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Home » Recipes » Main Dishes

Oven Baked Salmon in Foil Recipe

Published: Nov 5, 2020 · Modified: Feb 1, 2023 by Ginny · This post may contain affiliate links.

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Cooking Oven Baked Salmon is already easy enough, but with this foil method, you’ll completely eliminate the need for cleanup all. Best of all, it only takes about 20 minutes!

Two pads of butter on the bright pink wild caught coho salmon on an aluminum foil wrap
Foil Cooking Salmon and Asparagus Makes Cleanup a Breeze!
Contents hide
1 🐟 Why This Recipe Works
2 🍴 Ingredients
3 🍽️ Instructions
4 📌 Items to Note
5 🥦 Substitutions
6 🧑‍🍳 Meal Preparation
7 Recipe FAQ
8 Foil Baked Salmon with Asparagus

We love quick and easy meals like this where everything is done in one simple foil packet, leaving you with a lot of extra time on your hands and a dinner that everyone will rave over. This is not only the easiest salmon recipe but also one of the most satisfying ones as well.

🐟 Why This Recipe Works

Quick – We are all putting together lists of recipes that can be our “go-to” ones when we need to eat fast and stay healthy at the same time. This one is so fast that you will find it will jump right into your monthly rotation.

Hands Off – We all love hands off recipes when we need quick and healthy recipes for our families. It can be a hard combination to pull together, but this one knocks it out of the park every time. Pop it in the oven, set the table, change laundry and get ready for the evening activities and your dinner will be ready. It’s not quite as hands off as a crockpot recipe, but it is right up there for us.

Meal Prep Friendly – Prep these up in the morning or a couple of hours before dinner time. Grab them out of the refrigerator and pop them in the oven for a meal that is ready to go in under 30 minutes. You may have 10 minutes to prep these in the morning or even at 3pm before the kiddos get off the bus. Sneak in time to prepare this ahead of time so you can give your full attention to the family instead of cooking the meal. Normally, we look at meal prep as a Sunday ahead of the week option. This one is a one to prep early in the morning. Take a look at Meal Prep 101 to kick start your meal prep IQ.

🍴 Ingredients

Salmon– I always stock up on salmon when they go on sale. They freeze extremely well and are a staple in my diet as I try to shift to eating less red meat. Cook this with the skin on or off. I kept the skin on in the photos. The skin will peel right away from the meat after it is cooked so you don’t need to worry too much about keeping it on while cooking.

Asparagus – Not only does the asparagus taste delicious, they serve as a prop to keep the salmon off of the foil which minimizes any chances of burning.

🍽️ Instructions

Preparing this is so simple and your family will be shocked with how delicious it is! 

three process shots showing how to layer the salmon and asparagus in the foil packs
Layer the Asparagus, Salmon and Butter to Form the Foil Pack

Step One: Lay out four pieces of foil large enough to cover the asparagus and salmon and make a pouch. Mine are usually 14 x 16 inches or so. 

Step Two: Prepare the asparagus by cutting off the hard, woody ends and throw them away. Place the asparagus on the foil. Set the salmon fillet on top. I used wild caught coho salmon for this because it was on sale at Costco.

Step Three: Place a pad of butter and a slice or two of lemon on top along with a pinch salt and pepper on each fillet. 

Step Four: Gather up two sides of the foil and fold over. Then fold over the ends. Don’t make these too tight. 

Step Five: Place the foil packs on a sheet pan and cook at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Fully cooked salmon should be at 145 degrees and should always be tested. 

Cooked Salmon and Asparagus in a foil packet straight from the oven
Beautiful and Delicious Foil Salmon Foil Packets

📌 Items to Note

This is a low calorie dinner for anyone looking to cut a few calories out of their daily diet. Oh, did I mention there are only about 300 calories per serving? I had an idea that it was sort of light on calories when I was whipping this up, but didn’t realize how low it was until I popped it into a calculator.

I recommend serving this with a side of brown rice.

