Baked Cilantro Lime Salmon

Baked Cilantro Lime Salmon in Foil is cooked to tender, flaky perfection in just 30 minutes with a flavorful garlic and honey-lime glaze.

How tasty you ask? Tasty enough to make my father say it’s as good, or even better, than the best restaurant salmon he’s ever tried. And that’s saying something because my father is a life-long lover and restaurant order-er of salmon.

All of that flavor comes from a simple, 4-ingredient glaze that will Blow. Your. Mind. Seriously — I’m obsessed with this combination of flavors (and soon, you will be too!): melted butter, garlic, freshly squeezed lime juice, and honey.

That’s IT. Just pour that good stuff over the salmon, wrap it in foil, and bake it to flaky, tender perfection. This 30-minute meal will turn salmon skeptics into salmon lovers and will win a permanent spot on your regular menu.

Plus, cleanup is a breeze! Reuse that foil to wrap up any leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch, or toss the whole thing right in the garbage – no pan scrubbing required.

TIPS & TRICKS FOR BAKING SALMON

• If you don’t have a huge salmon fillet, don’t worry about it. This recipe works for a large salmon or a couple of medium-sized fillets, or even several small fillets. Just watch the cooking of smaller pieces so that they don’t overcook.
• Salmon already has a high-fat content and can cook in its own fat just fine if you don’t want to add all the butter. Cut the butter back to just 4 tablespoons and it’ll still taste amazing — if not quite as buttery.
• Be sure to bake the salmon skin-side down (if yours has skin) and leave the skin on. The skin creates a barrier between the cooking element and the flesh. So, if anything happens to stick to the foil, it’ll be the skin, and it’ll also be so easy to take right off once baked.
• If you aren’t cooking one big fillet, try to cook up smaller pieces or fillets that are about the same size, that way you won’t overcook some and undercook others.

To help the seasonings stick to the salmon, pat the salmon dry before adding salt and pepper. That will make the skin get crispy too, and help keep the salmon moist.

DO YOU HAVE TO WASH SALMON BEFORE COOKING?

You don’t have to wash your salmon per say, but I do give mine a little rinse under cold water and then pat dry with a paper towel before putting it on the baking sheet. This helps to “freshen” up older (not expired, but not just-caught-from-the-ocean, either) fish and makes your seasonings stick better for cooking.

How to make this Baked Cilantro Lime Salmon

Ingredients:

• 1 large salmon fillet (see note)
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup butter, melted (see note)
• juice of 2 limes (plus one lime, thinly sliced)
• 4 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/3 cup cilantro, roughly chopped

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line and grease a large baking sheet with foil. Lay salmon on foil and season with salt and pepper on both sides to taste. Slip lime slices underneath the salmon.
• Stir together butter, lime juice, honey, and garlic. Pour mixture over salmon. Fold sides of foil up over the salmon (don’t worry if it doesn’t cover the salmon completely).
• Bake for 15-20 minutes. Switch oven to broil and cook another 5 minutes. Sprinkle chopped cilantro over the top and serve.

Notes:

Don’t stress about the size of your salmon fillet. This recipe is very forgiving and works for one very large salmon, a couple of medium-sized fillets, or even several small individual fillets.

For an even lighter version, you can cut back the butter to 4 tablespoons instead of a half-cup (8 tablespoons). Keep in mind though that for a very large salmon fillet like the one I used, 8 tablespoons is not a terribly huge amount when divided between 4-6 servings.

Prep Time: 5 MINUTES;  Cook Time: 20 MINUTES;  Total Time: 25 MINUTES;  Servings: 6 PEOPLE

Source: www.lecremedelacrumb.com