Honey Mustard Roasted Salmon

Salmon fillets are roasted with a simple and flavorful glaze of honey, whole grain mustard, fresh lemon juice and garlic.

I'm excited to share this recipe with you because this has been our favorite way to prepare salmon for years!

We actually tried this method as kind of an intro to making salmon at home. Neither of us were super into fish a few years ago but in an effort to branch out, we tried this recipe and it quickly became one of our favorites!

Coating the salmon with just a tiny bit of olive oil helps to keep it nice and juicy, and when the glaze bakes up in the oven, it caramelizes a little bit and infuses the salmon with so much flavor. The honey gives it a touch of sweetness, the mustard has a tangy bite, lemon pairs so perfectly with fish & gives it a little kick of brightness, and hi - garlic (or garlic sauce) makes pretty much everything better.

We make honey mustard roasted salmon all the time because it's a super easy "pantry" staple. I buy bags of frozen individually wrapped salmon fillets so I pretty much always have salmon on hand, and it thaws super quickly! The ingredients in the glaze - whole grain mustard, honey, lemon and garlic - are staples that have many other uses and last a while so it's easy to keep those on hand too!

It comes together super fast so it's a great weeknight meal - it's done in about 20 minutes total! But it's also elegant enough for company...so you really can't go wrong no matter when you make it!

The original recipe calls for maple syrup, but the first time I made it I didn't have any so I substituted honey, and ended up really liking it! Both options are delicious so you can use whatever you have on hand (or whichever sounds good to you!).

Salmon cooks pretty quickly and depending on how thick or thin your fillets are, they may be on the higher or lower end of the recommended cooking time so check them frequently, you don't want to overcook the salmon because it will be dry!

I think the best way to check if it's done is to test it with a fork - it's done when the fish is opaque and flakes easily. You'll want to choose salmon fillets that are all about the same thickness so they cook at the same rate. (For fillets about an inch thick, I cook them for the initial 5 minutes, add the glaze, and then cook about 7 minutes more.)

This is a great recipe both for people who are new to making salmon, and for salmon lovers. It's quick, easy and packed full of flavor.

Yummy noises await you!

5 from 3 votes

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Honey Mustard Roasted Salmon

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

15 mins

Total Time

20 mins

 

Salmon fillets are roasted with a simple and flavorful glaze of honey, whole grain mustard, fresh lemon juice and garlic.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: 4 people

Ingredients

• 4 fillets salmon (about 5-6 oz. each)
• 2 tsp olive oil
• kosher salt, to taste
• fresh ground pepper, to taste
• 2 Tbsp honey
• 2 Tbsp whole grain mustard
• 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
• lemon wedges, for serving (if desired)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF. In a small bowl, whisk together honey, mustard, lemon juice and garlic. Line a baking sheet with foil, spray with nonstick spray and arrange salmon fillets on the baking sheet. Pat dry with paper towels. 

2. Rub 1/2 tsp olive oil on each fillet and season with salt and pepper. Roast salmon for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and spoon glaze evenly over the fillets. Return to oven and roast for about 6-10 more minutes - until the fish is opaque and flakes easily with a fork. Serve immediately with extra wedges of lemon, if desired.

Recipe Notes

Choose salmon fillets that are all about the same thickness so they cook at the same rate. Salmon cooks pretty quickly, and depending on how thick or thin your fillets are, they may be on the higher or lower end of the recommended cooking time so check them frequently, you don't want to overcook the salmon because it will be dry.

 

This recipe also tastes great with maple syrup instead of honey!

 

You can use skinless or skin-on salmon fillets. If you use skin-on, place them on the baking sheet skin side down and discard the skin before serving. 

 

Adapted from Food Network's Mustard Roasted Salmon.