If you’ve followed the blog for awhile, you’ve probably seen a few of my salmon recipes pop up. I’d say we eat salmon about once a week but we like to change up how we make it so we don’t get sick of it. This week I wanted to share my lemon pepper salmon recipe – it’s one of the simplest ways to prepare salmon and it always turns out perfect!
Lemon Pepper Salmon Recipe
My first tip when preparing salmon is to buy wild-caught. If you have a store that carries wild caught salmon and farm raised salmon, you’ll see the color difference between them. Wild caught salmon is much darker and also is more vitamin and nutrient rich than farm raised salmon. The second tip is to let your salmon sit out on the counter and come to room temperature before you put it in the oven. That way it will cook evenly and wont overcook the ends of the filet while the inside stays raw.
When making lemon pepper salmon, I always line the baking sheet with tinfoil and lemons so the salmon really soaks up the juices.
Salmon generally comes with the skin on, so you’ll place it skin side down for cooking. Once the salmon is cooked it’s very easy to peel the skin off; just remember to do it when plating your food! Then you’ll drizzle some lemon juice on top of the salmon and place lemon slices on top also. Since our kids are fairly sensitive to pepper, I went light on it this time around. I think next time I’ll make about half of it like this for the kids, and the other half I’ll use more pepper because it wasn’t as flavorful as I generally like it to be.
You’ll fold up the aluminum foil to enclose the salmon (leaving it just a little cracked open to allow for air flow) and bake your salmon in the oven. After about 15 minutes at 375° F, check on your salmon and if it easily flakes with a fork, it’s done! You can see where I checked our salmon as I was about to remove it from the oven.
I served our lemon pepper salmon over brown basmati rice with pan fried brussel sprouts and the whole meal was a big hit! I’m sure we’ll be making it again soon, and I’ll be adding extra pepper to give it even more savory flavor. Here’s the full recipe:
- 1 Wild Caught Salmon Filet
- 3 Lemons
- 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Black Pepper (add more if you'd like!)
- Preheat oven to 375° F
- While oven is preheating, bring your salmon to room temperature
- Pat salmon dry
- Place aluminum foil on baking sheet
- Spray aluminum foil and add lemon slices (1 lemon)
- Place salmon on lemon slices
- Place more lemon slices on top (1 lemon)
- Squeeze lemon juice from remaining lemon onto salmon
- Sprinkle salt and pepper all over salmon
- Wrap foil around salmon, leaving a small opening for air flow
- Bake salmon in oven for 15-20 minutes, flaking with fork to see if it's done
- Enjoy!
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Hi there! I’m Amber, a 34 year old wife and mom of two from central Minnesota. I love to be outside with my family anywhere the weather is warm (which means I spend half the year freezing). We’re a homeschooling family that loves to travel as often as possible! When I have a spare free moment, I love to read, take photos, and scrapbook. I’m interested in anything that makes life more fun; I also love socializing and sharing about my favorite products!
This post currently has 25 responses.
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gala
looks awesome, I have a nice piece of salmon and going to make this one today
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Michelle S
I love salmon! We use lemon juice but I bet this recipe would be yummier than how we do it currently.
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Mia E.
I like your idea for lining the baking sheet with tin foil and lemons for added flavor. I make salmon frequently but never thought about having it come to room temperature before baking. That sure makes sense for even cooking.
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Sarah L
I love salmon. I do like the tip about room temperature. Good to know.
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gloria patterson
I love lemon with salmon so this I have to try. I usually just buy 2 piece one to eat now and the next day. I did not know about bringing it to room temp before cooking it.
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Sarah Hayes
This looks really good! this is one of our favorite meals
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heather
I love salmon so much and try to eat it a few times a month, I have to try it with rice that looks so good. This lemon pepper recipe sounds amazing and so healthy thanks for sharing this one seriously.
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I love salmon and this salmon and rice recipe looks so delicious. I will have to plan on making this.
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Bettina
Great salmon recipe. We like eating this fish a lot at our home. We usually bake it but never do the lemon slices. I may try to add this next time . Thanks for the idea.
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Helga
I love salmon so I have to try this recipe. Lemon pepper is a great seasoning for fish.
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Amber Ludwig
This looks delish! We still have some salmon left from hubby’s last fishing trip. Totally making this recipe! I love the easy clean up! Perfect for a weeknight.
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Sandy C.
This is pretty much what we’re having for Thanksgiving. I REFUSE to eat turkey (long story), and I’m trying to up my healthy fish intake. Salmon is so low in mercury, compared to some fish – it’s just about an ideal food. Especially, as you say, if it’s wild-caught. Think I’ll use jasmine rice, though. Perfect! Pinned and planned!
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KariLorr
I love salmon, and this looks like a pretty easy way to cook it. Thanks for the recipe!
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Laurie Nykaza
I cant wait to order some fish and try to make this recipe. I love how easy it looks to make . Not everyone eats Turkey so this is a great option to make for my family to have.
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Mary Meadows
Looks delicious!??Thanks for sharing!
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Ashley Chassereau Parks
This looks good! I am usually not big on fish, but I love lemon and pepper so I might be able to sacrifice. haha! My kids and hubby like Salmon, but we’ve never made it like this before. I think they would really like it! I need to add it to the menu soon!
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Karen Jaras
I love salmon on the grill best with a sprig of fresh dill. This looks good for a winter try as I do not like to grill in the snow.
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Kathy Lane
I love salmon,but I have never tried it with lemon and pepper. Looks good and so easy to make too.
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Lissa Crane
This sounds like a simple to have a healthy, delicious meal! We love salmon in our house and I’m always looking for a different twist to put on it. This recipe sounds great!
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Maryann D.
I am always looking for new Salmon recipes. I would enjoy making this Lemon Pepper Salmon and my husband would love it. We do try to eat salmon at least a few times a month.
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Tara L
I love lemon salmon with a bit of pepper on top. I love all kinds of fish I must say. I had a really good salmon at outback this past year. It was so GOOD.
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Lauryn R
I am not even a big seafood fan but this recipe sounds delicious! I love the flavor combination of lemon and pepper and the salmon looks so flavorful and good. I can’t wait to try this recipe, I think my family will really like it. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
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Thomas Gibson
This meal looks so light and refreshing. Thank you for sharing this awesome recipe.
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Brett
This past year I made a commitment to finally get and stay healthy. I’ve been up and down in weight my life and now I’ve lost 100lbs 2x in 10 years after gaining it back the first time. This time around it took me a year and a half as opposed to 5.5 months but It is here to stay this time mostly because of diet and not just killing myself at the gym. Granted I’m working out but I’m not wasting it on eating out or eating unhealthy at home anymore. This is such a good simple recipe that I can feel good about eating to stay healthy. Thanks for posting it!
Salmon is one of my favorites and so healthy too. Love the recipe and the flavor of lemon and pepper