🥦 Substitutions

When choosing other vegetable options, think of ones that will cook at the same rate as the salmon. I like to use: 

  • Mushrooms 
  • Onions
  • Red or Green Peppers 
  • Thinly Sliced Carrots 
  • Broccoli 

You can certainly use squash, but it will easily become over-cooked and mushy. If you don’t mind a softer squash, then that would be great! 

🧑‍🍳 Meal Preparation

This is a super quick meal all on its own but there is still meal prep options you can do to make it even easier for those busy weeknight meals. 

  • Completely prep 100% of the recipe in the morning and place the foil pack in the fridge so when you walk in the door at night, you simply turn on the oven and pop it in. 
  • Prepare the asparagus, slice up the butter and make sure the salmon is ready to go if you bought it in a large fillet. 
  • Additionally, prep the sheet pan and the foil so it is ready to just have the salmon and asparagus placed on them leaving this to a five minute prep meal. 
Top down view of the asparagus, salmon, butter and lemon inside a sheet of foil and ready to be wrapped and cooked
Top with a Couple of Slices of Lemon

Recipe FAQ

Does the salmon stick to the foil?

No, it doesn’t. Between the salmon resting on asparagus, the juices from the salmon and the little bit of butter, there is just no way it sticks.

Can I grill this?

You can make this just the same out on the grill. Make the foil pack just as you would for the oven and then place on the hot grill that is set to about 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. I would check it early to see how it is doing as grills can be finicky at times.

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Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also stay in touch with me through social media by following me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook!

Two lemon slices atop the coho salmon fillet and ready to be wrapped in aluminum foil

Foil Baked Salmon with Asparagus

Easy dinner recipe that requires very little to prep. Pop it into the oven and do other tasks as this needs none of your attention! Perfect 30 minute meal! Nothing beats the delicious flavor of this Salmon and Asparagus in a Foil Packet Recipe. {WW 3 points, Keto, Paleo, Gluten-free}
4.73 from 11 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes minutes
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 311kcal
Author: Ginny

Ingredients

  • 4 Salmon Fillets
  • 1 Lemon
  • 2 tbsp Butter cut into 8 pats of butter
  • 1.5 lbs Asparagus use the tops
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
  • Wash asparagus and cut the spears in half. Place asparagus tops in a large bowl. Save and store the bottom of the spears for other uses like stir fries or soups. 
  • Cut a piece of aluminum foil and place the asparagus to form the bed
  • Add the salmon fillet. I used wild caught coho salmon that was on sale at Costco, but any variety will work great!
  • Cut a small amount of stick butter and place on top of the salmon
  • Slice a lemon and place on the top
  • Sprinkle with sea salt, pepper and juice from one half of a lemon over the top. Fold the foil packets and close them (seam side up) and place on a sheet pan in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until asparagus is fork tender and salmon reaches desired temperature. 

Notes

Mix up the vegetables if asparagus is out of season.
While this recipe is extremely fast as-is, I do like to meal prep the ingredients in the morning before I go to work.  Then, when I get home, it is really easy to throw it in the oven and have a delicious and healthy meal. You can make this recipe 100% and place it in the refrigerator in the morning and take it out before you are ready to put in the oven. 
Substitute the vegetables with others that you like. 
You can grill this recipe for 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees on indirect heat if you prefer to cook outside. 
 

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 311kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 109mg | Sodium: 127mg | Potassium: 985mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 674IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 3mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @savorandsavvy or tag #savorandsavvy!
Ginny
Ginny

Hi!

Ginny Collins is a passionate foodie and recipe creator of Savor and Savvy and Kitchenlaughter. Indoors she focuses on easy, quick recipes for busy families and kitchen basics. Outdoors, she focuses on backyard grilling and smoking to bring family and friends together. She is a lifelong learner who is always taking cooking classes on her travels overseas and stateside. Her work has been featured on MSN, Parade, Fox News, Yahoo, Cosmopolitan, Elle, and many local news outlets. She lives in Florida where you will find her outside on the water in her kayak, riding her bike on trails, and planning her next overseas adventure.

