How Long To Bake Salmon In Foil At 400 Degrees In Oven?

My daughter loves eating oven-baked salmon. The salmon cooking temp and cook time are key for a great result. I like to prepare this salmon wrapped in foil and baked at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Now the question is this. How long to bake salmon in foil at 400 degrees in oven? I like to answer this question in this post and share some tips on perfecting the recipe for salmon baked in foil in oven.

How Long To Bake Salmon In Foil At 400 Degrees In Oven?

Baking salmon in foil at 400 degrees F in the oven takes 20 to 25 minutes, depending on the size of the salmon that is bought. At this temperature, the salmon can cook through evenly while keeping its moisture, especially with the foil keeping all the juices on the fish while the salmon cooks. Towards the end of the baking time, stick the food thermometer at the thickest part of the salmon fillet. The salmon internal temp should read 145 degrees F for it to be fully cooked. If you do not have a thermometer, poke a fork at 45 degrees in the salmon. If it flakes easily, it is cooked.

How to cook salmon in the oven with foil?

It’s very easy to make a tasty salmon dish in foil. There are many baked salmon recipes online. But there’s one easy baked salmon recipe that I like to use. The steps are pretty straightforward. And here’s how to cook salmon in the oven with foil.

1. Add seasonings for salmon

I usually begin by adding seasonings to the salmon. The first thing I always use is either oil or butter. I tend to go for extra virgin olive oil, but sometimes I use a good brand of olive oil.

Tip: You can tell if the olive oil is of good quality because it usually has no other ingredients on the back, except avocado oil. Also, it should say that the oil was naturally refined somewhere on the label. That means that no chemicals were added to the extraction process.

2. Add spices for salmon

There are a few different approaches that I take when putting spices on the salmon. I try to make it a little different every time since I make this dish quite a lot. Sometimes I make it with a heavy citrus flavor by using a few tablespoons of lemon or lime. Other times, I use vinegar. It could be regular distilled vinegar or apple cider vinegar, both taste great in this dish.

I also love to add a few cloves of minced garlic. I follow that up with some oregano, thyme, black pepper, and some sea salt. I prefer pink Himalayan sea salt, as that is a very pure, unpolluted, version of salt. If I feel like eating a spicey piece of salmon, then red pepper flakes are put on the fish as well.

3. Marinate salmon

I tend to let that mixture sit on the salmon for twenty minutes to let it marinate.

4. Preheat oven

While the salmon is marinating, I preheat the oven to 400 degrees so that it will be the perfect temperature by the time the salmon is ready to start cooking.

5. Wrap salmon with foil

Next, I grab my foil and get to work! I buy the foil sheets that have been cut already. They are the perfect size for the salmon and save me the frustration the edge of the box can cause when trying to rip a piece of foil to use. Although, a regular box of foil will do the trick. Just rip it to, roughly, about twice the size of your salmon pieces to ensure you can cover them entirely.

6 Bake the salmon

After wrapping all of my salmon in foil, I grab a baking pan, 9×13 works for me. Just put all the foil-wrapped salmon on the pan and bake for 20 minutes. When the time is up, carefully take the salmon out of the oven and open up the foil. You will be blessed with a delicious-looking piece of salmon that also has a heavenly aroma. The fish should be soft and flaky when you cut it with a fork.

What is the best temperature to cook salmon?

Cooking the salmon at higher temperatures above 400 degrees works, but I think the fish comes out a little too dry for my taste. The reason we are wrapping it in foil in the first place, is to keep the salmon moist and tender, not dry and hard. I have tried cooking this dish at 375 degrees as well and while that works, it takes way too long to cook and what was a 20 minute cooking time, turns into a 30 to 45 -minute cooking time for the salmon. It depends on the size of the fish, but this temperature is just not optimal. I prefer to bake salmon wrapped in foil at 400 degrees for this reason.

How to bake salmon in oven fast?

To make the cooking process faster, if I buy the salmon frozen, I thaw it out overnight in the fridge. If I buy the salmon fresh, then I season the salmon the night before and let the seasoned salmon sit in the fridge throughout the night to let the flavors from the seasonings infuse with the salmon.

What goes well with salmon?

Including vegetables in the dish when I wrap it in foil makes the salmon even tastier. Asparagus, tomatoes, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflowers and onions are all good side dishes that goes well with salmon. The vegetables all have their own unique flavors to add to the salmon.

After my salmon has been cooked and plated, I slice a piece of lemon and squeeze it on top of the salmon. Then, there is nothing left to do, but dig in!

FAQs on oven baked salmon

How much salmon per person?

I normally prepare 4 ounces of salmon per person in a serving. This is an adequate amount as I also prepare 3 to 4 side dishes to go along with the baked salmon.

What is the internal temp of salmon when cooked?

The internal temp of salmon should reach 145 degrees Fahrenheit for it to be fully cooked. If you are using thick salmon fillet, it is important that the salmon internal temp should also be taken at the thickest part of the fillet as it takes longer to cook the thicker part.