How to cook frozen salmon fillets in the oven

This oven Roasted Salmon is baked with a flavorful maple glaze until perfectly tender and flaky. With this method you can bake frozen salmon in under 30 minutes without thawing it in advance!

Other salmon recipes we love include my Blackened Salmon and High Heat Baked Salmon.

This post was sponsored by the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute. As always, all images, recipes, and opinions expressed are 100% my own.

You have to love a recipe that allows you to be lazy and forgetful. Despite our best intentions, we all need a collection of recipes we can turn to on those crazy-busy days. This ridiculously easy oven Roasted Salmon recipe is a fast, healthy choice you can make at a moments notice. Just pull salmon fillets straight from the freezer and bake them in their frozen state with a maple glaze that takes a couple of minutes to mix together.

This easy baked salmon recipe has been a reader favorite since it was first published back in 2015. At the end of this post you’ll find helpful reader comments and reviews from the folks who’ve made and loved this recipe.

I usually do a decent job of menu planning and grocery shopping on weekends to prepare for the coming week, but in the midst of after school sports, nightly homework, and just the general exhaustion from a busy day, it was not uncommon for me to forget to thaw the meat or seafood I had planned to cook the next day for dinner. There’s nothing worse then realizing this fact as you’re running out the door to work.

Baking Frozen Salmon

With the correct oven temperature and a delicious glaze, you can create this Roasted Salmon with Maple Glaze in 30 minutes with salmon straight from the freezer. I’ve provided alternate instructions below if you are using thawed salmon.

It is incredibly convenient to keep a package of frozen seafood on hand for quick weeknight dinners. I love that I can pull out precisely the number of fillets I need because around here, you just never know when you might have extra mouths to feed.

Salmon Health Benefits

In addition to being one of my absolute, top-of-the-list, favorite things to eat, salmon is loaded with nutrition. It’s an excellent source of B vitamins, high-quality protein, and it’s full of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. It’s pretty fabulous that something so darn delicious also happens to be incredibly good for us at the same time. The flavor of salmon is less “fishy” so it’s more kid-friendly than a lot of other types of fish.

Ingredient Notes

• Frozen salmon fillets – A package of frozen Alaska Sockeye Salmon is a regular item on my Costco shopping list. The portions are individually vacuum packed and flash frozen, locking in the freshness and flavor. Most grocery store chains now carry frozen Alaskan salmon.
• Extra virgin olive oil – For coating the salmon.
• Pure maple syrup – Be sure to use pure maple syrup, not pancake syrup which is made up mostly of corn syrup and artificial flavors.
• Reduce sodium soy sauce
• Melted butter
• Minced garlic
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Italian parsley – To garnish the baked salmon.

How to Make Roasted Salmon with Maple Glaze

This is a quick overview of how to make this recipe. You’ll find detailed instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.

1. Remove the salmon fillets from their packaging and rinse them with cold water to remove any icy glaze. Pat the salmon dry with paper towels and brush both sides of each fillet with olive oil. For the maple glaze, in a small bowl combine the pure maple syrup, reduced sodium soy sauce, minced garlic, melted butter, salt, and pepper.
2. Bake the frozen salmon fillets in a foil-lined baking dish for 10 minutes at 400 degrees F. After the initial roasting time, remove the dish from the oven and pour the maple glaze evenly over the fillets
3. Return the dish to the oven for an additional 10 to 12 minutes, just until the salmon flakes easily with a fork and is cooked through. That’s it! Just garnish the salmon with a little parsley and it is ready to serve.

To use this recipe for fresh or thawed salmon, reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and bake as directed, reducing the second cook time to 5 to 7 minutes. See the recipe card for more details.

Spoon some of the maple glaze from the bottom of the baking pan over the salmon before serving. The glaze is also delicious drizzled over rice.

Tips for the Best Baked Salmon

• Quality – Frozen salmon is very high quality as it’s been frozen shortly after being caught. Look for vacuum sealed packages which allow you to pull just as many servings as you need and keep the rest frozen for another meal.
• Line your pan – When baking with glaze, it’s important to line your pan so the glaze doesn’t burn. I like the convenience of using foil for easy cleanup but you can use parchment paper if you’d like.
• Time and temperature – Use an instant read thermometer and pull the salmon from the oven as soon as it has reached an internal temperature of 145 degrees F.

Serving Suggestions

Simple side dishes like cooked white or brown rice and roasted veggies are a natural choice for serving with salmon. Here are more great side dish choices that I love to serve with fish.

• Coconut Rice with Cilantro and Lime
• Almond Rice Pilaf
• Easy Parmesan Noodles
• Sweet Chili Garlic Roasted Brussels Sprouts
• Brown Sugar Dill Carrots

More Seafood Recipes You’ll Love

• Easy Teriyaki Salmon With Vegetables
• Blackened Mahi Mahi
• Air Fryer Fish Sticks
• Salmon Salad Sandwiches
• Orange Sesame Ginger Glazed Salmon

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This oven Roasted Salmon is baked with a flavorful maple glaze until perfectly tender and flaky. With this method you can bake frozen salmon in under 30 minutes without thawing it in advance!

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: oven roasted maple salmon

Prep Time:3 minutes

Cook Time:22 minutes

Total Time:25 minutes

• 4 frozen salmon fillets, 5 to 7 ounces each
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, or as needed to coat salmon
• ¼ cup pure maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon melted butter
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley, for garnish (optional)

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a 13- x 9-inch baking dish with foil.

• Rinse the salmon fillets under cold water to remove any icy glaze and pat them dry with paper towels. Brush both sides of each fillet with olive oil and place them in the prepared baking dish with the skin side down.

• Transfer the baking dish to the oven and roast the salmon for 10 minutes.

• Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, soy sauce, melted butter, garlic, salt, and pepper. Remove the pan from the oven after the initial roasting time and pour the maple glaze evenly over each fillet. Return the pan to the oven and roast for an additional 10 to 12 minutes or just until the salmon flakes easily and the internal temperature reads 145 degrees F.

• Spoon the glaze from the bottom of the baking dish over the salmon and a garnish of fresh chopped parsley, if desired.

For Fresh or Thawed Salmon

Follow the recipe as directed, reducing the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and the final cook time (after glazing) to 5 to 7 minutes or until the salmon has reached an internal temperature of 145 degrees F.

Serving: 6 ounces · Calories: 387 kcal · Carbohydrates: 14 g · Protein: 34 g · Fat: 21 g · Saturated Fat: 4 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 5 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 9 g · Trans Fat: 1 g · Cholesterol: 101 mg · Sodium: 382 mg · Potassium: 902 mg · Fiber: 1 g · Sugar: 12 g · Vitamin A: 324 IU · Vitamin C: 3 mg · Calcium: 48 mg · Iron: 2 mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.

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This post was originally published on October 15, 2015. It has been updated with new text and images.