I’ve got your mid-week dinner solution, right here! This is my crispy, crunchy, panko, and parmesan-crusted salmon recipe that gets all the heart emojis! It’s a meal that’s easy enough to pull off on a weeknight, fancy enough for guests, and delicious enough to make ALL. THE. TIME. In addition to being all the things listed above, it’s also made almost entirely in the oven. So all you need to do is brush a little butter on the bad boy, sprinkle on that crunchy crust topping, and pop this little number into the oven while dinner preps itself for you. <– My favorite meals usually cook themselves. And if the minimum prep work and a small list of ingredients aren’t enough to convince you, can I tell you that these salmon fillets are buttery, crunchy, flakey, and tender all at the same time? The flavor is lemony and it pairs beautifully with rice pilaf or a quinoa salad. The lemon zest scent makes the whole thing light as a feather. The fact that this sheet pan dinner practically cooks itself is just the icing on the cake for me.
Ingredients for baked lemon pepper salmon recipe:
Salmon Fillet: You’ll need a large salmon filet preferably in the 11/2 -2 pound range. I prefer to use sockeye or coho salmon for this recipe and preferably wild-caught when available. Salmon is loaded with omega-3 fatty acids so it’s a great fish to include in your diet on a regular basis.Butter: I like to use salted butter for this recipe so I often omit the kosher salt because, between the butter and the parmesan, there’s plenty of sodium in the dish. If you’re using unsalted butter, feel free to use a 1/2 teaspoon salt with the other breading ingredients.Garlic: We’ll use plenty of fresh garlic cloves to add garlicky flavor to the breadcrumb mixture that goes on top of the salmon.Panko Breadcrumbs: Adds a crunchy texture to the salmon without being too heavy on the carbs! It’s lightly crispy and works perfectly with the flaky salmon.Parmesan: Parmesan and panko make the crust on this lemon pepper baked salmon recipe. Herbs and seasonings: You’ll need red pepper flakes, dried Italian seasoning, dried thyme, lemon pepper seasoning, and chopped parsley. Feel free to add other seasonings like onion powder or cayenne pepper if you’d like. I find the dish works well without them so I usually don’t add any. I like to use fresh parsley as it gives the dish a better flavor. It’s also relatively inexpensive to keep around in the refrigerator for garnishing recipes. If you aren’t a fan of parsley, you could also use cilantro here if you’d like.
How to make Lemon pepper salmon:
If you like this recipe, you might also like:
Garlic Butter Baked Salmon in FoilFirecracker Baked Salmon in FoilFancy but Easy Salmon PiccataChili-Lime Baked Salmon in FoilAir Fryer Salmon Bites (10 minutes!)
If you don’t have salted butter, no worries, just add a pinch of salt to the melted butter and stir before using.
