Cooking Salmon in the Oven

Salmon is very popular for its delicious taste as well the nutritional value. This pink-hued fish is known for its migratory nature, as they travel far distances during the whole life cycle. Born in freshwater, salmon fish migrate to the oceans, but, return to same location for spawning, after which they die. There are various species of salmon, that differ in the flesh color and nutritional value. However, salmon is one of those popular fish, that is considered to be having a high nutritional value. Salmon is very rich in Omega 3 essential fatty acids and other nutrients. This fish can be cooked in many different methods, like, baking, broiling, smoking, poaching, grilling and frying.

How to Cook Salmon in the Oven

Cooking salmon in the oven is one of the easiest methods of preparing this fish. What temperature do you cook salmon, in the oven, at and the time required for it, totally depends on the recipe you are trying to follow. Salmon can be baked very quickly and you need only a few ingredients apart from the fish. The following is one of the easy ways to cook salmon in the oven.

Baked Salmon Fillets

In order to bake salmon fillets, you need butter, salmon fillet (one pound), lemon pepper, lemon zest, dried parsley, lemon wedges (fresh), lemon juice, butter and tartar sauce. The following are some tips for cooking salmon fillets in the oven.

• Start the process by preheating the oven to 350° F. Take an oven tray and line it with aluminum foil.
• Keep the salmon fillet on the tray and remove the stray bones. Apply butter all over the salmon fillet. If the butter is hard, melt it before use.
• Now, sprinkle some lemon juice over the fillet, along with lemon pepper and parsley. Place the tray with salmon inside the preheated oven. Make sure to cover it with foil.
• The cooking times for salmon in the oven may vary with the size of the fish/fillet and the type of cooking. In this case, you have to cook for around 13 to 15 minutes.
• It will be better to check the fillet after ten minutes of cooking. Insert a fork into the thickest part of the fillet. If it is tender and flaky, then it is done. However, you have to continue cooking, if the fillet is raw.
• Once, the fillet is cooked, remove it from the oven and sprinkle lemon zest over it. You can use lemon wedges and tartar sauce for serving.

How long do you cook salmon in the oven? The cooking time depends on the thickness of the fish and the nature of cooking. While thin pieces cook quickly, thick ones may take more time. You can also cook frozen or stuffed salmon in the oven. In case of frozen salmon, there is no need of thawing. Rinse the frozen fish with water and pat it dry before cooking. The rest is same, but, you may have to cook a little bit longer, than in the case of fresh fish. So, cooking frozen salmon in the oven is not a daunting task. Cooking stuffed salmon in a oven will take a little more time. Clean the fish and stuff it according to the recipe. You have to cook it for around 15 to 17 minutes, in the oven, which is preheated to 400° F. After 15 minutes, take it out and sprinkle bread crumbs, before cooking for another five minutes. In short, cooking salmon in the oven is very easy, provided, you know the right methods.