This post may include affiliate links; see our disclosure policy.
This salmon with capers is oven baked in foil until it’s perfectly tender, then topped with a delicious garlic butter sauce. An easy healthy dinner recipe!
Looking for an easy healthy dinner recipe? About once a week, Alex and I spring for some seafood: and this salmon with capers is where it’s at. The baked salmon is infused with lemon and herbs and cooked until it’s perfectly moist.
Then drizzle over a silky lemon caper sauce. Just a small drizzle packs a huge punch, and the modest quantity keeps it healthy. Here’s how to make my of my favorite tasty salmon recipes that comes together in 30 minutes!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Big flavor from simple ingredients: Just butter, garlic, and capers create a sauce that tastes far more complex and sophisticated than it is to make
- Minimal hands-on time: This recipe is quick to prep; you can make the sauce while the salmon bakes
- Healthy and adaptable: High in omega-3s and protein, gluten-free, and pescatarian-friendly, this recipe fits into many eating styles
Featured Reader Reviews
“Absolutely amazing! And so simple and quick. Served with roasted broccoli – perfect for soaking up any extra lemony buttery goodness!!” -Jessica
“This sauce was the perfect accompaniment to salmon. I basically don’t want to eat anything else with salmon ever again. AND – so simple!” -Katie
Ingredients In Salmon With Capers
This salmon with capers is easy to make and results in one perfectly moist piece of fish. This recipe uses a few tricks that will stick with you, like how to bake salmon to perfection, and the beautiful briny tang that capers bring to a recipe. Here’s what you’ll need for this recipe:
- Salmon fillets: you can use any type of salmon here; we like using pre-cut fillets that are about 6 ounces each
- Lemon to bring a pop of flavor
- Olive oil, salt and pepper for seasoning
- Fresh thyme or oregano are optional, but add nice flavor to baked salmon
- Butter, garlic & capers to make the butter sauce
Capers Bring Big Flavor
Capers are the magic behind this salmon with capers recipe. What are they exactly? Capers are a berry of the caper bush that’s native to the Mediterranean. They’re round and dark green gray, about the size of a peppercorn. You’ll find them in Italian and Mediterranean recipes. Here, we added them to a garlic butter to add a big pop of briny, salty flavor to the fish.
Capers taste tangy, briny and salty, and add big flavor to any dish. They’re served pickled, so you’ll find them in jars near the olives at the grocery store. Other recipes that use capers? Try them in our Roasted Eggplant Pasta, French Potato Salad or Vegan Caesar Salad.
Why To Brine Salmon
What’s a great tip for baking salmon? Brine it first. Alex and I had seen this trick for a while, but we weren’t sure it was necessary. However: we found placing the salmon in water and salt for 15 minutes before baking it does make it perfectly moist when baked.
Guess what? This doesn’t even add any extra time to the recipe! You can do it while your oven preheats. Even better, placing the salmon in a brine solution helps to cut down on the white stuff, which you may have noticed can sometimes happen after baking salmon.
The white stuff is simply coagulated protein that seeps to the surface while baking called albumin. The amount of albumin varies greatly depending on the fish, so it’s not something you can particularly control. (Read more here.)
The “white stuff” is absolutely safe to eat: but it does look a little wacky sitting there atop your beautiful fillet. I’ve tested and brining does help to reduce it!
Tips for Baking Salmon
Here are a couple more tips about baking salmon! In this salmon with capers recipe, we decided to bake the salmon in foil to seal in that moisture. Here are a few notes on getting the perfect salmon:
- Brine the salmon while the oven preheats (see above).
- Add lemon wheels. Keep the lemon to the side of the salmon, otherwise the top of the fish gets a gooey texture.
- Herbs are optional but tasty. If you have access to fresh thyme or oregano, adding a few sprigs looks beautiful and adds a nice flavor.
Buying Sustainable Seafood
Are you looking at buying sustainable salmon? Here are a few pointers when you’re at the grocery store:
- Look for wild-caught fish if possible. If you live in the US, look for US caught. 90% of the seafood we eat in the US is imported. Imported seafood runs the risk of being overfished, caught under unfair labor practices, or farmed in environmentally harmful ways.
- How your fish is caught matters. Look for hook and line as one example of a sustainable gear type. Bottom trawling is considered the most destructive and least sustainable method.
Ways to Serve Salmon with Capers
How to make this salmon with capers recipe into a meal? We’re glad you asked. There are so many sides to go with salmon. This recipe is great because it can make a 30-minute weeknight meal or a fancier meal for Valentine’s Day or date night. Here are a few we recommend:
- Try it with steamed broccoli or sauteed broccoli, an easy side dish that turns out bright green and crisp tender every time! Or go for roasted broccolini, broccoli’s elegant cousin.
