Name: Smoky Dill Salmon (5 Ingredients Recipe)
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: American/Canadian
Ingredients: 1 pound Salmon, fillets; 2 teaspoons Smoked Paprika; 1 teaspoon Dill weed, dried; 1 teaspoon Garlic powder; 1 lemon, thinly sliced; ½ teaspoon salt; ¼ teaspoon pepper

Jump to Recipe

Looking for a quick and easy weeknight meal? You’ll love the tasty combination of dill, garlic, smoked paprika, and lemon on this healthy, baked salmon dish.

Smoky Dill Salmon (5 Ingredients Recipe) -- Looking for a quick and easy weeknight meal? You'll love the tasty combination of dill, garlic, smoked paprika, and lemon on this healthy, baked salmon dish. | quick and easy baked salmon recipe | tasty seafood recipe | #easyfish #tastydinner | thishappymommy.com

Let’s talk salmon! It’s a rich, tasty fish that is just so easy to make. You can whip it up any day of the week. And when it’s roasted in the oven, it’s an easy, fancy dish that you can serve for any occasion.

So, whether it’s a midweek quickie dinner, a meal with family and friend, or dinner with the in-laws, salmon is always a good choice.

READY TO MAKE DINNER FASTER?

Dinnertime Starter Guide Our helpful guide shares the 3 simple steps to making dinner easier, plus tasty recipes too. It's a game changer - get our FREE guide for a limited time!

Smoky Dill Salmon is one easy dish to prepare and it’s tasty too. It all starts with the dill. You don’t even have to be a lover of dill to love this dish. It subtly enhances the flavor of the salmon. And when it is combined with smoked paprika, it adds a tasty pop of flavor. Add a little garlic and lemon slices and you have a meal that’s sure to impress.

Best of all, this tasty fish is made with only 5 ingredients.

How great is that!! Talk about an easy fish dish!

And if you have any leftovers, you can enjoy them hot or cold the next day. Yum!

How to Make Smoky Dill Salmon

Step 1: Preheat oven to 425°F (230°C).

If you don’t usually make salmon at 425°F, you are going to love it. When salmon cooks at a higher temperature it keeps it tender and juicy, without drying it out. And this higher temperature gets dinner to the table even faster.

That’s a definite win-win!

Step 2: Combine smoky dill rub.

In a small bowl, combine smoked paprika, dill weed, garlic powder, salt and pepper to make the smoky dill rub.

READY TO MAKE DINNER FASTER?

Dinnertime Starter Guide Our helpful guide shares the 3 simple steps to making dinner easier, plus tasty recipes too. It's a game changer - get our FREE guide for a limited time!

The amazing thing with this rub, is it’s just a few ingredients, but each one is so perfect for salmon. The smoked paprika gives the salmon a smoky, savory flavor. Dill weed is a perfect dried herb that compliments the rich and creamy salmon. And the garlic, well a little bit of garlic always makes salmon taste better. Then the salt and pepper just gives it a little flavor oomph!!

Step 3: Cover salmon with the smoky dill rub and top with lemon slices.

Before popping it in the oven, place salmon fillets on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Cover each salmon fillet with smoky dill rub.

Gently rub the spices into the salmon, covering the top and the sides. This gives each salmon piece even flavoring.

Finally, top each fillet with two lemon slices. The lemon slices add a zesty pop of flavor while also keeping each piece of salmon even more tender and juicy.

Step 4: Bake.

Now comes the easy part. Bake salmon for 10 to 12 minutes or until it flakes easily with a fork.

Step 5: Serve and Enjoy!

You did it! Dinner is done and your Smoky Dill Salmon is ready to eat and enjoy. Whether you enjoy it with roasted vegetables, potatoes, salad, or rice, this dish is sure to impress.

If you like more of a lemon flavor, you can press the baked lemon slices into the salmon before removing them. Or, you can remove the lemon slices before eating. Either way, this a quick, easy, and tasty fish dish.

How do you know when the fish is ready to eat?

When your Smoky Dill Salmon is ready, it will flake easily with a fork. You can also check this without cutting into the fish.

Simply use a fork or your finger to gently press down on the top of the fillet. If the salmon flakes and separates along the white lines within the fillet (strips of fish fat), it’s finished cooking. Overcooked salmon will be firm, dry, and tough when eaten.

If you are using a meat thermometer to check if the salmon if fully cooked, just poke the skinny metal rod into the thickest part of the fish. But, when it comes to cooking fish, there are a lot of different recommendations on its temperature. The Government of Canada recommends cooking fish until an internal temperature of 158°F (70°C). The USDA recommends cooking fish until an internal temperature of 145°F (62.8°C).

When it comes to taste, some people find that at this temperature the fish is too well done or overcooked. This is because when you remove the fish from the oven, the internal temperature continues to rise, which can result in overcooked fish. You can help to avoid this by waiting five minutes after removing the fish from oven to check its temperature.

When you cut into the Smoky Dill Salmon and are about to take your first bite, you can see that it is ready even before you taste it. Cooked salmon color inside will be an opaque pinkish white color on the outside and translucent pink on the inside. When it looks like this, it is perfect. And you’re going to eat some tasty, tender seafood.

Can you use regular paprika instead of smoked paprika?

Yes, you can, but smoked paprika tastes so much better. Let me explain, regular paprika is made from crushed dried chilies. Smoked paprika uses chilies that are first smoked-dried and then crushed into powder. They are smoked over an oak fire, which gives the smoked paprika a strong, smoky flavor.

If you use paprika instead of smoked paprika, your salmon will still have that light crimson color from the paprika. But it will loose the smoky flavor from the smoky dill rub. And smoked paprika is the perfect addition to a rub.

Even if you’ve never tried smoked paprika before, I highly recommend that you give it a try. It’s so delicious, it’s hard to go back to regular paprika after using smoked paprika.

What to serve with Smoky Dill Salmon?

Salmon is such a versatile meal. You can serve it with veggies, salad, potatoes, or rice. You really can’t go wrong. And you can double up the smoky dill rub and serve with roasted veggies and potatoes. That’s my family’s favorite way to eat it.

You can cook the whole meal at 425°F (230°C). First add the broccoli florets and mini potatoes and cook them on a parchment covered baking sheet for 20 minutes. Flip the broccoli and potatoes. Then add the Smoky Dill Salmon and cook it with the broccoli and potatoes for another 10 minutes.

Now dinner is ready and everyone can enjoy!!

If you have any leftovers, this salmon is so tasty the next day with a salad. You can serve it with Warm Avocado Quinoa Salad, Avocado Caesar Salad, or Creamy Dill Cobb Salad.