Simple Roasted Wild Caught Salmon

Baked Wild Caught Salmon with mashed potatoes and green beans.

4.60 from 5 votes

Simple Roasted Wild Caught Salmon

This Simple Roasted Wild-Caught Salmon is the best basic method for perfectly cooked salmon every time! Seasoned very simply with just olive oil, salt and pepper, the quality of the salmon shines through and is easily paired with any side dish. It's quick and easy and ready in just 20 minutes, perfect for a special dinner or just a simple weeknight!

Prep Time5

Cook Time12

Rest Time3

Total Time20

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 184kcal

Author: Meryl Downing

Ingredients

1 pound wild caught salmon filet or a little larger
2 teaspoons olive oil
½ teaspoon kosher salt
8 grinds fresh black pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400° convection bake.
Cut a brown paper bag to roughly fit under your salmon (this step is optional, but makes it really easy to serve the salmon while leaving the skin behind stuck to the paper bag, easy clean up too!).
Place the salmon, skin side down, on the paper bag, on a sheet pan. Check for and remove any pin bones with a small kitchen pliers. Optional - using a serrated knife, score the salmon into serving amount pieces, cutting down through the meat but leaving the skin in tact, this allows for easy serving.
Drizzle with olive oil and rub onto the entire salmon with your hands, then season with salt and pepper.
Roast in the oven for 11 to 15 minutes. The roasting time will vary depending on the thickness of the fish. Check salmon after 10 minutes, if you scored the salmon, you will be able to look in the score cuts to see if it looks done. You can also test with a fork pulling apart a piece to see if it flakes. Salmon doneness is a personal preference, some like it more medium rare, some well done, so the best thing to do is check it after 10 minutes and then do a couple more minutes and check as you go. It is done when it flakes easily but don't overcook it! Allow the salmon to rest on the stovetop for 3 to 5 minutes before serving.
Serve with any sides, mashed potatoes, roasted or blanched green vegetables, salad, or crusty bread.

Notes

The Brown Paper Bag Trick -When roasting a piece of 'skin on' salmon in the oven, cut a brown paper bag to fit under the salmon while you roast it. The skin sticks to the bag while the flesh pulls right off to serve. This also makes the pan much easier to clean without that caked on skin!
Score the Salmon - Using a serrated knife, score the meat into serving size pieces before cooking it, slicing down through the flesh but leaving the skin intact. This makes it easier to serve individual pieces without having ragged edges on your servings.
Don't Overcook Salmon - Oven temperature and the thickness of the salmon can make the cooking time really vary. Always start with just 10 minutes, you can always put it back in the oven to cook longer but once it's overcooked, you can't undo it!

Nutrition