Many of us love the taste of salmon with its rich and slightly oily flavor that is a sheer delight to tuck into at really any time of the day, whether it’s for a big afternoon meal with the family, or even a light evening appetizer to enjoy while winding down for the day.
The key to making salmon as delicious as possible however comes down to the texture, and
specifically how crispy it is since this can make it a lot nicer to bite into rather than it being too soft and a little bland.
With just how healthy salmon is along, with it being incredibly versatile and a perfect addition to essentially any meal, no matter if you’re looking for a new healthy ingredient to mix into a diet, or if you just want a switch up from the usual seafood flavor of other types of fish, it’s never a bad idea to cook up some crispy oven roasted salmon.
How To Make Crispy Oven-Roasted Salmon
The good news is that while some types of fish can take upwards of an hour to cook on some occasions when you want to prepare them in a specific way, cooking up a crispy salmon will take no longer than 25 minutes and with only a handful of ingredients required, it’s the perfect way to put a delicious spin on the standard salmon recipe that we are all so familiar with.
Here is everything you will need to start cooking up a crispy oven-roasted salmon, along with an easy step-by-step guide.
Ingredients
1 pound salmon fillet
¼ tsp sea salt
½ tsp mixed herbs of your choice
1 tbsp coconut oil
Step 1) Pre-heat oven
Start by preheating the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper with a dash of coconut oil to make sure the salmon won’t stick.
Cooking the salmon in the oven not only causes the least mess, but also prevents that fishy odor from spreading around the house.
Step 2) Season salmon
While the oven heats up, add any of your chosen spices and herbs to the salmon to make it as flavorful as possible.
In terms of what to use, if you want to mix a hint of spiciness to the rich seafood flavor of the salmon, cajun seasoning is a great option while if you want something a little lighter and herby, rosemary and thymes are another excellent options.
Step 3) Place salmon onto the baking sheet
Once the salmon is thoroughly seasoned, place it skin side down on the lined backing sheet. It’s important to always place the salmon skin side down since it makes sliding a spatula under the fish far easier without it getting stuck and making it much harder to pry from the tray.
Step 4) Cook until crispy
You will only need to cook the salmon for 20 minutes until it becomes nice and crispy, however, you can leave it in for another 10 or even 15 minutes if you want the texture to be even crispier depending on your taste preferences.
The easiest way to tell if the salmon is cooked to perfection is to gently press down on the top with a fork or finger.
If the salmon separates fairly easily along the white lines that run across, this means it’s thoroughly cooked and safe to eat.
Step 5) Serve immediately or store for later
Once the salmon is nice and crispy, you can either serve it immediately to enjoy it while it’s hot, or you can store it in a glass container for up to 2 days if you want to keep it safe for a big meal coming up over the next few days.
How To Serve Crispy Oven-Roasted Salmon
Because of the deep and rich flavor of the salmon, it is usually served alongside much lighter ingredients to create a meal that is as delicious as it is refreshing.
Here are just a few excellent additions that go perfectly with a deliciously crispy roasted salmon:
Lemon Pasta – Lemon pasta has that incredibly creamy taste that pairs so well with really any seafood, but especially the crunchiness of some crispy salmon. With lemon, cream, and white wine making up the sauce of this pasta, and ready in just 15 minutes, lemon pasta is an easy ingredient to add a flavorful twist to the overall dish.
Roasted rosemary potatoes – While mashed potatoes are a go-to for many people when it comes to a scrumptious side dish to meat or fish, roasted rosemary potatoes are even more delicious thanks to the inclusion of garlic, parmesan, and cheese that go down so well with a crispy serving of salmon.
Lemon butter broccolini – Broccolini may not be as popular as its cousin, however with their longer stems and juicy flavor, they are the perfect option to go along with some tasty salmon, especially when drizzled with a little lemon juice and spread over with some butter to make them even more scrumptious.
Thai noodle salad – It’s also a great idea to mix in the salmon with a few noodles and veggies too, with Thai noodles being the best option due to how soft and easy to consume they are in bulk. When mixed with a few crunchy carrots, bell peppers, radishes, and a little bit of cabbage, this is the perfect afternoon treat that will keep you feeling satisfied for the day ahead.
Health Benefits Of Roasted Salmon
If the simplicity of cooking up a tasty and crispy roasted salmon wasn’t already enough to make it an enticing recipe, it also comes with a plethora of healthy benefits, especially its incredibly high levels of protein, along with being packed full of omega-3 fatty acids and DHA which helps to lower blood pressure and reduce inflammation.
A 3 to 4-ounce serving of salmon also only clock in at around 200 calories, so while it may be incredibly filling, you won’t need to worry about it ramping up the daily calorie count while enjoying the rich flavor it has to offer.
While salmon is also extremely low in saturated fat, it is one of the best sources of Vitamin B12 you can find which helps our body to form red blood cells that help oxygen travel as it should throughout the body.
Cooking salmon in the oven is also a lot healthier than pan-frying since it doesn’t add any extra fat or calories to the fish as long as you prepare it with simple seasonings without going over the top.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Much Salmon Is Too Much?
While salmon is incredibly dense with vital nutrients and vitamins and is definitely a healthy addition to any diet, as is the case with any food, there is an upper limit to how much salmon we should consume regularly.
The general rule of thumb is you should avoid eating more than two 4-ounce servings of salmon each week since this can result in consuming mercury and fat at elevated levels.
Salmon is therefore better to use to mix your meals up every few days rather than relying on it as your main food source every day.
If you do get that craving to eat a little more salmon than you should in a day however, or if you have that extra piece that needs to be cooked up before it goes bad, there’s no harm in eating a little more on the odd occasion since it is still one of the healthiest seafood options you can choose from.
Is There Anything Unhealthy About Eating Salmon?
Since it is packed full of nutrients and vitamins, there aren’t any real downsides to eating salmon on its own, however issues can arise when it’s not consumed in moderation.
The reason for this is that depending on where the salmon is sourced, they can sometimes come with some nasty chemicals that can override the natural health benefits.
Salmons can sometimes pick up carcinogens when swimming through polluted water which is a dangerous chemical that can quickly lead to health complications.
While there is no way to ensure that the salmon hasn’t caught this chemical, it is far less prominent in farmed salmon as opposed to those out in the wild.
This does also mean that relying on salmon too much raises the chances of running into this chemical, so it is always worth checking the packaging just to check that the fish your picking up has been sourced in a healthy manner.
Summary
There’s no better way to mix up the flavor of salmon and to bring out its natural flavors even more than to cook it until it’s as crispy as possible, giving it a delicious texture that you just can’t get with a lot of other types of fish.
Don’t forget to pair this delicious serving up with a few light ingredients on the side to make the overall meal as refreshing as possible.
Hi, my name is Jenna Lane and I have been following the paleo diet for almost three years.
I am a dietary specialist and help my clients find the right diets for them.
Unfortunately, I can only take on so many clients at a time. Though, thanks to the internet, I can upload my knowledge onto this website and help more people around the world!
That is my aim with this website, so please peruse it and learn. Dieting doesn’t have to be tough - you just need to find the right one for you.
