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!

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 or air fryer broccolini 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.

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!

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

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

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.

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.

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

Here's the equipment you'll need for this delicious dish:

• measuring spoons
• dry measuring cups
• rimmed baking sheet
• small saucepan
• whisk
• meat thermometer

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.

Frequently asked questions

Recipe guidelines and test kitchen tips

When developing and testing recipes, here are some key things that I do for more success in the kitchen:

• Be sure to use dry measuring cups for things like flour, sugar, and mayonnaise and a liquid measuring cup for things like water, milk, and broth.
• When measuring dry ingredients like flour and powdered sugar that can pack down, spoon the ingredient into a dry measuring cup and level with a knife as opposed to scooping the measuring cup into the ingredient.
• I test and develop recipes using a standard electric oven and standard gas stovetop. Be aware that if you use an electric stovetop or convection oven, your bake times will be different.
• When recipes call for kosher salt, I use Diamond Crystal kosher salt.

Food safety

Finally, don't forget to keep these food safety tips in mind when making this recipe.

• Cook the salmon to a minimum temperature of 145°F.
• Do not use the same utensils on cooked food that previously touched raw seafood/meat.
• Wash your hands after touching raw seafood/meat.
• Don't leave leftovers sitting out at room temperature for extended periods of time.
• Never leave cooking food unattended.
• Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove.

See more guidelines at USDA.gov.