Honey Garlic Baked Salmon

This Honey Garlic Baked Salmon has a deliciously sweet and savory sauce that caramelizes in the oven and coats the salmon perfectly to make a nice and tender baked salmon. It’s the perfect healthy salmon recipe!

Salmon is one of my all-time favorite fish to eat! It’s so delicious and tender! Spruce up your salmon recipes by trying my lemon honey glazed salmon, sheet pan chili lime salmon, and brown sugar crusted salmon.

Why This Recipe Works

• Perfect balance of flavor. This honey garlic salmon has the perfect balance of flavor! The saltiness from the soy sauce, paired with the sweet from the honey and the tart from the lemon is the perfect combination of flavors.
• Broiling provides caramelization. The salmon is first seared in a pan and then moved to the oven to broil. The broiling step is important because it adds a nice caramelization to the sauce (since there is honey in the sauce).
• Paprika adds depth of flavor. Thanks to the earthy and peppery flavor of paprika, the salmon gets a nice depth of flavor that pairs well with the honey garlic sauce.
• Broiled uncovered. Because we broil the salmon uncovered, the top gets nice and crispy and the sauce caramelizes. We wouldn’t get that same result if we were doing baked salmon in foil.

Ingredient Notes

• Salmon: Make sure your salmon fillets are as similar is size and thickness as possible. This will help so the fillets cook evenly.
• Soy Sauce: The baked salmon with soy sauce and garlic isn’t overpowered with either of those ingredients. The soy sauce merely helps add saltiness and depth of flavor to the sauce.
• Lemon: The lemon juice adds tart to the sauce to balance out the salt from the soy sauce and the sweet from the honey.
• Honey: The honey adds a nice sweetness to the sauce. It is also an important ingredient to get a nice caramelization in the sauce while broiling.
• Paprika: Using paprika provides a nice chargrilled flavor since the paprika is a earthy/peppery flavor (don’t worry, paprika isn’t spicy).

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Prepare the oven. Place the oven shelf in the middle of the oven and preheat your oven to broil. 
2. Season both sides of the salmon with salt, pepper and the paprika. 
3. Make the honey garlic sauce. Melt the butter in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute or until fragrant. Stir in the honey, water, lemon juice, and soy sauce. Stir to combine and cook for 2 minutes. The sauce will thicken a bit. 

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4. Sear the salmon. Place the salmon in the skillet, skin side down (if it has skin). Cook for 4 minutes, spooning the sauce over the top of the filets. 

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5. Cover the fish in sauce one last time and then place the skillet in the oven and broil for 5 minutes. The internal temperature of the salmon should reach 145°F.
6. Remove from oven and serve immediately.

Recipe Tips

Keep the skin on the salmon. It protects the flesh of the salmon from the hot pan.

Make sure the salmon is at room temperature and is patted dry prior to cooking. This will help get a nice crispy skin instead of a soggy skin.

Sear the salmon for 4 minutes or until the skin is a little crispy. Don’t flip the salmon. The top will bake in the oven.

Make sure any bones are removed from the salmon before baking.

Make Ahead, Storing, and Freezing

Store any salmon leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Reheating salmon can dry it out. Try adding a bit of butter on top of the salmon before microwaving or warming in the oven. You can also use any leftover salmon on salads, sandwiches, etc.

You can freeze cooked salmon. However, cooked salmon can dry out once reheated. I would recommend eating the salmon the night of or using any leftover salmon in salads or sandwiches as mentioned above instead of making the salmon ahead or making extra to freeze.

FAQs

Suggested Sides

• Roasted Cauliflower
• Buttered Vegetables
• Baked Sweet Potatoes
• Rocket and Pear Salad