If you’ve never cooked fish before, this is the perfect place to start. And even if you’ve been cooking fish for years, this recipe is perfect for you. It’s as simple and easy as a recipe can be, but so, so tasty.
Tasty enough that my dad says it’s as good or better than the best restaurant salmon he’s ever tasted. And that’s no understatement, as my dad is a long-time salmon lover and restaurant regular.
All of this flavor comes from a 4-ingredient glaze that will blow your mind. Seriously, I’m obsessed with this flavor combination. Melted butter, garlic, freshly squeezed lime juice and honey. That’s it. Just pour this mixture over the salmon, wrap it in foil, and bake it until it becomes tender and flaky to perfection.
This 30-minute dish will turn salmon skeptics into salmon lovers and earn a permanent place on your regular menu.
INGREDIENTS
1 large salmon fillet (see note)
salt and pepper, to taste
½ cup butter, melted (see note)
juice of 2 limes (plus one lime, thinly sliced)
4 tablespoons honey
3 teaspoons minced garlic
⅓ cup cilantro, coarsely chopped
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line and grease a large baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place the salmon on the foil and season with salt and pepper on both sides, to taste. Slide the lime slices under the salmon.
Combine butter, lime juice, honey and garlic. Pour mixture over salmon. Fold sides of foil over salmon (don’t worry if it doesn’t completely cover the salmon).
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Turn the oven to broil and bake for another 5 minutes. Sprinkle the chopped cilantro on top and serve.
NOTES
Don’t worry about the size of your salmon fillet. For an even lighter version, you can reduce the amount of butter to 4 tablespoons instead of half a cup (8 tablespoons). For an even lighter version, you can reduce the butter to 4 tablespoons instead of half a cup (8 tablespoons). Keep in mind that for a very large salmon filet like the one I used, 8 tablespoons is not a huge amount when divided into 4-6 servings.