Simple Baked Salmon with Green Goddess Sauce is a delicious and easy weeknight dinner of flaky, lightly seasoned baked salmon with a vibrant, tangy dipping sauce.
Salmon is a very mild and versatile fish that is easy to cook, a cinch to serve, and can be easily paired with many sides. It’s also really good for you.
Green Goddess sauce is a light and creamy sauce full of herbs and a punch of tart lemon. When added to salmon, it makes it bright and flavorful, a favorite in our house and something that you should totally consider adding to your dinner rotation!
Choosing Salmon at the Grocery Store
Salmon is one of the most popular fish choices in the United States! Our favorite kind of salmon, and the kind we use for this easy baked salmon, is Pacific salmon, also known as wild salmon. The varieties include Coho, Sockeye, King (Chinook) and Pink salmon.
Another popular choice at the grocery store is Atlantic salmon. It is typically farmed salmon (not wild) and is less expensive than Pacific salmon. The taste is a little less bold and the fish is a little more firm. Also, Atlantic salmon also typically has a higher fat content than Pacific salmon.
Is Baked Salmon good for you? Yes! And This is Why :
- Low in saturated fat
- Low in calories
- Food source of protein
- High in vitamin B12
- High in potassium
- Good source of iron
- Good source of vitamin D
- High in Omega-3 essential fatty acids
What You’ll Need to Make this Simple Baked Salmon with Green Goddess Sauce
- Mayonnaise – We use regular full fat mayonnaise in this recipe but lite mayonnaise may also be used.
- Sour Cream – We use regular sour cream but you can use light sour cream, plain yogurt or Greek yogurt instead if you prefer.
- Pantry Spices – Dried parsley, dried chives & dried tarragon.
- Green Onions – Thinly sliced, 1/4 cup. This is typically about 3-4 green onions.
- White Vinegar – The simplest of the vinegar family, white vinegar (or distilled vinegar) has a noticeable, sharp vinegar flavor. You can substitute Apple Cider vinegar, red wine vinegar or white wine vinegar in it’s place.
- Lemon Juice – Lemon juice adds a tangy brightness and acidity. You can the juice from half of a small lemon or 2 teaspoons of bottled.
- Anchovy Paste – Anchovy paste is optional in this recipe but if you can, USE IT! Anchovy paste in a tube is inexpensive, it keeps for a really long time and it lends it a deeper flavor to the sauce.
How to make Simple Baked Salmon with Green Goddess Sauce
This is an easy weeknight meal that is tasty and quick. It is a great way to get your family to try something new that is actually really good for them.
The salmon may be basic but the dipping sauce is a total game changer. Tangy, flavorful and delicious!
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place a rack in the center of the oven.
In a small bowl, combine mayo, sour cream, parsley, chives, green onions, tarragon, vinegar, lemon juice and anchovy paste (if using).
Stir until well combined, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
This can be made in advance. The flavor gets better the longer it sits. Just be sure to stir before using!
Brush salmon fillets with olive oil and season with salt & pepper. Place on a baking sheet, skin side down.
Bake for 20 – 25 minutes until fish is cooked through and flakes easily with a fork.
Serve with Green Goddess sauce spooned over the fillets or on the side if you prefer.
Refrigerate any leftover sauce (tastes great with veggies too!). Enjoy!
Other Easy Weeknight Meal Ideas you might like
One Pan Chicken Fajitas – Quick and easy marinated chicken fried up in a skillet with peppers and onions. A great weeknight meal idea.
Pineapple BBQ Chicken Foil Packs – A simple, family friendly dinner of perfectly seasoned chicken, sweet pineapple and crisp pepper chunks.
Creamy Garlic Spinach Chicken Thighs – Browned, baked and smothered in a flavorful creamy pan sauce.
Easy Crockpot Taco Chili – Dump everything into the crock pot, stir, and walk away – super easy with a great balance of flavor and spice!
Weeknight Pineapple Shrimp and Rice Bake – Flavorful pineapple chunks and tender shrimp on a bed of fluffy rice, drizzled with a quick and easy sweet island sauce.
Simple Baked Salmon with Green Goddess Sauce
Ingredients
Green Goddess Sauce
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 tbsp dried parsley
- 1 tbsp dried chives
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions typically 3-4 green onions
- 1 tsp dried tarragon
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp anchovy paste (optional)
Salmon
- 1 1/2 pound salmon single or individual fillets
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- kosher salt & fresh ground pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place a rack in the center of the oven.
- In a small bowl, combine mayo, sour cream, parsley, chives, green onions, tarragon, vinegar, lemon juice and anchovy paste (if using). Stir until well combined, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Brush salmon fillets with olive oil and season with salt & pepper. Place on a baking sheet, skin side down, and bake for 20 – 25 minutes until fish is cooked through and flakes easily with a fork.
- Serve with Green Goddess sauce spooned over the fillets or on the side if you prefer. Refrigerate any leftover sauce (tastes great with veggies too!). Enjoy!
Nutrition *
* The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator.
Steph Dawson says
We finally tried this last night, well, I did, as my hubby doesn’t like mayo or sour cream and my daughter doesn’t like sour cream, but oh my gosh, this is so good!! I spread this all over my salmon and yum, yum, YUM!! This is definitely a keeper!
The Bandit says
So glad you liked it Steph! It’s one of our family’s favorites as well! That sauce… YUM!