Old Bay and Honey Butter Roasted Salmon Fillets

If you are a fan of salmon like my whole family, you're going to love this honey butter Old Bay salmon recipe. An easy glaze using simple ingredients you likely already have in your pantry and fridge creates the perfect balance of salty and sweet. Pair it with steamed green beans and roasted Yukon gold or red potatoes, and you've yourself an easy dinner to serve on a busy weeknight. In fact, besides this being a delicious, healthy meal, what I love most about this easy salmon recipe is that it's ready in less than 30 minutes. That gets an A+ from this busy mom!

White plate of Honey Butter Old Bay Salmon with green beans and roasted potatoes.

I'm always on the hunt for easy dinner ideas, and this one fits the bill any time of year. It's also super versatile so I often change up the menu and serve it with our other favorite sides. In the summer, my Roasted Beet and Watermelon Salad with Goat Cheese is great to serve alongside. Finally, the salmon and glaze is delicious when I lean in to the Asian soy sauce flavor profile and serve it over rice with steamed broccoli too.

Looking for other easy weeknight recipe ideas? That is one of my specialties since I am too! Be sure to check out my Cast Iron Chicken Parm, Chicken Cobbler with Red Lobster Cheddar Biscuit Topping, Vegetable Hash and Sausage Stew, and Butternut Squash Ravioli with Sage Browned Butter Sauce recipes. I've also developed a ton of recipes for Yummly that include great super-quick dinner options. You can find those recipes here.

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Ingredients
Instructions
Substitutions
Variations
Equipment
Storage
Tasty tip
Frequently asked questions
Related
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Recipe guidelines and test kitchen tips
Food safety

Ingredients

Before we get started, let’s gather the ingredients we need for this recipe.

fresh salmon fillets
Old Bay seasoning
unsalted butter
honey
lemon juice
soy sauce
onion powder
garlic powder
crushed red pepper flakes

(See recipe card for quantities.)

Instructions

Now that we’ve got our ingredients, it’s time to get cooking!

Seasoning four salmon fillets with Old Bay.

First, sprinkle the Old Bay seasoning on top of the salmon and on the sides.

Placing salmon fillets on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.

Next, transfer the salmon fillets to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake at 375°F for 6 minutes.

Making the honey butter glaze in a white enamel saucepan.

Meanwhile, whisk the honey, soy sauce, lemon juice, garlic powder, onion powder, and crushed red pepper flakes into the melted butter. Simmer until the mixture is syrupy.

Spooning the glaze over the salmon fillets.

Finally, spoon half of the sauce over the salmon. Bake for 6 minutes longer or until the salmon flakes with a fork. Transfer to a serving platter and spoon the remaining glaze over the top.

Hint: I highly recommend lining your baking sheet with parchment paper. It'll make cleanup so much easier since the glaze includes sticky ingredients that can become baked onto the pan.

Substitutions

Need to make some adjustments to this recipe? Here are a few suggestions:

Salmon - I prefer fattier salmon, like Scottish salmon or King salmon for this recipe because the salmon fillets don't dry out. Feel free to use Coho salmon or other wild-caught varieties. Just be sure to bake the salmon less. The fillets I tested with were about 1 to 1 ½-inches-thick.
Old Bay Seasoning - Old Bay seasoning is a spice mixture of celery salt, ground red pepper, black pepper, and paprika, and is used most often for seafood boils. If you don't have Old Bay, Cajun seasoning is a great alternative. I recommend tasting it first because some blends are spicier than others.
Salmon Filet - Use one filet instead of smaller fillets, if you prefer.

Variations

Here are some more ideas to change up this recipe:

Spicier - add more crushed red pepper flakes to make this a spicy salmon recipe.
Shrimp - the spice blend is also great on shrimp. Instead of baking it though, season the shrimp with the Old Bay, sauté in a frying pan, and add the glaze directly to the pan.
Honey Garlic Salmon Bites - need an easy recipe to serve as an appetizer? Cut the salmon into smaller pieces and follow the same directions either in the oven (cooking for a total of only 8-10 minutes) or in a skillet like you would with the shrimp recipe recommendation above.

Equipment

For this delicious dish, you won't need anything special, just some measuring spoons and dry measuring cups to measure out your ingredients, a rimmed baking sheet or baking pan for baking the salmon, and a small saucepan and whisk for making the glaze. I also recommend an instant-read thermometer for testing to see if the salmon is done if you don't want to flake it with a fork.

Storage

Store any leftover salmon in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Freeze leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

Tasty tip

I am always on the hunt for a bargain, so whenever I see a slab of salmon on sale at my local grocery store or Costco, I grab it. Then, I cut the salmon into individual fillets or leave it whole and freeze it. It thaws beautifully and then I have a weeknight dinner solution at the ready.

Frequently asked questions

What is the secret to the best salmon?

I think the secret to the best salmon is to make sure and not overcook it. Also, don't season it until just before you plan on cooking it. Salt will draw out the moisture of the salmon if it stands too long.

What brings out the flavor of salmon?

The great thing about salmon is that it's such a versatile fish. I like to make sure there's salt, fat, acid, and heat; in this case, that's soy sauce and Old Bay seasoning, butter, lemon juice, and crushed red pepper flakes. The sweetness from the honey also helps balance all those flavors.

Is it better to bake or pan-fry salmon?

You can do either, but I prefer to bake the salmon. It's less messy, and baking tends to cook the salmon more evenly.

Should salmon be baked covered or not?

Uncovered. You don't want to steam the salmon and covering it would do that. Baking the salmon uncovered allows the glaze to become syrupy and caramelized.

How do you know when salmon is done?

The salmon will flake easily with a fork. And, an instant read thermometer will register 145°F at the thickest part of the salmon.

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Even more

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