Estimated reading time: 8 minutes
This tender, moist salmon comes to the rescue on busy weeknights but also dazzles as an entrée for a dinner party. Brushed with a tangy-sweet, dill-infused glaze that caramelizes in the oven, this salmon appeals to all comers.
The tantalizing, glossy glaze has enough sweet honey to soften the sharpness of the Dijon mustard, but not so much that it loses that tastebud-tingling bite. After all, dinner should not compete with dessert!
Table of contents
😍What you’ll love about this recipe
- Easy but impressive: a weeknight wonder that is tasty and attractive enough to serve to guests.
- Quick prep, with a short, pantry-centric ingredient list
- Minimal cleanup
- Anti-inflammatory nourishment: Protein-rich with omega-3 fats, vitamins D & B12
Ingredients
- Salmon fillets or a side of salmon. You can also use steelhead trout or Arctic char.
- Dijon mustard: Do not use yellow mustard.
- Honey: Maple syrup works well as a substitute.
- Dried dill: Dried dill mixes into the glaze more easily than the fresh herb.
- Paprika: Adds an extra flavor note but can be omitted.
- Garlic powder: Swap in grated fresh garlic to add bite to the glaze.
How to Make Honey Dijon Dill Salmon
1️⃣ Wash hands thoroughly, lathering with soap and rinsing with water. 💦
2️⃣ Preheat the oven to 400°F for convection or 425°F for non-convection baking, and line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. I use a quarter-sheet pan (affiliate link).
3️⃣ Measure out the Dijon mustard, honey, dried dill, paprika, and garlic powder into a small bowl.
4️⃣ Using a small whisk, (affiliate link) combine the ingredients thoroughly into a glossy glaze. (This can be done up to 24 hours in advance.)
5️⃣ Wipe off the salmon with a paper towel and pat dry. Place it skin-side down on the foil.
6️⃣ Spread the glaze generously and evenly over the salmon with a pastry brush (affiliate link).
7️⃣ Bake until the thickest portion is flaky and cooked through. Your fish may cook quicker or more slowly depending on thickness. Fillets tend to cook evenly, while a whole side of salmon may get more done in the thinner areas near the tail.
8️⃣ Garnish with fresh lemon wedges before serving.
Recipe Tips
FDA guidance lists 145°F as the safe internal temperature for salmon and other finfish; the flesh should also be opaque and separate easily with a fork. If your salmon is very cold, it will take longer to bake.
Do you need an instant-read thermometer? Order one here (affiliate link).
For more even cooking, fold very thin sections (often the tail area) underneath the fillet before popping the sheet pan into the oven.
The glaze can be made a day ahead and applied to the salmon up to an hour before cooking.
Although it’s tempting to add veggies to the sheet pan, but I never do this because salmon tends to be very fatty and the veggies get coated with oil from the salmon. This makes them taste funky!
♨️ If your oven has a “roast” setting, go ahead and try it with this recipe. This salmon is also delicious on the grill! Grilling is an excellent treatment that keeps the smell of fish oil out of the kitchen.
❄️Storage
Any leftover salmon keeps in the refrigerator for up to two days after cooking. I do not recommend freezing leftovers because, after thawing, the texture is rather mushy and unpleasant.
🥬However, I sometimes prepare extra salmon and enjoy the leftovers placed on a bed of greens with cucumbers and other veggies as a main-dish salad. This makes a second dinner or nice lunch.
What to Serve with Honey Dijon Salmon
The classic dinner plate formula of a main protein plus vegetable and carbohydrate sides is an easy way to make a meal with the salmon. The color contrast of a green veggie with the orange-pink salmon offers nutrition and visual appeal!
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🍋 Lemon wedges are all that’s needed as a sauce if you’re enjoying the salmon on a weeknight. Consider doubling the glaze recipe and setting aside half to accompany the fish if you’re serving guests.
Do not sauce the cooked fish with the same batch of glaze applied to the raw fish.
