Crispy Lemon Garlic Salmon

This Crispy Lemon Garlic Salmon takes only 15 minutes to make from start to finish and is bursting with lemony garlic flavor. Each bite is crispy and delicious. This recipe is low carb and can easily be made gluten free too!

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This Crispy Lemon Garlic Salmon was never meant to happen. And now, it’s on regular rotation and I often use the same crunchy topping on other types of fish and even chicken.

I had actually planned to make Sweet Chili Salmon, but the store was sold out of the Sweet Chili Sauce that I needed. I had no idea how to make my own sweet chili sauce, so I scraped the recipe and figured I’d just poke around my cabinets and make a basic garlic herb salmon instead.

But, I ended up coming up with something even better – baked salmon with a garlicky, lemony, crispy topping.

Why This Recipe Works

This salmon recipe definitely falls into the super quick category. It literally takes 5 minutes to put together and 10-15 minutes to bake.

The crispy topping is made with ingredients that most people might already have in their pantry. It’s family friendly and perfect for busy weeknights.

It’s also low in carbohydrates and can easily be made gluten free by using gluten free bread crumbs.

Salmon is loaded with healthy Omega-3’s and protein. Don’t you just love when a healthy dinner recipe still has tons of flavor?

If you like garlic and lemon and all things crispy, you will love this salmon.

How to Make Lemon Garlic Salmon

What You Need To Make This Recipe

To make this recipe, you will need:

• 1 pound salmon
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 tablespoons loosely packed fresh parsley (or 1 tablespoon dried)
• 3 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons butter (melted)

Note: choose wild caught salmon from Alaska for the best quality and taste. Most salmon is blast-frozen while it’s still super fresh, so you can use either fresh or frozen and still enjoy all the healthy benefits and great taste.

I really love the salmon and cod that I get from Sitka Salmon Shares (code “DLB” will save you $25 on a premium share.) and the Faroe Island salmon that I order from Rastelli Butchers. These two companies provide consistently good salmon where the stores near me are always hit or miss. I have never seen Faroe Island salmon in a grocery store, although it is starting to pop up on more upscale restaurants.

The entire recipe and instructions can also be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. You can also print the recipe from the card, if needed.

Prep!

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Create!

Place the salmon on a baking sheet, skin side down.

In a small bowl combine the bread crumbs, salt, pepper, parsley, garlic, and lemon juice. Add the melted butter and stir to combine. Mixture should be wet and thick.

Press the bread crumb mixture all over the top of the salmon. It doesn’t have to be completely covered. If you want the salmon to be completely covered, you might have to double the recipe.

Bake for 10 minutes, then move the baking sheet to the top rack of the oven and turn on the broiler. Broil for 2-4 minutes, watching closely, until the topping gets crispy.

The internal temperature of the salmon needs to reach 145°F and it will easily flake apart with a fork when it’s done cooking.

Present!

Garnish with lemon slices and fresh parsley, if desired.

Tips and Techniques

• If you are using seasoned bread crumbs, cut the amount of parsley that you use in half. 
• Freshly squeezed lemon juice and fresh parsley are best, but you can use bottled lemon juice and dried parsley if needed. Your salmon will still be very flavorful!
• Bake lemon slices along the sides of the salmon to serve as garnish once the dish is ready. Do not put them on top while baking or the bread crumbs won’t get crispy where they are covered.
• Store leftover baked salmon in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Use within 3 days.

FAQ’s

Can You Cook Salmon From Frozen?

Yes, you may just need to add a few minutes to the bake time.

What Do You Serve With Salmon?

Salmon can be served along with just about any steamed or roasted vegetables, rice, pasta, or potatoes.

Some dish dishes that you might enjoy with this recipe are:

• Spring Vegetable Risotto
• Coconut Cauliflower Rice
• Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice
• Creamy Lemon Rosemary Potatoes
• Simple Roasted Rutabaga
• Roasted Cabbage Wedges

Is This Recipe Keto?

Whether or not a recipe is “keto” really depends on how you are choosing following a keto diet.

This recipe could be considered keto friendly to some keto dieters because there are only 5 net carbs per serving. Other, more strict keto dieters may disagree because of the ingredients in the bread crumbs.

More Salmon Recipes

Here are some more salmon recipes that you might like:

• Sheet Pan Salmon Fajitas
• Sheet Pan Teriyaki Salmon
• Blackened Salmon Wraps with Avocado Slaw
• Thai Salmon Salad
• Walnut Crusted Salmon

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If you try this recipe, I would really appreciate it if you would please leave a comment and star rating. Thanks!

This recipe was originally posted on January 12, 2016. It was updated with new images, more thorough instructions, tips, techniques, and FAQ’s in May 2020.