You’re Making Sheet Pan Salmon Wrong

Sometimes you want dinner to be as simple as possible—and a 30 minute one-sheet meal is as easy as it gets. This sheet pan salmon with lemon garlic seasoning is a perfect balance of protein, omega-3 fatty acids, greens, fiber, and carbs.

Recipe developer and founder of Feel Good Foodie Yumna Jawad says, “I love my sheet pan garlic lemon salmon because cooking salmon in the oven is so easy and delicious—it’s nearly foolproof!”

Minimal prep, minimal cleanup, minimal fuss.

Now, if you’re the kind of person who balks at the idea of cooking fish, you’re not alone. Salmon can be tricky.

“The most common mistake when cooking salmon is overcooking it,” Jawad says. “If using a grill or pan, sear salmon skin-side down on high heat until the skin is crispy. You want to cook it about 90 percent of the way on the skin side, which takes about three minutes for a room temperature filet.”

Other common mistakes when making salmon are:

Overcooking salmon. We’re starting with the harshest cooking sin. Overcooked salmon smells fishy, is dry, and rubbery. Your fish should be tender and flake off when you pierce it with a fork. Until you get the hang of the perfect baking-time-per-ounce method, try using a thermometer to check the internal temperature in the thickest part of your fish is about 140°F.

Marinating the salmon for too long. A lot of people like to soak their fish in citrus juice and soy sauce, which can be delicious. However, keep the marinating time to around 20 minutes so that the acidic marinades don’t result in a mushy, gummy texture.

Removing the skin. If you’re baking, grilling, roasting, or pan-searing salmon, it’s best to keep the skin on your fish. It acts as an extra barrier between direct heat and the salmon, and can even add extra flavor!