The Best Garlic Cilantro Salmon

Garlic Cilantro Salmon is a delicious and easy salmon that makes a great healthy weeknight dinner with only 5 simple ingredients! (gluten-free, dairy-free option)

I just love salmon! I could eat it every day. My husband, on the other hand, didn't care for it for a long time. He thought it was too fishy and wasn't too excited when I put it on the menu. Now, I plan it about once a week, and my husband happily obliges.

The secret is to buy good quality fish that is fresh from behind the seafood counter and not the individually frozen portions. The frozen filets seem to taste more fishy than the fresh kind. When I find salmon on sale, I'll even buy a bunch and portion it out and freeze it using our FoodSaver.  But I've learned not to buy the pre-frozen filets anymore.

This recipe for garlic cilantro salmon is one that I grew up eating at home with my family. My parents would buy a really big filet and make it like this on the grill. It's always been one of my favorite meals. Since the weather isn't always great for grilling, I've found a good way to cook it in the oven that leaves it with a crispy outside and a perfect medium rare, tender inside and a delicious garlic and herb flavor!

Salmon is a great way to get in your vitamin D and healthy fats like omega-3s.  A 3- ounce portion of salmon contains over 100% of the Daily Value for vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids. Two meals per week of fatty fish is the recommended amount, and with this recipe for garlic cilantro salmon, it's easy to get! You can even double the recipe so you can take some in your lunch later in the week!

When you are making this garlic cilantro salmon recipe, make sure to put the salmon skin-side down on the foil, and do NOT grease the foil. This makes the skin stick to the foil so you can peel the flesh off easily with a spatula by sliding it in between the skin and the flesh. I like to serve this with roasted brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes. But it would also be delicious with a kale salad or any vegetables.

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating in the comments!

The Best Garlic Cilantro Salmon

Print Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

Garlic Cilantro Salmon is a delicious and easy salmon recipe that makes a great healthy weeknight dinner with only 5 simple ingredients. (gluten-free, dairy-free option)

• Author: Kaleigh
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Yield: about 4 servings 1x
• Category: main dish
• Method: baked or grilled
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 large salmon filet
• 1 lemon
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
• Kosher salt to taste
• Freshly cracked black pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp butter (optional)*

Instructions

1. Preheat oven or grill to 400° F. Place salmon on a foil-lined baking sheet, skin side down (this will make cleanup easier). Do not grease the foil.
2. Squeeze lemon over salmon filet. Sprinkle garlic and cilantro evenly over the top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. If using, thinly slice butter and place pieces evenly over the top of the salmon.
3. Place foil with salmon on the preheated grill, or bake salmon in preheated oven about 7 minutes, depending on thickness. (If you are grilling, skip the next step and continue to grill for a total of about 15 minutes.)
4. Turn oven up to broil and continue to cook an additional 5-7 minutes, until the top is crispy.
5. Remove salmon from oven or grill and slide a flat spatula in between the salmon and the skin. The skin should stick to the foil, making separation of the fish from the skin easy. Serve immediately.

Notes

*Omit butter for dairy-free.

Keywords: garlic cilantro salmon, cilantro baked salmon, garlic baked salmon