Baked Lemon Pepper Salmon

Add a zesty kick to your next fish dinner with this easy lemon pepper salmon recipe that goes from idea to plate in under 30 minutes!

With all of the health benefits that come with eating fatty fish, getting it on the table a couple of times a week should be easy. It should be, but so often it isn’t. For one, cooking different types of fish might be intimidating if you’re not familiar with it. It can also be too easy to find one recipe and neglect to change it up to keep things exciting, especially if you’ve got your family on board with a favorite recipe!

I am a sucker for a spicy/sweet combo on my salmon, but I can NOT resist the tang and zest of this lemon pepper crumb topping!

So take a break from the tuna noodle casserole this winter and get your Omega-3’s in with this zesty lemon pepper salmon!

The Best Salmon to Use For this Baked Salmon

You can select any type of salmon you wish for this recipe. Fresh or frozen, small or large, pink or coho, skin on or skin off. It truly does not matter. The only thing you will need to consider is the thickness of the fillets and the time to cook. For this recipe I used 16 oz. of frozen skin-off wild caught pink salmon. Each fillet was approximately 4 oz.

If you are using fresh, long fillets of salmon, you may just need to adjust the cooking temperature. Start with 15 minutes and test the thicket part with a meat thermometer. As soon as the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F, the fish is cooked through and safe to consume.

If you are interested in the sustainability of your fish selection, I recommend checking out the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Fish Watch page. Here, you can learn about what types of fish or fishing practices are sustainable for the water environments.

How to Make Baked Lemon Pepper Salmon

Spray a baking dish with cooking spray. I like to use Pompeian Avocado Oil Spray as it’s a propellent free spray and coats what you are spraying so nicely. Plus, avocado oil is one of my favorite oils to use with it’s high smoke point and mild flavor.

Place the salmon fillets either skin side down (if using salmon that has skin attached) or fleshy side up.

Mix the lemon juice, olive oil and minced garlic together and brush the mixture evenly over the top of each fillet.

Mix the lemon zest, lemon pepper, and panko together. Add the 2 tsp of olive oil and combine until the mixture resembles coarse, wet sand. Spread the crumble topping on each fillet, pushing into the fillet to stick.

Bake at 425 deg F for 15 minutes or until the internal temperature is 145 deg F. Broil for the last 2-3 minutes for a golden and crispy top. Sprinkle fresh or dried parsley on top.

What to Serve with Lemon Pepper Salmon

Adding a vegetable and a starch helps to make this a balanced meal that will help nourish and satisfy you and your family. Here are some ideas:

• Air Fryer Green Beans
• Roasted broccoli
• Asparagus
• Brown rice
• Crusty bread
• Farro
• Whole Wheat egg noodles

Easy make ahead tips

You can easily prep a coupe of things on the weekend so that this dish comes together even more quickly on a workday weeknight.

• Have your salmon defrosted in a plastic bag or in a glass dish in the refrigerator.
• Juice and zest the lemon ahead of time and save in the refrigerator until ready to use.
• Mix the panko and lemon pepper seasoning (I love the Mrs. Dash Lemon Pepper Seasoning) and store in an airtight container.

After you try this baked lemon pepper salmon at home, I would love to hear what you think! Leave a rating an a comment below and let me know how you enjoyed it!

Not ready to make this dish quite yet? Save it to your favorite Pinterest board and add the ingredients to next week’s grocery list!