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Oven Baked Salmon in Foil RecipeOven Baked Salmon in Foil Recipe
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About Ginny

Hi!

Ginny Collins is a passionate foodie and recipe creator of Savor and Savvy and Kitchenlaughter. Indoors she focuses on easy, quick recipes for busy families and kitchen basics. Outdoors, she focuses on backyard grilling and smoking to bring family and friends together. She is a lifelong learner who is always taking cooking classes on her travels overseas and stateside. Her work has been featured on MSN, Parade, Fox News, Yahoo, Cosmopolitan, Elle, and many local news outlets. She lives in Florida where you will find her outside on the water in her kayak, riding her bike on trails, and planning her next overseas adventure.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Bindi U says

    December 11, 2023 at 1:26 pm

    5 stars
    Perfect dinner!

    Reply
  2. David says

    November 29, 2017 at 8:58 pm

    5 stars
    This recipe was delicious a little over bearing on the lemon flavor. But all in all I would do it again just the way it is. Super easy to prepare and tasted awesome.

    Reply
  3. Lita Watson says

    June 11, 2017 at 3:28 am

    5 stars
    I love asparagus and how great it is when i can combine this vegetable with salmon. Can i use spicy tuna instead of using the regular tuna for this recipe?

    Reply
    • Jazmin Rode says

      June 11, 2017 at 12:15 pm

      Definitely!

      Reply
  4. RMD says

    September 17, 2015 at 12:35 pm

    5 stars
    This was easy and delicious! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! 25 minutes and the fish turned out perfectly. Even my hard-to-please 8 y/o ate every bite! I’m looking forward to making this often. Have you had any luck with other fish/veggie combinations in foil?

    Reply
    • Jazmin Rode says

      September 17, 2015 at 3:55 pm

      I’m so glad! I haven’t tried with other fish yet but I’ll definitely do some experimenting and post anything else that works well 🙂

      Reply
  5. kATELIN cAVANAGH says

    July 27, 2015 at 4:57 pm

    Hi there! Probably a silly question, do you cook it in the oven with the foil open, like in the picture? Or completely enclosed?

    Reply
    • Debbie says

      August 03, 2015 at 4:46 pm

      I cook it with the foil closed.

      Reply
  6. Nicci says

    July 17, 2015 at 10:17 pm

    5 stars
    Just tried this with Weber Brand Zesty Lemon seasoning and a tiny bit of Cilantro-Lime flavored vodka instead of butter. OMG! I cook with foil packets all the time and am always trying new things/looking for new ways to use them. I typically use fish but have done it with pork and chicken. Great recipe!

    Reply
  7. Jennie Kinne says

    May 09, 2015 at 9:22 pm

    Hi! I want to make this badly, but my husband refuses to eat any seafood. I’d make mine as you instructed…but do you think it would work for a chicken breast for his?

    Reply
    • Jazmin Rode says

      May 10, 2015 at 12:06 am

      I think it would totally work for chicken breast, but the cook time would likely be different. If you’re using chicken, I think it’d be a bit bland with just these seasonings (since salmon has more natural flavor) so maybe add in a dash or two of his favorite spice to go along with it!

      Reply
  8. Melody says

    April 06, 2015 at 8:50 pm

    I’ve been looking for another way to cook salmon besides my tried and true agave/mustard version… And then I stumbled across this post. So yummy!!! An my 12mo even loves it 😉 thanks for the awesome idea!

    Reply
  9. Paula says

    April 06, 2015 at 12:29 am

    Excellent!! Thank you for this amazing recipe! I improvised a little, but followed your recipe otherwise and can’t wait to make it again!!!!

    Reply
    • Jazmin Rode says

      April 06, 2015 at 6:48 pm

      Glad you enjoyed it, Paula! 😀

      Reply
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Family Photo Hi! I'm Ginny and for over 30 years, I've been creating simple and easy recipes without sacrificing on taste for our family on the go. I can't wait to show you how to do the same for your family. Read More...

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