Baked Salmon Maple Glaze (Print Version)
Oven-baked salmon with a sweet maple glaze and toasted buttery pecans, perfect for easy dinners.
# What You'll Need:
→ Salmon
01 - 4 salmon fillets, about 6 oz each, skin on or removed as preferred
02 - 1 tbsp olive oil
03 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
→ Maple Glaze
04 - 3 tbsp pure maple syrup
05 - 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
06 - 1 tbsp soy sauce (gluten-free if necessary)
07 - 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
08 - 1 garlic clove, finely minced
→ Pecan Topping
09 - 1/2 cup pecan halves, roughly chopped
10 - 1 tbsp unsalted butter
# Directions:
01 - Set oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease lightly.
02 - Arrange salmon fillets on the baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.
03 - Whisk together maple syrup, Dijon mustard, soy sauce, lemon juice, and minced garlic until smooth.
04 - Brush each salmon fillet generously with the prepared maple glaze.
05 - Melt butter over medium heat in a skillet, then add chopped pecans and toast for 2 to 3 minutes until fragrant and lightly golden, stirring often.
06 - Evenly sprinkle the toasted pecans over the glazed salmon fillets.
07 - Bake the salmon for 15 to 18 minutes, until it flakes easily and the glaze is bubbling.
08 - Remove from oven and serve immediately, optionally garnished with fresh herbs.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- Twenty-eight minutes from start to plate, with most of that being oven time where you can breathe.
- The maple and mustard balance makes your friends ask what your secret is, and you get to smile mysteriously.
- Pecans add a toasty crunch that somehow makes simple salmon taste like you tried really hard.
02 -
- Toast your pecans separately before adding them, not on top of the fish. Raw pecans sitting on salmon steam instead of crunch, and that's a disappointment.
- Don't overbake salmon thinking it'll be safer. It dries out in minutes past done. Start checking at fifteen minutes and trust the fork test.
03 -
- Make the glaze while the pecans toast so nothing sits around getting cold; timing is everything in a quick dinner.
- If your salmon fillets are very thick, tent the pan loosely with foil for the first ten minutes to prevent the glaze from browning too fast before the fish cooks through.