The trick to perfectly baked salmon is to gently bake it in a little bit of liquid, like wine, stock, or water. Cover the dish and bake until just cooked through. You can call this recipe oven poached salmon. It’s practically no-fail. If your salmon is thick, expect that the cooking time will be a few minutes longer than what we share below.
One 1 ½ pound salmon fillet, or two 12-ounce fillets, preferably wild-caught
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
1 lemon, cut into slices 3 to 4 sprigs of fresh dill, plus more for serving
1/2 cup dry white wine, such as Sauvignon blanc (substitute: fish stock, chicken stock, or water)
Heat oven to 325° F (162° C).
Lightly oil and season both sides of the salmon with salt and pepper.
Arrange lemon slices and fresh herbs on the bottom of a baking dish large enough to fit the salmon, and then place the salmon, skin-side down, onto the bed of lemon and herbs.
Pour wine (or stock) into the baking dish, and then cover with aluminum foil. Bake the salmon until the fish flakes easily with a fork, 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the thickness of your fillets. Check the salmon after 10 minutes to see its progress.
Checking the temperature of the salmon using an internal thermometer is the best way to prevent overcooking. You want the thickest part of the salmon to read 125° F. Take the salmon out of the oven and loosely cover with foil for 5 minutes (the salmon will continue to cook during this time). Serve, scattered with chopped fresh herbs on top.