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This Herb Crusted Salmon always turns out amazing. You will love the perfectly cooked flaky fish crusted in fresh herbs and drizzled with a tangy sauce.
I made this herb crusted salmon for my Dad for Father’s Day and it was amazing, if I do say so myself. Even the members of my family who aren’t big seafood fans were raving over it. The fish was so tender and flaky and it didn’t have a fishy taste at all. I got this recipe as well as a delicious clam chowder recipe from a cooking class from the executive chef at Market Street Grill in SLC. ALL of the recipes we got from the class were so good!
Fish Tips and Tricks
Before we get to the recipe, let me share with you some personal fish-cooking tips and some tips that I learned in our class:
- Surprisingly, Costco has great salmon. If you can’t get fresh salmon from a fish market, get it from Costco.
- Do NOT cook while still ice cold, it does not season well. Bring to almost room temp before cooking, same with chicken and steak.
- Always try to buy fish that is consistent in thickness. Try to stay away from the tail end of the fish because it will be thick on one end of the fillet and the other end will be thin, this will cause the fish to cook un-evenly.
Ingredients in Herb Crusted Salmon
- Salmon fillets
- Dijon mustard – Grey Poupon is our favorite
- Herb mixture – cilantro, basil, parsley, rosemary, green onion, oregano, any of your favorites
- Fresh garlic
- Hollandaise – optional
More Tips
- Pepper – Only use fresh ground, NOT store bought. Even fresh ground pepper only stays good for 9 months. Store-bought pepper is never good.
- Salt – Always use Kosher salt when cooking, has MUCH better flavor.
- Never boil butter, melt it slowly.
- NEVER add lemon juice while cooking over heat, lemon zest is okay, but lemon JUICE is not. It will make the food taste bitter and gross.
- When using FRESH herbs, you must use 8 TIMES the amount as the dried stuff to get the same effect.
- Roasted Garlic in oil (great over fish): get 2 parts canola oil to 1 part fresh, peeled garlic cloves. Get oil hot (about 360 degrees) add garlic. When oil is teeming, remove from heat and allow to cool while in pan. It will still bubble for a long time, that is what you want. Allow to cool down to room temp. Store in a mason jar, oil, garlic, and all! Crush garlic cloves and spread over fish (or use when any recipe calls for crushed garlic).
Frequently Asked Questions
Roasted vegetables go great with this recipe. Things like asparagus, broccoli, potatoes, any of your favorites! If you want to get fancy, a few minutes before they are about to come out the oven, sprinkle some parmesan cheese or a parmesan herb mix over the veggies.
Make sure the skin is patted dry before you place in your baking dish. Also be sure that there is enough oil.
You can’t go wrong with parsley, dill, basil, tarragon, sage, rosemary, bay leaves, thyme, cilantro, and fennel. Salmon is very rich and buttery, so these bright herbs bring out a delicious flavor in the fish. Lemon is also a welcome addition for brightness and flavor.
Read more: 35+ Easy Dinner Ideas
Featuring Fish
If you’re among our readers who love the idea of adding more fish to their diet, you will love sampling even more of our fish fare.
Grilled Cilantro Lime Halibut.
How To Make Herb Crusted Salmon
Herb Crusted Salmon
Ingredients
Herb Salmon:
- 1 large salmon filet 1-inch thick
- 1 bottle Grey Poupon
- 2 cups chopped herbs cilantro, basil, parsley, rosemary, green onion, any other herbs that you love… get a good mix. Remove all stems, use ONLY the leaves. Use a knife to finely chop and grind up all herbs. DO NOT use a food processor.
- Roasted garlic see above, crushed
- Hollandaise optional
Instructions
- Slather salmon with Grey Poupon, use the whole bottle or about 1 cup. Top with herbs and roasted garlic. Cover so it looks like a nice, thick "herb blanket" herb crust.
- Cook in oven at 325 degrees for 20 minutes (20 minutes per inch of thickness) in a glass baking dish or baking sheet (or something oven proof). Serve with garlic oil (from roasted garlic), lemon, and hollandaise.
- Great with rice, veggies, or crackers. (I served my Dad’s over a bed of cooked spinach and garlic)
Notes
- Rice pilaf
- Baked potato with melted butter (yum..)
- Broccoli
- Roasted veggies crusted with parmesan and herbs (veggies include: zucchini, asparagus, potato wedges, brussels sprouts, any of your favorites)
This salmon was SOOO delicious! I made it for Easter yesterday. I followed the recipe exactly, and used fresh parsley, basil, scallions, chives, mint, and thyme. Seriously yummy! My only critique is that the prep did NOT only take 5 minutes. Let’s be honest here. For the average person who doesn’t have a crew prepping the washed/dried/chopped herbs, or roasting the garlic for them, the prep time here is well over an hour. Even if you do all of that stuff ahead, it still counts as prep time in my busy mom book. Not sure why you don’t feel you can be more transparent with that… Anyway, it was delicious and I definitely recommend everyone try it, but don’t skim the directions like I did and think it’s gonna be a quick one. That garlic infused oil though…. WOW!!!!
This is a FABULOUS recipe for salmon. Definitely my new favorite way to prepare it!
I love getting my salmon from Costco too! My daughter has recently decided she likes salmon so I was so excited to try this one, it’s amazing. Thanks again for all your reliable and easy-to-make recipes.
Hmm is anyone else encountering problems with the pictures on this
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Sorry- we are experiencing some technical difficulties. Our site was hacked and we are trying to re-build everything. Sorry for the inconvenience. Hpoefully the issue will be resolved really soon!
Hi–I stumbled across your food blog while looking up a Cafe Rio recipe—so yummy, thanks! Your food blog is beautiful, and the recipes look awesome. I can’t wait to try this salmon. Thanks for sharing!