Baked Salmon with Panko-Dill Crust
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This baked salmon recipe feels a little special but couldn’t be easier to make—just the kind of dinner I love!
If you’re looking for a simple baked salmon recipe that still feels a little special, this is the one. You spread a garlicky, lemony sauce over the salmon fillets, then top them with a crisp mix of panko, lemon zest, and dill. It’s a great dish for when you’ve got people coming over—or when you just want to make an ordinary night feel a little nicer.
This recipe is proof that you don’t need hours in the kitchen to make something delicious—just a handful of good ingredients and 25 minutes. Serve it with roasted asparagus and a wild rice blend (go ahead and use one of the microwaveable rice packets to make life easy!) or go with roasted potatoes.
“This was easy to prepare and so delicious. The dill, lemon, and Dijon added wonderful flavor.”
What You’ll Need To Make Baked Salmon With Panko-Dill Crust
- Panko breadcrumbs: Give the salmon a light, crispy, golden crust.
- Lemons: Brightens up both the mayo mixture and the breadcrumb topping, adding fresh citrusy flavor that balances the richness of the fish. Save some wedges for serving.
- Fresh dill: Adds an herby flavor that works beautifully with salmon.
- Extra-Virgin Olive Oil: Helps bind the topping ingredients together and ensures it browns nicely in the oven.
- Mayonnaise and Dijon mustard: This creamy, tangy combo gets spread over the salmon to add flavor and help the panko coating stick.
- Garlic Powder: Adds a savory depth to the mayo mixture
- Salmon fillets: Look for four fillets, about 6 ounces each. They bake up tender and flavorful—they’re also a great source of omega-3s, making this an easy, feel-good dinner. For even cooking, try to use salmon fillets that are similar in size and thickness.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step-Instructions
Step 1: Make the panko topping. In a medium bowl, mix the panko, lemon zest, salt, pepper, dill, and olive oil until evenly combined.
Step 2: Mix the mayonnaise sauce. In a separate bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and garlic powder until smooth.
Step 3: Assemble the salmon. Place the salmon fillets on a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil (or parchment paper). Spread the mayo mixture over the top and sprinkle evenly with the panko topping.
Step 4: Bake. Bake the salmon in a 400°F oven for about 10 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through (it flakes easily when you poke it with a fork at the thickest part) and the crust is golden.
Step 5: Serve and enjoy. If the fillets are skin-on, slide a thin spatula between the skin and the flesh to serve with lemon wedges on the side. Leftovers make a great topping for salads or grain bowls the next day—just flake the salmon and serve chilled.
Tips for Buying Salmon
Buying salmon doesn’t have to be tricky—just keep a few simple things in mind:
- Look for vibrant color. The flesh should look fresh and bright—not dull or washed out.
- Check the packaging. If your fish counter has pre-packaged salmon, make sure the packaging is fully sealed with no tears or openings.
- Smell it if you can. Fresh salmon shouldn’t have a strong fishy smell—it should smell clean, like the ocean.
- Watch out for bruising or dry edges. If the fish looks dried out or has brown spots, choose another piece.
Video Tutorial
More Fish Recipes You May Like
Baked Salmon with Panko-Dill Crust
This quick baked salmon recipe checks all the boxes: fast, flavorful, and surprisingly elegant.
Ingredients
For the Panko-Dill Crust
- ⅓ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest, from 1 lemon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped dill
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
For the Salmon
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice, from 1 lemon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- Four 6-oz salmon fillets
- Lemon wedges, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy cleanup and spray it with nonstick cooking spray.
- For the topping: In a medium bowl, add the panko, lemon zest, salt, pepper, dill, and olive oil and stir until the mixture is evenly blended.
- For the fish: In another medium bowl, add the mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and garlic powder and stir until blended and smooth. Place the fish fillets on the prepared baking sheet and spread the mayonnaise mixture evenly over each piece. Next, evenly sprinkle the panko-dill topping over the fish. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through and the topping is slightly golden. (If you find that the topping is browning more than you’d like before the fish is cooked through, loosely cover the salmon with foil.) Note: If your fish fillets have skin, they may stick to the foil. To serve, slide a thin spatula between the skin and flesh, leaving the skin behind on the foil. Serve with lemon wedges.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (4 servings)
- Calories: 539
- Fat: 41 g
- Saturated fat: 8 g
- Carbohydrates: 4 g
- Sugar: 0 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 35 g
- Sodium: 478 mg
- Cholesterol: 101 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I made it today. served with augula salad with grilled mushrooms, and basil paste pasta. It was really easy and wow ~ delicious ! Just right amount of seasoning and very flavorful. Thank you !
Do you think this could be served with your panzanella salad, or would the flavors compete? Thank you!
I think you can get away with it. 😊
Tastes like you spent all day preparing it but it’s really simple! Great flavors! Definitely a keeper!
This looks delicious–I’m wondering if any changes to the recipe or cooking time would be needed to make a 2lb side of salmon instead of individual fillets? Seems like it would work other than a bit longer cooking time potentially?
Hi Sara, The time in the oven may be slightly different, but it also depends on the thickness of the salmon. I’d check it at 10 minutes and see if it needs any more time. Hope you enjoy!
Hi Jenn! I plan on making this recipe tomorrow night and was wondering if I could substitute dried dill for the fresh? If so, how much would you recommend using?
– Thanks
Hi Kristine, Yes you can definitely use dried dill – I’d go with 2 teaspoons. Hope you enjoy!
Another huge hit with the family from OUAC!! As much as we all love your Honey-Mustard Salmon with Pecan-Panko crust, which I’ve made it twice already (yum!), I have to say that my family liked this one even better, myself included.
Personally, I find this one a bit lighter (flavor wise), which I believe allows greater latitude in what you can serve with it. An added bonus was that I used the extra (and VERY tasty!) mayo/lemon/dijon sauce to dip your roasted potatoes into (another yum!).
Based on my many decades of experience in restaurants (front of house, Minneapolis and NYC) I’m going to make one adjustment next time I make this and that is to reduce the baking time to 8 minutes from 10. My personal preference is to have my fish a bit on the underdone side (med rare-ish). 10 minutes ended up being a bit too done for my liking. But, to be clear, it was still extremely delicious (and, for the record, I used wild-caught Sockeye Salmon [from Costco!]).
This is DEFINITELY going into our regular rotation. Thanks, Jenn!
This was phenomenal! Even my fish hating husband liked it! Quick, easy and delicious, thank you Jen!
Amazing recipe! So easy. Will make again and again.
This salmon was delicious!! Loved this recipe.
This was simply awesome. Made it for the wife and she thought I went to the Ocean Club to get high-end takeout!!!