Get the Recipe: Baked Salmon with Compound Butter
Salmon fillets topped with flavoured compound butter and oven-baked. Take your pick from five different compound butters, including miso compound butter, lemon dill compound butter, lemon garlic compound butter, pesto compound butter and cilantro lime compound butter.
Ingredients
- 4 salmon fillets, skin-on or skinless, or a larger salmon
Miso Compound Butter (my favourite!):
- 4 Tablespoons butter, unsalted butter if available
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons white miso
- 1 Tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped, or 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- freshly ground black pepper (no salt!)
Lemon Dill Compound Butter:
- 4 Tablespoons salted butter
- 1 Tablespoon fresh dill leaves, finely chopped, or 1 teaspoon dried dill weed
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- salt and freshly ground pepper
Lemon Garlic Herb Compound Butter:
- 4 Tablespoons salted butter
- 1 Tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped or 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon fresh garlic, minced
Pesto Compound Butter:
- 4 Tablespoons salted butter
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons basil pesto
- 1 Tablespoon Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic, optional
- salt and freshly ground pepper
Cilantro Lime Compound Butter:
- 4 Tablespoons salted butter
- 1 Tablespoon fresh cilantro, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon lime zest
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated or a pinch of dried ginger
- salt and freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- To make the compound butter: Add the butter to a small bowl or plate. If you have the time, let it stand for 15 minutes to soften a bit, but it is best if it is not completely softened. Add the herbs and other flavourings for your chosen compound butter flavour. Use a fork to press the flavourings into the butter until well combined.
- Transfer the butter mixture to a piece of plastic wrap and roughly shape it into a log. Wrap the butter in the plastic wrap, then roll it on the counter to shape it into a round about 1 inch in diameter. Use immediately, or label and refrigerate or freeze. *See Recipe Notes for safe refrigeration guidelines and freezing instructions.
- To bake the salmon: Preheat the oven to 400F or 425F (regular bake setting - adjust as needed for convection or fan-assisted ovens). Opt for 425F if you like crispy skin and/or a faster bake. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place the salmon fillets on top of the foil. Pat the salmon dry with a paper towel. Don't season the salmon, as the seasoning is in the compound butter!
- Cut the compound butter roll into 1/2-3/4-inch wide pieces. Place a compound butter piece on top of each of the four salmon fillets, placing it over the thickest part of the salmon. *If baking a larger salmon slab cut, you can distribute 2-4 compound butter pieces along the length of the salmon.
- Bake the salmon for 8-12 minutes at 425F or 10-14 minutes at 400F, depending on the thickness of the salmon. Bake until the salmon reaches 145F internal temperature and flakes easily when tested with a fork.
- You can make the compound butter up to 3 days ahead. See the Recipe Notes below for refrigeration and freezing guidance for leftover compound butter.
Halfway through baking, I like to use a spoon to spread any unmelted flavourings from compound butter along the length of the salmon.
Notes
Nutritional information varies depending on which compound butter is used. The nutritional information shown is for the Lemon Garlic Herb compound butter.
Storing and Freezing Compound Butter:
Leftover compound butter can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, but you need to be very careful with compound butters that contain raw garlic and should freeze leftovers rather than refrigerating. Compound butters with fresh herbs can also spoil quite quickly, and freezing any leftovers is a better option.
To freeze compound butter, wrap it well in plastic wrap, then wrap in foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. To use from frozen, run a sharp knife under hot water, then use it to slice the frozen compound butter into rounds to use.
Variations:
If you'd like to air-fry, pan-fry, grill or broil your salmon, place the compound butter on the salmon after cooking instead, allowing it to melt on the salmon from the residual heat.
Compound butter is also nice on white fish, steak, skin-on chicken or vegetables, such as green beans or asparagus.
Be sure to read the notes above this Recipe Card for more tips, substitution suggestions and step-by-step photos that you might find helpful.
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 343kcal, Carbohydrates: 0.4g, Protein: 34g, Fat: 22g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g, Monounsaturated Fat: 7g, Trans Fat: 0.5g, Cholesterol: 124mg, Sodium: 166mg, Potassium: 846mg, Fiber: 0.1g, Sugar: 0.04g, Vitamin A: 502IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 27mg, Iron: 1mg
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