- Opt for salads like celery salad with apples, Parmesan and a tangy vinaigrette, or fennel orange salad, which pairs juicy orange and fennel with a citrus vinaigrette. Or, try the simplest arugula salad.
- This peas with lemon recipe takes just 5 minutes! Cooking frozen peas with garlic and lemon makes them taste incredible.
- This baked asparagus is a classic pairing with salmon, spritzed with lemon and baked with Parmesan cheese.
- These quick baked potatoes roast in half the time! This easy trick will become your go-to.
- If you have the time, wild rice makes for a showy dinner party side dish.
This recipe is included in my Mediterranean Diet Meal Plan! Check it out for recipes for 1 month, including a meal planning spreadsheet download.
Storage and Reheating Tips
Leftover salmon stores refrigerated for up to 3 days. Personally, I prefer making something new with leftover salmon like a salmon salad or a salmon burger.
To reheat, you can place the salmon in a skillet over low to medium-low heat with a teaspoon of olive oil or butter. Cover with a lid to trap steam, which prevents drying, and heat for a few minutes per side until warmed through. It also tastes great cold, and make a good addition to grain bowls.
Dietary Notes
This salmon with capers recipe is gluten-free and pescatarian.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, just make sure to thaw it completely before brining. The best method is to thaw salmon in the refrigerator overnight. If you’re in a hurry, you can place the sealed salmon in a bowl of cold water for about 30-45 minutes, changing the water every 10 minutes.
Personally I find that the salmon I get from the fish counter tastes better than frozen and thawed salmon, but it really depends on the source.
You can skip the brining step if you’re short on time, though I highly recommend it for the best results. If you skip it, you may want to add an extra sprinkle of salt as well.
Yes! This method works well with other fish like Chilean sea bass, halibut, tilapia, or cod. The timing might vary slightly depending on thickness, so use a thermometer and aim for an internal temperature of 125-130°F. Delicate fish like tilapia or sole would need less baking time.
The most reliable method is using an instant-read thermometer. Insert it into the thickest part of the fillet; you’re looking for 125-130°F for salmon that’s tender and slightly translucent in the center. Visually, the salmon should flake easily with a fork and have turned from translucent to opaque throughout most of the fillet. Remember that it will continue cooking for a minute or two after you remove it from the oven.
Salmon with Capers
This salmon with capers is oven baked in foil until it’s perfectly tender, then topped with a delicious garlic butter sauce. An easy healthy dinner recipe!
Ingredients
- 4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets
- Olive oil, for brushing
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for brining
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 6 lemon slices (from 1 lemon)
- Fresh oregano or thyme sprigs (optional)
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 tablespoons jarred capers, drained
- 1 garlic clove, grated
- To garnish: finely chopped Italian parsley, chives, or other herbs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.*
- Brine the salmon: While the oven preheats, in a shallow dish mix together 4 cups room temperature water and 3 tablespoons kosher salt. Place the salmon in the water and wait for 15 minutes.
- Place the salmon in foil: Place a large sheet of aluminum foil on a baking sheet and brush it with olive oil. Pat each piece of salmon dry and place it on the foil. Sprinkle the salmon with ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt for each fillet and fresh ground pepper. Place the lemon slices and fresh herbs around the salmon (not on top). Close and seal the foil around the salmon.
- Bake: Bake the salmon for 10 minutes in the foil. Then open the foil packet so steam can release and bake again for 3 to 6 minutes, depending on thickness, until just tender and pink at the center (the internal temperature should be between 125 to 130F in the center). A 1 inch thick fillet should cook in about 15 minutes total.
- Make the caper butter: Meanwhile, melt the butter over low heat. Once melted, add the capers and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes.
- Serve: When the salmon is done, squeeze with some lemon juice from remaining lemon slices. Spoon the butter sauce over each piece of salmon. Garnish with finely chopped parsley or chives.
Notes
- Quicker cooking methods: You can also pan sear or broiled the salmon to make a quicker recipe. Go to Pan Seared Salmon or Broiled Salmon.
- Don’t skip the brining: Those 15 minutes while the oven preheats make a difference in the final texture. The salmon comes out noticeably more moist and tender.
- Keep lemon to the side: Placing lemon slices directly on top of the salmon can create a gummy texture. Keep them alongside the fish for flavor without the texture issue.
- Low temperature is key: The 325°F temperature cooks the salmon gently and reduces the appearance of white albumin. Higher temps can dry out the fish.
