Lemon Garlic Salmon

You have found the perfect summer salmon recipe! This recipe gives the salmon zest and zing while melting in your mouth! Like I said PERFECT.SUMMER.RECIPE! I make this in other seasons to pretend its summer for the evening. It works pretty well 😂

Now before we dive into this mouth watering Lemon Garlic Salmon, I have a list of what you will need to bring this recipe to life! Of course always check the pantry so you don't spend money you could save!

I love cooking fish because it thaws fast if its frozen, it cooks fast and always tastes amazing! Its light yet filling, perfect for the warm weather when you want to feel full but avoid those meat sweats. IYKYK. 

Salmon is also great to eat in the colder months with sickness constantly spreading. Salmon has vitamin A which is nifty for your immune function, as well as vitamin D. There is also vitamin B12 which helps with energy. Those are things I need all year long, but especially in the colder months! Beyond those vitamins it has omega-3 fatty acids and protein! 

The perfect salmon is made perfect by how its seasoned. A poorly seasoned salmon is like Christmas with out a Christmas tree, absolutely devastating. Luckily for you I have the perfect zesty seasoning combination! Measurements can vary depending on your palate. If you want more zest add a bit more lemon and parsley. If you want to up the savory component, up the garlic. All the measurements are in the recipe below! Play around and perfect it according to your taste buds!

Fish is a very delicate meat and needs to be handled with care. If frozen, thaw it according to the directions. Fish can also go bad quickly, so if you aren't going to cook it immediately after thawing, keep it in the fridge until you're ready.

When you are ready to cook the salmon, always cook it skin side down. Then remove the skin before eating. Keeping the skins on adds flavor and provides a nice little protective barrier between the fleshy part of the fish and the pan. If you prefer to eat the skins, half way through the cooking time, flip the salmon over so the skins can get crispy! If you don't have skin on your fillet, then there is no need to flip the fish half way through.

I always watch fish extra close when baking because over cooked fish (while still delicious) is just no fun. We want the fork to slide right through it, no knife necessary. If you haven't experienced this goodness before, you're about to! Salmon should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit. When it is perfectly cooked it will barely stay on a fork and will fall into juicy pieces on your plate. If its cooked too long it will become chewy and a little rubbery. 

This recipe is super easy to half if you don't need to cook up 6 salmon fillets. You can half this recipe with ease and simple mental math! If my 6th grade teacher could see me now... turns out she was right and I do use mental math daily! 

SUGGESTED SIDES:

• Long grain wild rice
• Cesar salad
• Sautéed summer squash
• Oven roasted potatoes
• Asparagus
• White rice

SUBTITUTIONS:

• Fresh lemon can be replaced with lemon juice concentrate.
• Fresh garlic can be subbed with garlic powder (NOT garlic salt)
• Dried Parsley can be replaced with fresh parsley, just use about 2/3 of what the recipe calls for because fresh parsley is stronger than dried parsley.
• Olive oil can be swapped with avocado oil or coconut oil. I do NOT recommend vegetable or canola oil with this recipe!
• The parmesan cheese is optional, but a super yummy addition if possible. I wouldn't swap the parmesan with any other cheese though.