lemon herb crusted salmon

This herb crusted salmon is coated with homemade breadcrumbs and slow-baked for moist and perfectly tender salmon. Ready in 30 minutes!

This fragrant herb-crusted salmon recipe is flavorful and impressive, yet so simple to make! We use craggily homemade breadcrumbs and a ton of fresh herbs, lemon, and garlic for the coating. It’s packed with flavor, freshness, and an extra crunchy texture.

But my favorite part of this salmon is how we cook it. We coat it with a mayo-dijon mixture and then bake it at a low temperature to keep the fish buttery, moist, and deliciously tender. No rubbery fish here!

Keep reading for tips on how to make this recipe for two and tips to shortcut this recipe for a simple weeknight meal!

Ingredients for herb crusted salmon:

How to make herb crusted salmon:

1. Melt butter, and cook anchovies and garlic until fragrant.
2. Add breadcrumbs and cook until crunchy and golden.
3. Stir in herbs and lemon zest.
4. Spread salmon with a mayo-mustard mix and coat with breadcrumbs.
5. Bake low and slow at 325°F until just cooked, about 20 minutes.
6. Serve!

What makes this the best herb crusted salmon:

Flavorful homemade breadcrumbs: I love the irregular texture of homemade breadcrumbs. They’re so crunchy and elegant. We cook the breadcrumbs in a garlicky anchovy butter for an extra-savory note and layers of flavor.

Fresh herbs: We use a lot of soft herbs! The more variety, the more interesting and fresh the fish will taste. I love to use a mix of tarragon, dill, parsley and thyme!

Lemon: Don’t skip the lemon zest here! It adds so much freshness. I also love to serve it with lemon wedges, for squeezing over the fish just before eating.

Mayo: Slathering the salmon in mayonnaise helps infuse the fish with flavor and keeps it really, really moist. I mix in dijon for a little bit of punch!

Low temp: Bake. the salmon low and slow here. The breadcrumbs are already crunchy and golden from the stove. Our job now is to keep the salmon moist and tender, and 325°F is key. The low temp helps the salmon cook evenly and gently, so there’s no drying or overcooking!

How to know when the salmon is done:

Bake the salmon until the thickest part flakes easily with a fork and the flesh is opaque. Depending on the thickness of the fillets, it could take anywhere from 12 to 20 minutes.

Cook it more or less to taste, though! 

We love ours “just-cooked”, where the flesh is extra tender and moist. For this medium-cooked salmon, an instant-read thermometer should read between 125° and 130°F.

 For well done, shoot for 145°F, which the USDA recommends.

Tip: You can tell the salmon is fully done if you see then white proteins seeping out of the fish. Pull it from the heat! Any longer and it will be overcooked.

How to make this recipe for two:

This recipe is easily halved! Use 2 salmon fillets and cut the breadcrumb mixture in half. There’s no need to split hairs on the breadcrumb recipe, though-- use a full anchovy and garlic clove. It will taste great! 

Shortcut this recipe for a weeknight dinner!

Use panko breadcrumbs! If you don't have any homemade breadcrumbs on hand, this will save a ton of time.

Note: If you do use panko crumbs, you won’t need to cook them on the stove as long (they’re already dry and crunchy). Cook until just golden.

More salmon recipes to try!

salmon wellington (salmon en route)

salmon crudo

salmon poke bowl

smoked salmon toast

salmon rillettes (buttery salmon spread)

smoked salmon crostini with creme fraiche

miso salmon bowl

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