17 Simple Upgrades To Instantly Improve Your Baked Salmon

Salmon is one of the most beginner-friendly fish to work with (aside from canned tuna, of course). There are so many different ways to cook this flavorful yet not overwhelmingly fishy protein, including outside on a grill, on the stovetop, or, the reason we're gathered here today, in the oven. Baked salmon can be a set-it-and-forget-it meal, an easy way to get food on the table without having to do much besides plop the fish from the seafood market paper into a pan or baking sheet. But, if you want to truly do this beautiful protein justice, you're going to have to get creative and step outside the box a little bit. 

Luckily, many of the best ways to instantly upgrade your baked salmon don't require too much planning, cooking skill, or time. To get some ideas, we caught (fish pun intended) up with three experts: Rima Kleiner, registered dietitian and recipe developer for Dish on Fish; Marissa Stevens, recipe developer and founder of Pinch and Swirl; and Jessica Chan, recipe developer for Jecca Chantilly. They shared their top tips for elevating this tasty and easy protein.

An essential step when preparing any dish is finding ways to pair it with spreads and toppings that will elevate its flavor. One pairing that Rima Kleiner recommends is baked salmon and avocado-lime salsa. This idea comes from her recipe for grilled salmon tacos, but it can easily be adapted to fit a baked salmon recipe, sans tortillas.

Kleiner pairs diced avocados with standard salsa ingredients, including red onion, jalapeño, garlic, lime juice, and cilantro, to create a tasty topping for the salmon. The avocado adds an unprecedented creaminess to the fish, and the salsa brings an acidic depth to help balance the flavors and cut through the richness of both the avocado and the fish. An avocado-lime salsa is easy enough to whip up with ingredients at home, or you can just combine the avocado with a store-bought salsa for a quicker alternative. 

Chicken piccata is a tasty way to enjoy poultry, and it turns out you can emulate those same flavors in a baked salmon dish. Marissa Stevens recommends trying a lemon-caper butter with your salmon. "I melt butter with capers and a splash of lemon juice, then spoon it over the warm fish," Stevens explains. She rounds out the flavor with fresh herbs like parsley and chives. 

A lemon-caper butter sauce is an excellent way to elevate your baked salmon because it offers layers upon layers of flavors. The capers are naturally salty, which not only elevates the flavor of the baked fish but also cuts through the richness of the butter. The lemon and herbs balance the dish with an earthy and bright zest. Lemon-caper butter salmon would be a great pairing for a side of steamed broccoli or brown rice, or you could even opt for something starchier, like roasted potatoes. 

Although salmon isn't usually thought of as a fatty cut of fish, it can have a fatty flavor, especially if it's wild-caught. Luckily, you have a tool in your culinary arsenal to cut through this richness: fresh herbs. Many herbs offer a complementary, vegetal profile that can highlight different sauces or be used as a standalone seasoning on your filets. In fact, there are few herbs you can't rub on fish before baking it. 

Fresh parsley and thyme are a great place to start. Parsley has a very clean profile, and it can be used in tandem with breadcrumbs or parmesan cheese. Thyme, on the other hand, has a woody, lemony flavor that would highlight a butter or garlic sauce well. We'd also recommend taking inspiration from your favorite lox bagel combo and rubbing your salmon with dill before baking it. This would be excellent served with a sour cream or yogurt sauce. 

To use fresh herbs on your fish, combine your herb of choice with olive oil and basic seasonings, like salt and pepper, then pour it over the top to generously coat your filets. It's a simple yet effective way to give your salmon some pizzazz. 

Cedar planks are usually associated with grilled salmon, but you can also use them to infuse your baked filets with flavor. It's a cheap fix that can make fishy salmon (or really, all salmon) taste luxurious. 

Cedar planks infuse your fish with a deliciously smoky taste and require very little effort to use. If you're grilling with them, you'll usually want to soak them in water before transferring them to your grill grates and adding your salmon. You'll still want to soak the planks if you're trying this hack in your oven — this prevents them from catching fire. Place the soaked planks on a baking sheet and put them in the oven to preheat. Once it's hot, you can slide your filets onto the plank and bake until it easily pulls away from the skin. 

We love using this hack when the weather outside isn't conducive to grilling, or when we want the cedar plank's flavor to enhance the spices on the fish. Try it with seasoned salt or an Asian-inspired honey-soy glaze. 

One of the easiest ways to upgrade your baked salmon is to play with different textures. While switching up the flavor by adding different seasonings and marinades is a good place to start, a crusty coating makes each bite more compelling and can draw attention to different tastes. Enter panko. 