- More salmon sauce ideas: Check out my comprehensive guide to the best sauces for salmon if you want to experiment with different flavor profiles.
I am concerned about the sodium content with brining the salmon. I do not see sodium listed in the nutrition facts. My husband has high blood pressure and I typically use minimal salt. Do you know the sodium content?
We know many people watch their sodium intake closely, so to be extra careful, we don’t include sodium in our recipe information. This is because ingredients like canned tomatoes and cheese can vary in their sodium content, and we wouldn’t want to give you inaccurate info!
If you want, you can still get an estimated sodium breakdown! Just pop the recipe into this handy website: https://whisk.com/recipe-nutrition-calculator/
This way you can check with your own ingredients. Thank you for reading!
Thank you so much for the recipe all Sauses look great. I’m using the caper, garlic and butter one.
I was so excited to try this recipe. After the 10 minutes in foil and another 6minutes, the salmon was still raw. I have been cooking it for another 15 minutes and I hope it is done. My salmon was about 1 inch thick.
Not sure what happened
That’s weird! I’m sorry about that. We have tested this many times.
Capers are not necessarily a berry. There are Caper Berries which can be used instead of an olive in a martini. Gritty seeds inside a pod. But most capers are the buds of caper flowers before they swell much. Read the label before buying. Use caper buds for this, not the berries.
I agree with Chris, I cooked this for 15 minutes at 325°F and it didn’t even move the dial on the food thermometer – it was totally uncooked. I was surprised since that didn’t seem like a lot of cook time at that temp.
Per his suggestion, I bumped up the oven to 425°F and tried again, but my rice and broccoli was already getting cold 😞
I basically covered it and cooked it all over again. I put it in around 325° and left it for another 10 minutes which was right about the time that the oven reached 425. I uncovered and left it for another couple minutes while I reheated my rice and broccoli and warmed up a dinner roll.
It still turned out pretty juicy and good, I would make it again, but I would HIGHLY recommend following all the steps but with the oven at 425 instead of 325!!!
Just starting my culinary chops (finally!). Figured Mediterranean is the way to begin. Prepared your Med Salad recipe last night for the initial attempt. Worked out great. Thanks.
As a life long Alaskan I’ve eaten a lot of salmon all my life. I have never heard of brining first. I will try that tonight! I have a big jar of capers but never cooked with them. Your’s is the first recipe I looked at. I’m looking no farther. Thank you for the ideas.
PS Alaska prides itself with it’s sustainably harvested wild salmon. While some are caught on hook and line (trolling) most are caught in gill nets or seine fisheries – both gears are environmentally responsible. In Bristol Bay where I live, we just enjoyed our biggest ever return of sockeye salmon of 79 million total fish with far more than needed allowed to return to their spawning areas and a huge harvest of 60 million ( 60,000,000) ! We appreciate you supporting wild caught sustatinable salmon in you recipes. For more Bristol Bay Alaska harvest info: https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/static/applications/dcfnewsrelease/1438246231.pdf
Thank you for the info! Hope you enjoy the recipe.
16 min later fish was still undercooked. Increase time at least 5 min for 325. Maybes longer. I cooked 12-14 min in a foil. Herbs and lemon give more flavors.
looking forward to more incredible recipes
When I click on options everything prints except the picture this happens every time I print a recipe.
Just found your reply. In would think that the people who don’t want to print the photo would chose the option to not print, I guess some people would find that a problem also. I like a picture so because I guess I eat with my eyes first.
Thanks
Just found your website and I have printed several recipes, I have opened the options and and selected all of the options however when I print out the recipes there isn’t a picture. Is there something I should have done first?
Thank you for some of the first recipes I am trying to see if I like the Mediterranean diet
Hi! Sorry, we removed the picture do to people requesting not to waste ink on pictures.
I never thought to brine fish before. It was so creamy in texture! This recipe is definitely a keeper.
I cooked for 10 min at 325degrees and the salmon was completely raw.
Turned it up to 425 and it finally cooked
Flavour was good
It took 20 minutes at 375 degrees to cook the 1” think salmon fillets.
Absolutely amazing! And so simple and quick. Served with roasted broccoli – perfect for soaking up any extra lemony buttery goodness!!
It was really good, we loved the sauce! Didn’t have fresh oregano or thyme, but did have fresh dill and it worked. Thanks for the tip about brining the salmon first, will definitely do from now on
This sauce was the perfect accompaniment to salmon. I basically don’t want to eat anything else with salmon ever again. AND – so simple! My salmon was thicker and took quite a bit longer to cook (almost double the time). No big deal – just a heads up to others. Will definitely make again.