Assume salmon is dry? Cease overcooking it! This Baked Salmon Temperature Information has all the things it is advisable know to cook dinner moist, succulent salmon each time.

Desk of Contents
- What Is the Correct Temperature for Salmon?
- Know When Salmon is Carried out
- Salmon Prepare dinner Temperatures and Instances
- Ceaselessly Requested Salmon Baking Questions
- Extra Tricks to Keep away from Overcooking Salmon
- Favourite Salmon Recipes
- Extra Ceaselessly Requested Questions
- Easy, Excellent Baked Salmon at 400 levels F Recipe
Completely cooked salmon is a factor of magnificence.
It’s moist, tender, flaky, and virtually melts in your mouth.
Overcooked salmon is a chore. It’s dry, chewy, and can make you wish to swear off fish.
Observe these tricks to decide the proper salmon inner temperature, in addition to approximate bake occasions at numerous oven temperatures for each an entire aspect of salmon and particular person parts (fillets) of salmon.

Salmon Well being Advantages
Salmon is a superb addition to a balanced, nutritious diet.
- Salmon is low in saturated fats, excessive in omega-3s (that are important for mind perform), and an incredible supply of protein, potassium, vitamin D, vitamin B12, iron, different vitamins (learn extra about salmon well being advantages right here).
- Actually the FDA recommends consuming no less than 8 ounces of fish per week, which for many adults is one to 2 servings.
Salmon is nice for you. This submit will educate you how you can make it style good too!
What Is the Correct Temperature for Salmon?
What temperature salmon is finished cooking is determined by who you ask and your private choice.
- In line with the FDA, salmon is taken into account cooked when the thickest half reaches 145 levels F. This provides you with very, very agency (some would say dry) salmon.
- In line with Prepare dinner’s Illustrated, 125 levels F is the popular temperature for farmed salmon in case you like your salmon to be largely agency with a good quantity of silkiness. Wild salmon needs to be cooked to only 120 levels F, as it’s leaner and extra liable to drying out.
- In line with my mother-in-law, it is best to cook dinner salmon till it’s so dry, the one method to lower it’s with a steak knife.
After trial and error, I’ve constantly discovered that one of the best temperature for salmon is 135 levels F.*
- As quickly because the salmon registers 135 levels F on an on the spot learn thermometer inserted on the thickest a part of the fillet, take away it from the warmth supply, then let it relaxation.
- Because the salmon rests, its temperature continues to rise. Resting permits any juices to include again into the fish.
- Salmon cooked to 135 levels F and allowed to relaxation might be medium, moist, and fit for human consumption.*
Salmon Temperatures by Doneness
One other method to consider salmon temperature is by uncommon, medium-rare, medium, and well-done. My choice is medium/medium-rare.
Take away the salmon from the warmth at every of the under temperature ranges, based on your choice.
- Uncommon Salmon. Lower than 120 levels F.
- Medium-Uncommon Salmon. 125 levels F to 130 levels F.
- Medium Salmon. 135 levels F to 140 levels F (the candy spot!).
- Properly-Carried out Salmon. 145 levels F or extra (please don’t do that).

Know When Salmon is Carried out
Greatest Means: Use an Prompt Learn Thermometer
One of the best, most dependable method to know your salmon is finished is to make use of an on the spot learn digital thermometer.
An on the spot learn thermometer is a essential instrument within the kitchen.
It can prevent from overcooking fish and meat. I even use it to find out when banana bread is finished.
- This one is lower than $15 and is fast and correct.
- This one is lightening quick and useless correct. It is a superb funding in case you cook dinner usually.
To make use of your on the spot learn thermometer to examine the salmon for doneness, insert the tip into the thickest a part of the fish. Be sure you are within the fillet’s middle and never touching the pan.
Again Up Technique: The Poke Take a look at
When you don’t have an on the spot learn thermometer, you’ll be able to see if salmon is finished by gently urgent down on the highest of the fillet.
- Its flesh ought to simply separate when gently pressed with a fork or your finger (known as flaking).
- Additional, in case you peek contained in the salmon, the middle ought to now not seem uncooked.
However actually—please purchase an on the spot learn thermometer.

Salmon Prepare dinner Temperatures and Instances
How lengthy to cook dinner salmon will depend on the scale and thickness of your fillet, whether it is wild-caught or farm-raised salmon, and if you’re cooking a single massive portion of salmon or particular person fillets.
- As you may anticipate smaller, thinner fillets cook dinner extra shortly than thicker ones.
- Wild salmon cooks extra shortly than farmed salmon because it has much less fats.
Please use the under as a high-level information for baking salmon within the oven, on both a sheet pan or in a baking dish.
I’ve included temperatures starting from 350 levels F to 450 levels F. Notice that the time will differ primarily based on the scale and thickness of your salmon. Examine early! Higher secure than sorry.

Ceaselessly Requested Salmon Baking Questions
15 to 18 minutes for a 6-ounce fillet or 20 to 25 minutes for a 1 3/4-pound aspect.
12 to 16 minutes for a 6-ounce fillet or 18 to 21 minutes for a 1 3/4 pound aspect.
11 to 14 minutes for a 6-ounce fillet or 15 to 18 minutes for a 1 3/4-pound aspect.
9 to 12 minutes for a 6-ounce fillet or 14 to fifteen minutes for a 1 3/4-pound aspect.
8 to 10 minutes for a 6-ounce fillet or 11 to 13 minutes for a 1 3/4-pound aspect.
In case you are cooking particular person frozen salmon parts, place them in a baking dish, cowl the dish with foil, then bake at 425 levels F for quarter-hour. Uncover and bake 8 to 10 minutes extra.
Grilled Salmon and Stovetop Pan Salmon Temperatures
Whether or not you cook dinner salmon within the oven, on the grill, or in a pan on the range, the interior temperature stays the identical: take away at 135 levels F and let relaxation.*
For extra in-depth data on salmon on the range or grill, see Pan-Seared Salmon, Poached Salmon, and Grilled Salmon in Foil.