Remember, panko is not the same thing as plain breadcrumbs. Panko gets much crispier, making it preferable for baked dishes like Japanese chicken katsu or, in this case, salmon filets. The flavor is pretty neutral, so you can pair it with an array of other seasonings including herbs and spices, parmesan, or just salt and pepper. 

While panko is crispy enough on its own, you can also add an extra step and toast the panko before coating your filets with it. You can do this in a pan on the stovetop with a tiny amount of oil (emphasis on "tiny"), in your oven, or in your air fryer. Once the panko is ready, sprinkle it on the butter or oil-coated fish (this will help promote sticking) and bake. 

Salmon and cream cheese are a great pairing on a bagel. But you can also use this creamy ingredient to upgrade baked salmon. Cream cheese is slightly tangy and dense, making it the perfect foil to the slightly salty and savory fish.

Essentially, you'll want to bake your salmon under a slab of cream cheese. The cream cheese should be at room temperature so it's easier to work with and combine with any flavorful mix-ins, like herbs or breadcrumbs. You should also make sure your fish is dry, as this will give the cream cheese something to adhere to as it bakes. Place your fish on your cooking surface, add your cream cheese, and bake it until the cream cheese starts to brown on top. You can serve cream cheese baked salmon with anything you'd serve grilled salmon with, including grains like farro or rice, or steamed greens. 

Mustard is an unlikely pairing for salmon, but the punchy notes just seem to work with the more neutral flavor of the fish. Mustard, in any form, including dry mustard, Dijon, whole grain, and even plain yellow mustard, brings a sinus-clearing bite to the fatty fish and draws your senses to the other flavors at play. The acidity from the mustard will balance the salty undertones of the fish, and it's especially delicious paired with another sweet seasoning like maple syrup, mirin, or honey. 

Rima Kleiner makes her baked salmon mustard glaze with apple cider vinegar, olive oil, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, and maple syrup. She notes that you can add whatever seasonings and herbs you fancy, though she prefers to use thyme. Her recipe uses equal parts oil and Dijon; the oil is an important ingredient in this recipe because it helps the Dijon stick to the filet. She cooks the salmon skin-on with most of the sauce but reserves some extra for drizzling and serving. 

Sometimes the best way to spruce up your dinner isn't just to add a whole bunch of seasonings — it's to switch up the way you prepare it. Instead of just sliding your salmon filets into the oven and walking away, you can try searing them in a pan to get a solid crispness and good color before finishing them in the oven. 

This method is simple to implement at home; you'll just want to make sure that you're searing the salmon in an oven-safe pan like a trusty cast iron skillet. Once the skillet has heated to medium-high, place your filets in, skin-side up, and let them sear for a few minutes. You won't need to use too much oil; a couple of tablespoons should suffice and prevent your filets from sticking. Although you might be inclined to lift your filet up to check underneath, hold off — the fish needs to be undisturbed so it can develop the right color and texture. From there, transfer the pan straight to your preheated oven and cook to your desired doneness. 

You might consider serving your fish with a yogurt sauce, but this creamy accompaniment is also excellent for marinating your fish. From a food chemistry standpoint, the yogurt's acid content will help denature the proteins in your fish, making each bite softer. Highly acidic marinades and fish usually don't mix, as leaving your filets soaking in them for too long can cause the flesh to become mushy and soggy. However, the yogurt's gentle acidity will give you perfectly tender salmon — without it falling apart in your mouth. 

You don't need to marinate your salmon in yogurt for very long for it to have an impact. The yogurt can also help your filets develop a beautiful, golden brown crust and a perfect crunch — just make sure to use full-fat, unsweetened Greek yogurt for the best results. 

If you're not cooking with harissa yet, consider this your sign to start. Harissa is a delectable North African spice blend made with roasted peppers, along with caraway seeds, garlic, and paprika. It's often found as a paste rather than a dried blend. Harissa typically runs tongue-tingingly spicy, though you can find some varieties that are a little milder. 

Harissa is a bold accompaniment to baked salmon, but it's one worth trying. We love pairing it with salmon filets because it brings warmth to every bite — not just unrelenting heat. There's an aromatic component, as well as a deeply savory one, both of which will complement even the fishiest of salmons. It also amplifies the roasted flavor of oven-baked fish specifically. Try adding the paste to your marinade alongside oil or Greek yogurt. You can also smear it straight onto the filets or turn it into a dressing with something sweet like maple syrup or honey. 

Oven-baked and roasted foods go hand-in-hand with sugary glazes like maple syrup or honey. Although both these liquids do offer sweetness, they also come with a distinctive flavor that will elevate your baked salmon. Maple syrup, for example, packs in oaky notes. Rima Kleiner pairs this sweetener with soy sauce, sriracha, garlic, salt, and paprika, and serves the salmon filets with air-fryer roasted Brussels sprouts. If you want to create synergy between the entree and the side, you can even try making maple-roasted Brussels sprouts. The sweet charred flavor of the veggies will mesh well with the sweet undertones in the glazed salmon. 

