Tasty and Healthy Baked Salmon Recipe
By Marnie Kunz, NASM-certified trainer
If you’re looking for a healthy baked salmon recipe, this one serves up all the health benefits of salmon with a recipe that is tasty and relatively simple. Salmon is often called a “superfood” due to its many health benefits, and baking salmon is the best way to cook it for nutritional value. Salmon is packed with protein, which helps with muscle recovery and muscle building.
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Whether you’re an advanced chef or an impatient novice like me, this recipe is not difficult - medium level - and packs a nice protein punch to help with workout recovery. The extra step of sauteing the salmon really adds a burst of flavor so you don’t feel like you’re eating bland diet food. Cooking with olive oil is more heart-healthy than margarine and butter and will give you a juicy salmon.
You can optionally add vegetables to this recipe and cook the vegetables in your frying pan while the salmon is in the oven. Some complimentary vegetable options include fresh broccoli, bell peppers, eggplant, and zucchini. For seasoning, you can keep it simple with salt and pepper or add some garlic or dijon mustard for a tangy twist.
Health Benefits of Salmon
There are many health benefits of salmon. As a trainer, it’s one of my top protein choices due to the high protein content, omega-3 fatty acids, and lots of micronutrients, including B vitamins, selenium, potassium, iron, vitamin D, and more. As someone who runs and lifts weights, I get hungry often, and salmon is a satisfying dish to tame my hunger. Salmon helps you feel full for longer than most foods and can be a great tool to help in any weight maintenance or weight loss program.
Here are the top health benefits of salmon:
Helps with building muscle. Salmon includes plenty of protein, which is the building block for your muscles. If you are working on getting stronger with a weightlifting program or want to become a more efficient, faster runner, salmon is a great fuel for your workouts. If you’re trying to strengthen and build muscles in certain areas, like your glutes, salmon will help as you need to consume plenty of protein to make muscle “gains.”
Improves workout recovery. Salmon is considered a complete protein, which means it has all of the essential amino acids your body needs for functioning. The protein in salmon combined with the omega-3 fatty acids reduce inflammation in your body after workouts and speed up muscle recovery.
Boosts brain health. The B vitamins and omega-3 fatty acids in salmon improve your brain health and can reduce your risk of dementia, Alzheimer’s, and other cognitive diseases.
Reduces your risk of cardiovascular disease and some cancers due to the omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids are considered “essential” because your body cannot produce them so your body needs to get them from the foods you eat. Omega-3 fatty acids have so many health benefits and can reduce your chances of getting cardiovascular disease and some forms of cancer.
With so many health benefits of eating salmon, you’re probably ready to get on with it and cook your salmon. Here is our healthy baked salmon recipe. It’s relatively easy to make, especially if you are familiar with cooking fish.
Healthy Baked Salmon Recipe
Ingredients:
8 ounces (or 1 piece) of salmon with skin
Salt and pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons of olive oil
Sprinkle of French thyme
Directions:
Thaw your salmon if needed and check for bones. Remove any bones with tweezers or pliers.
Place your salmon on a plate with the skin side up. Cut three small lines into the salmon skin. This helps the salmon cook evenly.
Season the salmon with salt and pepper on both sides, rubbing salt and pepper into the salmon.
Let the seasoned salmon sit in the fridge for 10 minutes.
Get your frying pan ready by warming it up on medium heat.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Add 1 Tablespoon of olive oil to the frying pan.
Place the salmon in the frying pan, skin down, and bring the heat down to medium-low.
Add French Thyme and olive oil, and start to baste the salmon. To do this, use a spoon to get olive oil out of the pan and drizzle it over the salmon. Repeat a few times.
Give the salmon time to cook in the pan until the salmon skin is crispy and the middle looks pink.
Push the salmon towards the edge of the pan, then flip it. Give this time to cook and baste this side as well.
Take your salmon out of the frying pan and place it skin-side-up on a foil- or parchment paper-lined baking sheet in the oven.
Cook for about 10 minutes.
If you have vegetables, this is a good time to cook them in the frying pan. Broccoli, asparagus, potatoes, and cauliflower are some excellent veggie options.
After 10 to 12 minutes, the center of the salmon should be pink and thoroughly cooked. You want the salmon to appear moist with white fat coming out of the sides. If you use a fork to test it, the salmon should be flaky and moist when poked. If you have an instant read thermometer, the internal temperature of the salmon should be 145 degrees Fahrenheit.
Take out the salmon, and make sure the skin is crispy. Let it rest for 3 minutes, then serve and enjoy!
Serves two. You can double the recipe for additional servings.
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
What Kind of Salmon to Get
When you’re shopping for salmon, you may be wondering what types of salmon are best - farm-raised or wild-caught salmon like Atlantic salmon? The nutritional value of salmon can vary slightly but overall they’re both high in protein and omega-3 fatty acids. Farm-raised salmon has slightly more healthy fats and calories whereas wild-caught salmon tends to be somewhat higher in protein.
Another consideration when shopping for salmon is sustainability. Sustainable salmon is caught or raised in a way that can be replenished and will not generally deplete environmental resources. There is no easy rule for this issue and we would need a whole blog post to explain the options but you can find out more about specific salmon types and the best sustainability choices for salmon on the Seafood Watch website.
Side Dishes
For healthy sides, try sauteeing some vegetables or tossing a salad with greens like kale or spinach. Vegetable options for sides include sweet potatoes, broccoli, asparagus, and cauliflower. Veggies will give you a boost of nutrients and fiber.
Let us know if you try this healthy baked salmon recipe and tag @Runstreet on Instagram to share your healthy eats and training and get cheered on. Happy eating - and sweating to you!😊
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Marnie Kunz is a NASM-certified trainer and USATF- and RRCA-certified running coach based in Brooklyn, NY. Marnie likes helping people get and stay active to enjoy a better quality of life. When she’s not doing fitness things, Marnie enjoys exploring with her dog, a mischievous rescue Akita.