Vegetable Suggestions
- Roasted asparagus or brussels sprouts
- Steamed green beans or broccoli
- A crisp green salad
Grains/starches (complex carbs)
- Turmeric rice
- Pearl couscous
- Whole wheat orzo
- Farro
- Roasted baby potatoes
Or, dispense with a starchy side, and simply dole out slices of crusty (perhaps, whole-grain or sourdough) bread.
Fresh summer sides
I have served this salmon to dinner guests with a Cucumber Mango Avocado Salad on the side, which acts like a salsa. The juiciness and crunch of this vibrant salad perfectly complement the rich, slightly sweet salmon.
Watermelon Strawberry Cucumber Salad is another juicy salad that provides a cool, colorful contrast to the salmon.
📝Nutrition Notes
Protein and Omega-3 Fats
This recipe helps fulfill the Mediterranean Diet recommendation of eating fatty/oily fish two to three times per week.
A 3.5-ounce serving of farmed Atlantic salmon supplies 20 grams of protein while a substantial, 5-ounce serving is closer to 30 grams.
Anti-inflammatory fats: Each 3.5-ounce serving provides about 2 mg of omega-3 fatty acids, DHA (docohexanoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid), that may have health benefits for your brain, heart, and eyes.
Vitamins and minerals: This fish is also a good source of vitamin B12, potassium, and the powerful antioxidant selenium, as well as an excellent source of phosphorus.
Nutrition Speak: A good nutrient source offers 10% to 19% of the Daily Value. An excellent source provides 20% or more.
This mineral content, in combination with the protein in each serving and the generous amount of vitamin D (~440 IU, more than half the RDA), makes salmon a powerful adjunct to a diet focused on bone health.
Vitamin D helps your bones absorb calcium. This fat-soluble vitamin also has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and neuroprotective properties that support immune health, muscle function, and brain cell activity.
FAQs
Yes. Frozen fillets are an especially convenient option for weeknights. However, you should thaw them first so the glaze does not burn.
I often do this with fillets for two reasons: shorter cooking time and less oily taste. Because a thick layer of fat sits next to the skin, the salmon has a cleaner taste when the skin is removed.
Plus, it does not weep as much oil into the pan as it cooks.
Grilling is an excellent treatment! I like to grill the salmon on a soaked plank of hickory or cedar. This gives the fish a lovely smoked flavor that plays well with the sweet, tangy glaze.
Related Recipes
🎣If you try to eat fish twice a week, you may enjoy One-Pan Roasted Fish Fillets with Cherry Tomatoes, another quick, delicious weeknight recipe.
If salmon is your favorite, try my classic Poached Salmon Fillets with Dill and Lemon. It works well for an elegant, make-ahead, summer dinner.
Mustard-Herb Pork Loin Roast, an easy Instant Pot recipe, is another main course that relies upon the magic of Dijon mustard to give irresistible flavor to the juicy slices of meat.
Baked Honey Dijon Dill Salmon
Equipment
- 1 Quarter-sheet pan
- Heavy-duty foil
- 1 Small bowl
- 1 Pastry brush
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs Atlantic salmon or Faroe
- 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons Honey
- 1 teaspoon Dill dried
- ½ teaspoon Paprika
- ¼ teaspoon Garlic powder
Instructions Start Cooking
- Wash hands thoroughly before starting, lathering with soap and rinsing with running water.
- Preheat oven to 400 ℉ convection or 425℉ regular, and line a quarter sheet pan with foil.
- Place salmon fillets or side of salmon on the foil, skin side down.1.5 lbs Atlantic salmon
- In a small bowl, combine all ingredients, mixing thoroughly with a small whisk.1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard2 teaspoons Honey 2 teaspoons Honey 1 teaspoon Dill ½ teaspoon Paprika ¼ teaspoon Garlic powder
- With a pastry brush, generously apply the dilled honey-mustard sauce/glaze to the side of the salmon facing up.
- Place in oven and bake for about 20 minutes, checking the temperature at 15 minutes. Cook until salmon is at least 145 ℉ in the center.Thinner filets will cook more quickly than thick filets, so use internal temperature rather than time as a guide.
- Serve the fillets or the side of salmon cut into four equal pieces with lemon wedges.
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