Honey can also be used to flavor baked salmon, but it needs to be paired with ingredients that preserve its floral notes and slightly acidic bite. You may see some baked salmon recipes pair honey with Dijon mustard, lemon juice, or garlic — all of which have sharp, punchy flavors that will still allow the honey's profile to take center stage. 

Everyone's spice cabinet looks a little different — yours might just be home to the bare necessities. In fact, Rima Kleiner notes, "baked salmon is delicious prepared simply with just olive oil, sea or kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper and a squeeze of lemon" – one of the best ways to season salmon for the oven. Salt and pepper establish the base seasoning for your filets and should be the foundation on which you build your other flavors. In other words, you can add all the spicy pepper and unique seasonings you want, but if your salmon is under-salted, it won't taste very good.

Salt is salt, but pepper leaves some room for experimentation. Pink peppercorns, for example, would be a great addition to your baked salmon because they have a more citrusy, pine-like aroma and flavor, rather than just raw heat. Just be sure to load up on the oil to help your seasoning cling to the fish. 

If loving everything bagel seasoning is wrong, we don't want to be right. This flavorful blend of salt, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, dried garlic, and dehydrated onions is a must-have for any home cook, especially if you find yourself baking salmon often. Marissa Stevens recommends adding everything bagel seasoning to your fish for both the savory flavor and crunchy texture. Though, you don't just have to add it to your fish as a crust. "I sometimes stir it into Greek yogurt for a quick sauce on the side," she says. 

The important thing to note about this preparation is not the overcook it because the seasoning contains sesame seeds, which may burn at higher temperatures due to the high fat content. You should gently press the seasoning into your fish filet to ensure that it sticks and bake the fish seasoning-side up to prevent scorching. 

Lemons and baked salmon are a match made in heaven. A salty, fatty fish like salmon needs a refreshing flavor, which is where lemons come in. 

There are many ways to add this fresh citrus fruit to your recipe. One of the easiest ways is to add the juice directly to your marinade or sauce. You'll get a fresh, fruity flavor burst without any textural discrepancies. But lemon is more than just its juice. Marissa Stevens combines lemon zest with high-quality olive oil and salt (smoked or regular) before serving. "It's simple but really brightens the flavor," she says. You could also try baking your filets with whole lemon slices. This is one of our favorite ways to cook salmon because oils from the peel infuse into the fish, creating a less bitter and more complex bite than you'd get from just the juice alone. 

Jessica Chan recommends adding a miso marinade to baked salmon. If you've never worked with this ingredient before, it may be a little daunting — for those who don't know, miso is a savory, salty, umami bomb. The flavor is funky because it's made with a koji mold and fermented soybeans, as Chan explains. "You can use any type of miso interchangeably, but white miso will work better for salmon as it flavors the dish without overpowering the delicate fish," she says. 

Chan's marinade combines the miso paste with mirin and sugar. "Mirin is used to add a hint of sweetness and deepen the flavor of the marinade," she says. "Sugar helps to balance the saltiness and savoriness of the miso." She cooks down the marinade on the stove until the paste dissolves, then lets it cool before coating her fish with it. 

In order to make a really good baked salmon, you have to have good follow-through. Not only do you need to cook the fish well you also need to season it before baking and find a delectable way to top it once it's out of the oven. The easiest and tastiest way to serve your salmon is with a small piece of compound butter. 

The term "compound butter" may sound fancy and unapproachable — but it's really just whipped butter mixed with flavorful add-in ingredients such as herbs or garlic. The butter acts as a conduit for that flavor, and its richness will elevate the mouthfeel of your baked salmon. Try matching your compound butter to your other seasonings and sides. For example, if you're making a Thai-inspired marinade for your baked salmon, bring the flavor full circle with a garlicky, gingery, and lime juice-infused compound butter. 

Most people probably aren't just eating a piece of baked salmon alone on a plate. The exciting sides are what make this classic fish preparation so enjoyable. Our recipe for baked salmon with mustard greens and chickpeas, for example, is a testament to how valuable sides can be in amplifying and enhancing the flavor of a protein. The sharpness and bitter flavor of the mustard greens are a great complement to the caper-topped fish, roasted chickpeas, and tangy tomatoes. 

That said, your plate of baked salmon doesn't have to be a whole event — it just has to be mindfully and carefully constructed. Herby roasted potatoes, for example, can create contrast or complement the spices you season your salmon with, while lemony asparagus can offer a bright hint of acidity to balance your palate. You just have to be willing to play with flavors until you find a combination that works for you.