the numerous salmon recipes throughout this website. From grilling salmon on cedar planks to creating salmon tacos with mango salsa, it's undeniably one of our favorite proteins, especially during the summer!
✨ Recipe Highlights
- Quick and Easy: Once the herbs are chopped, the rest of the recipe is a breeze! Salmon cooks quickly and can be done anywhere from 10-15 minutes, making this a fantastic weeknight dinner!
- Bursting with Fresh Flavors: If you love the fresh flavors of Mediterranean cooking, you will love the bright and fresh flavors of this wimple herb roasted salmon!
- Versatile Ingredients: Use any combination of herbs, such as dill, parsley, mint and chives and any fresh citrus, such as oranges or grapefruit.
- Serve with Everything: Roasted salmon with herbs one of those main dishes that goes with just about everything, anytime of the year! Serve with orzo feta salad, turmeric basmati rice or roasted vegetable couscous.
📋 Ingredients
You've heard me say it before and I will say it again. Keep it simple and fresh is best. Use whatever citrus or herbs you can find. here are the flavors I used in this recipe:
- Salmon Filets: Look for thicker filets from the belly of the salmon, which can handle the cooking time. If thinner salmon is only available, such as sockeye, keep an eye on it since it may need 1-2 minutes less of cooking.
- Fresh Citrus: Whole lemons are often used when I'm making lemon baked salmon, but any citrus will work such as Meyer lemons, cara cara oranges or grapefruit.
- Fresh Herbs: Use an assortment of fresh herbs for maximum flavor, including any combination of fresh parsley, fresh cilantro, dill, mint, chives or green onions.
- Olive Oil: Look for a flavorful extra virgin olive oil. The ingredients in this recipe are pretty simple so a good favored olive oil will stand out.
- White Wine: Optional, but a splash of crisp white wine pairs well with the fresh citrus and herbs and creates a lovely sauce to baste over the salmon.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
🍋 Substitutions and Variations
I have made this recipe so many times with all sorts of flavors and variations. Here are some of my favorites.
- Add an assortment of citrus such as cara cara oranges and Meyer lemons.
- If fresh herbs aren't available, substitute with 1 teaspoon of fried dill and dried mint.
- Instead of fresh lemon, add finely chopped preserved lemon.
- Make the lemon baked salmon in a cast iron, baking dish or sheet pan.
- Add a layer of parchment paper to the baking dish or cast iron skillet to ensure the salmon poaches and stays tender, but it's not necessary.
⏲️ Instructions
Step 1. Line a baking dish or cast-iron skillet with fresh herbs and a few lemon slices. You can also line with a sheet of parchment paper.
Step 2. Place the salmon on top of the herbs and season generously with salt and pepper.
Step 3. Toss all of the freshly chopped herbs together and scatter them on top of the salmon filets, gently pressing down lightly so the herbs stick to the fish.
Step 4. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon zest and juice and white wine and pour the mixture around the salmon and some on top of the salmon too. If you have extra lemon slices, place a few on top of the salmon.
Step 5. Bake the herbed salmon at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 10-12 minutes. Keep an eye on it because thicker salmon may take a bit longer and thinner filets, less time.
Serve the herb crusted salmon with a spoonful of the lemon wine sauce and wish your favorite side dish, such a honey harissa cauliflower or my Mediterranean rice.
📍 Recipe Tips
- Dry the salmon filets well so the herbs and seasonings stick to the fish.
- You can make this in either a cast iron or sheet pan. This is the cast iron that I'm using for this recipe. A smaller vessel such as a cast iron will yield more sauce and create a poaching environment for the salmon.
- If making the herb crusted salmon on a sheet pan, will yield crisper edges on the fish, but will still be tender in the middle.
- Keep an eye on the salmon at the 8-10 minute mark. Thinner fillets will need less cooking and thicker salmon fillets may need up to 15 minutes of cooking.
Recipe FAQs
Salmon pairs with fresh herbs beautiful including fresh dill, fresh parsley, chives and mint.
Salmon does not need to be covered when baking and cooks relatively quickly in under 15 minutes.
🥗 Serving Suggestions
Herb roasted salmon goes with just about any side dish! A few of my favorites to serve alongside are kale and roasted beet salad, pasta with chard and parmesan and French ratatouille.
More Salmon Recipes
Herb Crusted Salmon
LittleFerraroKitchen.com
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 pounds salmon skin and bones removed
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon Ground black pepper
- 2 whole lemons zested and juiced
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup white wine such as Pinot Grigio
- ½ cup fresh parsley leaves finely chopped
- ½ cup fresh dill leaves finely chopped
- 2 stalks green onions finely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Begin by drying the salmon filets very well with paper towels. This will help the seasoning stick to the fish better.
- Line a baking dish or cast-iron skillet with fresh herbs and a few lemon slices. You can also line with a sheet of parchment paper.
- Place the salmon on top of the herbs and season generously with salt and pepper.
- Toss all of the freshly chopped herbs together and scatter them on top of the salmon filets, gently pressing down lightly so the herbs stick to the fish.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon zest and juice and white wine and pour the mixture around the salmon and some on top of the salmon too. If you have extra lemon slices, place a few on top of the salmon.
- Bake the herbed salmon at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 10-12 minutes. Keep an eye on it because thicker salmon may take a bit longer and thinner filets, less time.
Notes
- You can make this in either a cast iron or sheet pan. A smaller vessel such as a cast iron will yield more sauce and create a poaching environment for the salmon.
- You can also do the same on a sheet pan, which will make the citrus herb salmon a bit more crisper on the edges but still tender in the middle.
- The citrus herb salmon recipe can also be done on the stove top. Instead of roasting, place on stove top with a cover on the pan.
- Ingredients can be easily modified or omitted. For instance, you can leave out the wine and use other types of citrus, such as cara cara oranges and grapefruit.
In the Kitchen with Dinah says
This Herb Crusted Salmon Might be my new favorite one pan Salmon recipe. It really is super easy and if you want an amazing side dish, we did the Persian Jeweled rice. https://littleferrarokitchen.com/persian-jeweled-rice/
Luv2cook says
This Herb Crusted Salmon is the best I have ever made. The wine, herbs and evoo help make this salmon so moist. I made the Pesto Broccolini and the Jeweled Cauliflower Rice with Pomegranate and Pistachios to go with this. It is now a family favorite.
MrnMrsindkitchen says
Talk about Wonderful and one pan. The fish kinda does a Poach thing and it is wonderful. I served the Mediterranean Rice with this and then did the Mediterranean Roasted Vegetables to finish off the dinner. Perfect. Do not overcook the salmon.