Baked salmon in foil – an Indian-style spicy oven baked chilli salmon recipe that’s a prefect weeknight dinner dish for the busy cook. Salmon is the perfect fish to start with if you are exploring and experimenting with baking fish and the options for marinade is really endless. I have used an Indian-style spicy chill garlic pepper marinade here that you can adapt to your taste.
I am an 80’s child who grew up in Kerala, which I’m sure you know if you have been hanging around this blog long enough. Coming from a non-vegetarian family in the state, I have eaten pretty much all seafood that comes through our markets but salmon was not one of them.
I don’t remember my first taste of it, it was possibly in Singapore, and I immediately knew it would be a love-hate relationship. I am not a fan of smoked salmon, I can’t take too much of it, and it has to be done well since the pink flesh and the fishiness is too much for me to handle if it’s cooked rare or medium rare.
Ok, I am probably not doing a good job of selling salmon to you now but the point is, I rarely cook with salmon and when I do, it’s usually baked with this spice mix that I concocted after much trial and error. The chilli pepper marinade is similar to what’s used for Kerala-style fish fry but I add more pepper and more lime or vinegar since salmon takes to sourness really well.
Even if baked fish is not your thing, I urge you to give this baked chilli salmon a go, it’s really super simple to make and goes great with soups, pasta, or even just a side salad with lots of vegetables of your choice.
More easy fish recipes from Edible Garden:
Easy fish curry in coconut milk
Meera peera (from Kerala)
Kerala-style prawn roast
Chilli fish recipe
Baked salmon recipe
Ingredients
- 200 gram salmon fillet
For marinade
- 1 tsp chilli powder adjust to taste
- 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder (or use 1/2 tsp freshly minced garlic
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder optional
- Salt to taste
- 2-3 tsp lime juice
- 3 tbsp oil I used coconut oil
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 320F/160C
- In a bowl, mix together all the ingredients for the marinade to make a thick paste
- If it’s too thick, add more lime juice or 1-2 tsp water to make it spreadable
- Wash and pat dry the salmon fillet
- Cut out a piece of aluminium foil large enough to wrap your salmon fillet
- Take a baking pan (I use a pyrex glass baking pan) and place the aluminium foil inside
- Place the salmon in the foil
- Marinate generously with the marinade paste using your fingers or a pastry brush
- Pour a few drops of oil on top if the marinade looks too dry
- Cover with the aluminium foil
- Bake in the pre-heated oven for 15-20 mins for the salmon to be well done
- Bake for a shorter duration if you like your salmon medium-done
- The baking time will also depend on how thick your salmon fillet is, mine was about 1.5” thick in the thickest part
- Serve warm with a salad, pasta, roasted vegetables, potato mash, etc
How to make baked salmon step by step
Pre-heat oven to 320F/160C. In a bowl, mix together all the ingredients for the marinade to make a thick paste
If it’s too thick, add more lime juice or 1-2 tsp water to make it spreadable
Cut out a piece of aluminium foil large enough to wrap your salmon fillet. Take a baking pan (I use a pyrex glass baking pan) and line with the aluminium foil. Wash and pat dry the salmon fillet and place inside.
Marinate generously with the marinade paste using your fingers or a pastry brush
Pour a few drops of oil on top if the marinade looks too dry. Cover with the aluminium foil
Bake in the pre-heated oven for 15-20 mins for the salmon to be well done. Bake for a shorter duration if you like your salmon medium-done
The baking time will also depend on how thick your salmon fillet is, mine was about 1.5” thick in the thickest part.
Serve warm with a salad, pasta, roasted vegetables, potato mash, etc
Notes:
- You can scour the surface of the salmon (like we do for fried fish) if you want the marinade to penetrate into the fillet, I usually don’t do this
- Salmon without it’s skin is best for this preparation since it allows the marinade to penetrate the flesh slightly during baking. If there’s skin, the marinade will not go further and your fish may taste bland (especially if you like your seafood spicy)
- You can marinate and refrigerate the salmon pieces for up to 24 hours or you can also bake immediately
- Adjust ingredients to your liking. I like salmon to be on the sour side and add some lime wedges into the aluminium foil sometimes too
- The salmon lets out its own oils on baking so there’s no need to add too much into the marinade or before baking
For baked salmon recipe in Hindi, Marathi, Urdu, Telugu, Tamil, French, Spanish, etc please use the Google translate button in the sidebar.
Share your pictures of baked salmon with #ediblegarden on social media. I’d love to check them out!
The marinade recipe calls for too much oil. Start with one tablespoon and add more until you achieve the right consistency.
This recipe looks delicious. I’m going to try it this weekend for some friends I’m having over for dinner. Do you have to individually wrap each salmon fillet? Or would it come out as good if I placed a few fillets in one pan and covered the whole pan with aluminum foil?
you can put up to two fillets together and foil them up!
THanks…it was perfect… I added tandoori masala instead of black pepper, turned out really well ..thanks keep posting 🙂
yay! glad you liked it ritu 🙂
This recipe is awesome! Will this marinade be good for baking chicken?
yes, works great actually
I don’t like pepper, what should I use instead?
try chilli flakes