Garlic Cilantro Salmon is an easy recipe for salmon that makes the perfect healthy weeknight dinner! Only 6 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 trick, I found out, was to buy good quality fish that was 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 
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, though, 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. This recipe is super flavorful with herbs and garlic so it is delicious without a bunch of added sodium or fat!
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, 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 (for a super healthy superfood punch) or any vegetable really!
I hope you love this as much as my husband and I do!
Garlic Cilantro Salmon
Garlic Cilantro Salmon is an easy recipe for salmon that makes the perfect healthy weeknight dinner! Only 6 ingredients, gluten-free, dairy-free option.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
- Category: Main dish
Ingredients
- 4 4-6 oz salmon filets
- 1 lemon
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 4 tbsp cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
- 1 tsp paprika
- Kosher salt to taste
- Freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- 2 tsp butter (optional)*
Instructions
- Preheat oven (or grill) to 400° F. Place salmon filets on a foil-lined baking sheet (this will make cleanup easier). Do not grease the foil.
- Squeeze lemon over salmon filets. Divide garlic and cilantro among salmon and sprinkle over the top. Sprinkle paprika, salt and pepper over top of filets. If using, place small pat of butter in the center of each filet.
- Place foil with salmon on the preheat grill, or bake salmon in preheated oven about 7 minutes, depending on thickness. (If you are grilling, skip the next step and contine to grill for a total of about 15 minutes.)
- Turn oven up to broil and continue to cook an additional 5-7 minutes. Tops should be crispy.
- Remove salmon from oven 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 for dairy-free.
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I think we’re a match made in heaven Kaleigh and I think our husbands would get along great too! My husband also was not into salmon until I started making it poached and serving it cold. Now he eats almost every salmon I make, hot or cold! Will have to try this version next – love all the herbs and spices here!
How funny! I’ve never tried poaching salmon before, I’ll have to do that!