Cold Oven Salmon

Close up image of flaky salmon cooked from a cold start in a 400 degree oven.

4.75 from 4 votes

The secret to perfect flakes and flavor is to start with a cold oven! Season with olive oil, salt, pepper & paprika, and that's it: perfect each time.

Prep Time5

Cook Time20

Total Time25

Course: Main

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cold oven salmon, cold start salmon, pioneer woman salmon

Servings:

Calories: 213kcal

Author: Monica Lensink

Ingredients

3-4 medium-sized salmon filets
1-2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon paprika sweet or smoked
kosher salt and black pepper to taste
lemon wedges and fresh herbs such as dill or parsley, optional garnish

Instructions

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil, and place salmon filets on top, skin-side down.
3-4 medium-sized salmon filets
Brush the tops lightly with olive oil, then sprinkle evenly with paprika, salt, and pepper.
1-2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon paprika, kosher salt and black pepper
Place the baking sheet in the cold oven. Close the door, then turn the oven on to 400°F. Set a timer for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, check the salmon. If it is done, it will flake easily when pressed with a fork and have an internal temperature nearing 145°F in the thickest part. Leave it for a few minutes if needed, but remove promptly when done.
Serve filets as desired. We like it as a main dish with a squeeze of lemon juice and sprinkle of fresh herbs (parsley and dill are my favorites). It’s also great over salads. Enjoy!
lemon wedges and fresh herbs

Notes

Internal Temperature of Baked Salmon: The official USDA recommendation is to cook salmon to an internal temperature of at least 145°F. Note, however, that salmon, like most all proteins, will continue to rise in temperature for several minutes after being removed from a heat source. Because of this, many cooks recommend pulling out your salmon when the internal temperature reaches 125°F to 135°F for safe yet tender filets. How to tell the internal temperature anyway? Grab an inexpensive instant read thermometer to make it easy and remove all the guesswork.
How Else To Tell When Salmon Is Done: No thermometer? A few other ways to assess whether your salmon is cooked: most importantly, he color will change from translucent, raw red, to a more opaque pink. It will also pass the “flake test:” press gently on a filet with a fork or your finger. Fully cooked salmon will flake easily, meaning it separates along the embedded white lines, which are strips of fat.
White Stuff on Salmon: If you see a lot of white coating rising to the top of your salmon, that substance is albumin. It is a protein that solidifies as the salmon cooks and is completely fine to eat. Seeing a lot of it, though, probably does mean that your salmon is fully cooked and should be removed from the heat source ASAP!
Storage: Keep any leftover salmon in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. It's even delicious to eat cold straight out of the fridge, on its own or in a salad.
Reheating: Warm in the microwave at 50% power. Using half-power warms salmon quickly but with less of the infamous "fish odor" and less chance of drying out your tender, pre-cooked filet.

Nutrition