Extra Tricks to Keep away from Overcooking Salmon
Whereas one of the best ways to keep away from cooking salmon is to take away it from the warmth when it reaches 135 levels F on an on the spot learn thermometer, there are a number of different suggestions that may assist maintain it moist.
- Use a Foil or Parchment Packet. Cooking the salmon inside a foil or parchment paper packet insulates the salmon because it cooks, supplying you with moist outcomes. See this Baked Salmon in Foil for a stellar recipe; this Fish En Papillote works effectively for particular person fillets.
- Select Thicker Fillets. Thicker fillets are more durable to overcook than thinner fillets (although they will nonetheless completely overcook, so regulate them).
- Use a Fattier Number of Salmon. Whereas I favor wild caught salmon for its advantages akin to much less energy and extra nutritional vitamins, farmed salmon has the benefit of extra fats to maintain it moist.
- Stuff It. The filling on this Stuffed Salmon helps insulate the fish; additional, in case you do overcook it, the filling will cowl up a few of the dryness.
- Wrap in Puff Pastry. This Salmon Wellington is surrounded by buttery puff pastry, which makes the fillet irresistibly moist.
- Add a Sauce. When you’ve overcooked your fish, attempt including a sauce. Browned butter with a squeeze of lemon and herbs is at all times a great choice. See this Salmon Meuniere for a salmon recipe that yields its personal pan sauce.

Favourite Salmon Recipes
Yow will discover dozens of salmon recipes right here. There’s a way and taste profile for everybody!
Listed here are a number of of our hottest baked salmon recipes. These are additionally glorious concepts if you’re searching for methods to season salmon:
Extra Ceaselessly Requested Questions
In order for you the salmon that’s lowest in energy and highest in vitamins, then wild-caught Pacific salmon is one of the best sort of salmon to purchase. Search for king, coho, sockeye, pink, or chum salmon.
In case your salmon has gone dangerous it can odor barely bitter and fishy. Different indicators that your salmon has gone dangerous are mushy, flimsy flesh and discoloration (gray spots, darkish spots, or milk-like reside).
Don’t panic in case you see a white liquid coming out of your salmon. It is a protein known as albumin that may escape from the salmon when it’s cooked. It’s innocent and fit for human consumption.
There may be quite a lot of king salmon that has a lighter-colored, virtually white flesh as an alternative of the traditional orange, pink, or reddish hue. Such a king salmon is beloved for its melt-in-your-mouth texture, so get pleasure from this uncommon discover!
The grey stuff on the underside of salmon is fats. It’s wealthy in omega-3 fatty acids, completely tremendous to eat, and tastes like the remainder of the salmon fillet. When you favor to take away it, you’ll be able to merely scrape it off earlier than serving.
So long as your recipe doesn’t specify whether or not the pores and skin needs to be on or off, it’s as much as you. Leaving the pores and skin on supplies a barrier between the warmth and your fish, giving slight safety from overcooking. You possibly can simply take away it when you’re finished cooking. Nonetheless, in case you don’t wish to mess with eradicating the pores and skin after you’re finished cooking or would love the pores and skin eliminated for presentation functions, then cook dinner the salmon with the pores and skin off.
Except your recipe particularly requires overlaying the salmon (for instance, if you’re utilizing the foil packet methodology), you don’t want to cowl it.
I hope this submit is useful in answering your questions relating to salmon cook dinner occasions and temps.
If in case you have additional questions, let me know within the feedback under. I’ll do my finest to reply them. Go forth and cook dinner nice salmon!
- 1 1/2 kilos salmon 1 single portion (aspect of salmon) or 4 6-ounce fillet parts
- 1 1/2 tablespoons further virgin olive oil
- Seasonings of alternative salt, pepper, seafood seasoning, Cajun seasoning, and many others.
- Contemporary herbs, lemon wedges optionally available for serving
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Place a rack within the middle of your oven and preheat the oven to 400 levels F. Line a 9×13-inch baking dish with parchment paper. Pat the salmon dry, then prepare within the middle of the pan (if utilizing parts, make sure that they don’t contact).
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Drizzle the salmon with the oil, then add seasonings of alternative.
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Bake salmon at 400 levels F for 11 to 14 minutes for 6-ounce fillets or 15 to 18 minutes for a single aspect, till it registers 135 levels F on an on the spot learn thermometer inserted on the thickest a part of the salmon. Take away from the oven and let relaxation 5 minutes. Serve heat with a sprinkle of herbs and squeeze of lemon as desired.
- TO STORE: Salmon is finest loved the day that it’s made, however can final 1 to 2 days within the fridge. Make sure that it doesn’t smelly fish.
- TO REHEAT: Salmon dries out simply when reheated, so attempt it room temperature in a salad, add it to Home made Fried Rice, scramble it with eggs, or use it to make Salmon Patties.
Serving: 1of 4 (about 6 ounces)Energy: 288kcalProtein: 34gFats: 16gSaturated Fats: 2gPolyunsaturated Fats: 5gMonounsaturated Fats: 7gLdl cholesterol: 94mgPotassium: 834mgVitamin A: 68IUCalcium: 20mgIron: 1mg
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**Consuming uncooked or undercooked salmon or different seafood or shellfish might improve your danger of foodborne sickness, particularly in case you have sure medical circumstances.**
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