Herb Crusted Broiled Salmon

Herb crusted broiled salmon is browned and slightly crispy on the outside, but so tender on the inside! Cooking your salmon at a high heat ensures that it loses minimal moisture while cooking through.

When it comes to cooking salmon, there as many ways to do it as there are flavors. From the air fryer to a sheet pan to the grill, I’ve learned one secret to avoiding dry salmon is to use high heat.

This herb crusted broiled salmon uses high heat to brown the exterior, giving it a delicious and slightly crispy layer of flavor. Since it has a fast cook time, the inside of the salmon doesn’t have time to lose moisture and dry out, resulting in perfectly tender and flaky salmon.

Serve this salmon with kale caesar salad and a batch of turmeric rice (or turmeric cauliflower rice!) for a delicious, healthy meal.

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Cuts of salmon that work

When it comes to broiled salmon, not all cuts work the same: you can have taller portions (pictured above) that come from the middle section of the salmon, or you can have thinner, flatter portions that come from the tail section of the salmon.

Broiling works best with thicker portions of salmon– in my experimentation, I’ve found that the tail portions are more prone to overcooking under the broiler and this can happen really quickly. When it comes to cooking thin tail portions of the salmon, I prefer to cook in a frying pan (see how to cook salmon).

When prepping salmon for broiling, cut them into as equal-sized portions as possible. We enjoy a 5-6 oz portion, and use a kitchen scale to ensure they are within 1 oz from each other.

Recipe tips

Use a sheet pan

For broiled salmon, you want to avoid using a baking dish- particularly glass baking dishes. Glass can shatter at high temperatures, so using a glass baking dish to broil salmon is very risky.

The other reason that a sheet pan is preferable to a baking dish is that the low sides allow for better air circulation, allowing each salmon fillet to cook through more evenly.

Brush with oil

Salmon is a fatty fish that is a great source of omega-3 fatty acids (1), and that might make you think you can skip brushing with oil. I strongly recommend you don’t skip brushing with oil for two reasons:

1. the oil helps the dry rub stick to the fish
2. the oil helps the surface of the salmon (and the spices) crisp up under the broiler

Not only do I recommend brushing the salmon with oil, but also the sheet pan where you will place the salmon; this helps prevent the salmon from sticking.

Skin-on or skinless

Salmon can come with the skin on or the skin off; regardless of how your salmon comes, broiling is a great option to cook it! If your salmon comes with the skin on, place it skin side down on the sheet pan when broiling.

Let your broiler pre-heat

Before starting your broiler, make sure the top rack in your oven is positioned 4-6 inches below the broiler.

Pre-heat your oven for at least 5 minutes to give it time to get to 500°F or above. You want high heat from the start for success with this recipe.

Note- If you are from outside of North America, you might call your oven’s broiler a ‘grill’.

Check the temperature

Using an instant read thermometer when cooking salmon is an absolute game changer- you can tell exactly when your salmon is ready to come out of the oven, no guesswork required!

Just like cooking steak, you can cook your salmon to different doneness: (read more about it here):

• 110-125°F- medium- rare
• 125-140°F- medium- well * I recommend cooking to 125°F
• 140+ – well done

Variations

• Moroccan- rub this homemade Moroccan spice blend onto the salmon
• Lemon pepper- use this lemon herb seasoning blend
• Jerk- use this Jamaican jerk seasoning
• Marinate- use on of these 7 chicken marinades– reduce marinating time to max 2 hours and discard extra marinade before broiling

Storage + meal prep

Believe it or not, salmon can keep for up to 4 days for meal prep (though you might not be your co-worker’s favorite person 😉 )

• fridge– cool completely, then store in an air tight container for up to 4 days. Salmon tastes best if eaten within 48 hours.
• reheat– in a covered dish in the oven at 350°F for 10-15 minutes, until warmed through

Meal prep

You could turn this in to a meal prep bowl by portioning out with rice and steamed vegetables.

• store in the fridge for up to 4 days
• heat in the microwave until steaming hot
• do not reheat more than once

More salmon recipes

• Chili Rubbed Salmon with Avocado Salsa
• Balsamic Salmon Marinade
• Maple Glazed Salmon
• Teriyaki Salmon Glaze
• Lemon Pepper Sheet Pan Salmon