Cooking Salmon in the Oven

Salmon is delicious as well as nutritious. This fish is known for its migratory nature, as they travel far distances. Born in freshwater, salmon fish migrate to the oceans; but, return to the same location for spawning, after which they die.

There are various species of salmon, that differ in flesh color and nutritional value. Salmon is very rich in omega-3 essential fatty acids and other nutrients. This fish can be cooked in different ways, like baking, broiling, smoking, poaching, grilling, and frying.

When compared to other methods, it is really easy to cook salmon in the oven. It can be baked very quickly, and you need only a few ingredients. The temperature level and the duration of cooking may vary with the type of dish you want to prepare. Given below is an easy method of baking salmon fillets.

In order to bake salmon, you need butter, salmon fillets (one pound), lemon pepper, lemon zest, dried parsley, lemon wedges (fresh), lemon juice, and tartar sauce. The seasonings and other ingredients have to be used as per your requirement. The following are some tips for baking salmon fillets.

• Preheat the oven to 350° F. Take an oven tray and line it with aluminum foil.
• Keep the salmon fillets on the tray and remove the stray bones. Apply butter all over the fillets. If the butter is hard, melt it slightly before use.

• Sprinkle some lemon juice, lemon pepper and parsley. Place the tray with salmon inside the preheated oven. Make sure to cover it with foil.
• The cooking time may vary with the size of the fillet, and the type of cooking. In this case, you have to cook for around 13 to 15 minutes.

• It will be better to check the fillets after ten minutes of cooking. Insert a fork into the thickest part of the fillet. If it is tender and flaky, then it is done. However, you have to continue cooking, if the fillet is raw.

• Once, the fillets are cooked, remove them from the oven, and sprinkle lemon zest. You can use lemon wedges and tartar sauce for serving.

The cooking time of salmon depends on the thickness of the fish and the nature of cooking. While thin pieces cook quickly, thicker ones may take more time. You can also cook frozen or stuffed salmon in the oven. In case of frozen salmon, there is no need of thawing.

Rinse the frozen fish with water and pat it dry before cooking. However, frozen fish has to be cooked longer, as compared to fresh ones. Even stuffed salmon takes longer to cook. In that case, clean the fish and stuff it according to the recipe.

Cook for 15 to 17 minutes, in the oven, which is preheated to 400° F. After 15 minutes, take it out and sprinkle bread crumbs, before cooking for another five minutes. In short, cooking salmon in the oven is not that difficult.