Baked Honey Cilantro Lime Salmon in Foil (2024)

Baked honey cilantro lime salmon in foil is cooked to tender, flaky perfection in just 30 minutes with a flavorful garlic and honey lime glaze.

Does cooking fish seem like an overwhelming task to you? If you haven’t cooked fish before, this is the perfect baked salmon recipe to get you hooked on cooking fish! It’s as simple and easy as a recipe could possibly be, yet so, SO incredibly tasty.

How tasty you ask? Tasty enough to make my father say it’s as good, or even better, than the best restaurant salmon he’s ever tried. And that’s saying something because my father is a life-long lover and restaurant order-er of salmon. This 30-minute meal will turn salmon skeptics into salmon lovers and will win a permanent spot on your regular menu.

Why This Recipe Works

The glaze — All of the flavor comes from a simple, 4-ingredient glaze that will Blow. Your. Mind. Seriously — I’m obsessed with this combination of flavors: melted butter, garlic, freshly squeezed lime juice, and honey. Just pour that good stuff over the honey salmon, wrap it in foil, and bake it to flaky, tender perfection.

Easy cleanup — Cleanup is a breeze! Reuse that foil to wrap up any leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch, or toss the whole thing right in the garbage — no pan scrubbing required.

Feeds a crew — This salmon easily feeds my family with leftovers. Or it feeds my family and my parents, so you know it’s good to feed those surprise guests, too.

Great for leftovers — I have been known to make this baked salmon in foil for no one but myself. I make it on Sunday and eat it all week long for lunches. Great on Greek salads, over pasta, or in a wrap.

Here’s How You Make It

Are you ready to bake up the best baked salmon of your entire life? Let’s get to it!

1. First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Next, line and grease a large baking sheet with foil. If you don’t have foil, or don’t want to use it, no worries, just grease a large baking sheet and proceed to the next steps.
2. Lay the salmon on the foil/baking sheet and season with salt and pepper on both sides. Place lime slices under the salmon (so you get that lime taste from under and above the salmon!).
3. Next, stir the butter, lime juice, honey, and garlic together. Pour this mixture over the salmon and fold up the sides of the foil over the salmon. If the sides don’t touch, it’s okay.
4. Place in the oven for 15-20 minutes, then change the oven over to “broil” and cook the salmon another 5 minutes under the broiler.
5. Serve sprinkled with chopped cilantro, if desired.

Do You Bake Salmon Covered or Uncovered?

Whether or not you bake salmon covered or uncovered depends on the recipe. I bake it uncovered so that it develops a nice, crisp top from baking then broiling. If you close it up in foil, it will steam rather than bake.

Do You Have to Wash Salmon Before Cooking?

You don’t have to wash your salmon, but I do give mine a little rinse under cold water and then pat dry with a paper towel before putting it on the baking sheet. This helps to “freshen” up older (not expired, but not just-caught-from-the-ocean, either) fish and makes your seasonings stick to the honey salmon better for cooking.

Expert Tips

• If you don’t have a huge salmon fillet, don’t worry about it. This baked salmon recipe works for a large salmon or a couple of medium-sized fillets, or even several small fillets. Just watch the cooking of smaller pieces so that they don’t overcook.
• Salmon already has a high fat content and can cook in its own fat just fine if you don’t want to add all the butter. Cut the butter back to just 4 tablespoons and it’ll still taste amazing — if not quite as buttery.
• Be sure to bake the salmon skin-side down (if yours has skin) and leave the skin on. The skin creates a barrier between the cooking element and the flesh. So, if anything happens to stick to the baked salmon in foil, it’ll be the skin, and it’ll also be so easy to take right off once baked.
• If you aren’t cooking one big fillet, try to cook up smaller pieces or fillets that are about the same size, that way you won’t overcook some and undercook others.
• To help the seasonings stick to the salmon, pat the salmon dry before adding salt and pepper. That will make the skin get crispy too, and help keep the salmon moist.

More Salmon Recipes

In the mood for more salmon? Try these recipes for Sesame Glazed Salmon and Asparagus, Garlic Dijon Shrimp and Salmon Foil Pack, Baked Lemon Parmesan Salmon and Asparagus, and Baked Thai Pineapple Salmon.

• Baked Salmon with Pesto Cream Sauce
• Best Easy Healthy Baked Salmon
• Honey Lime Salmon with Mango Salsa
• Herb Butter Salmon and Asparagus Foil Packs