This baked cilantro lime salmon recipe is your ticket to dinner in under 20 minutes, with big flavor and no fuss!
I’m of the opinion that when salmon is cooked just right, it’s delicious with simply a pinch of salt and a generous drizzle of good extra virgin olive oil. So I need little convincing to love this cilantro lime salmon recipe, which coats the fish in a zippy cilantro sauce and bakes it the oven until it’s perfectly tender.
Like my cilantro lime chicken and shrimp, the zesty sauce balances the richness of the protein and layers it with an addictive fresh flavor. Delicious!
Plus, the sauce packs such big flavor that your don’t need a long marinade. Simply combine the sauce in a food processor or blender, coat the salmon, and bake for about 8 minutes. Throw together an arugula salad while the salmon roasts and dinner is on your table in under 20 minutes!
Table of Contents
Cilantro Lime Salmon Ingredients
You only need 7 ingredients (or less) to make this cilantro lime salmon, and they easy to swap with what you have:
- Salmon: I used skinless, but skin-on will work too. You may just want to slice off the skin after baking. If you like your fish with crispy skin, pan-sear the salmon and add the cilantro lime sauce on top just before serving.
- Garlic: Adds boldly savory kick to balance the fresh and zippy notes. Shallot is your best substitute.
- Cilantro: If you don’t do cilantro, this recipe is also delicious with parsley, basil, or mint.
- Olive oil: I love our bold and peppery Spanish Hojiblanca with this recipe.
- Tomato: I like the color and richness of the slightly charred fresh tomato, but this is optional.
- Lime: Substitute with lemon (just keep in mind it’s slightly sweeter).
- Salt and pepper: Perk up the flavor.
How to Make Cilantro Lime Salmon
Succulent, perfectly baked salmon that is tender and flaky is not hard to achieve. The one important thing to remember is to avoid overcooking it. Here’s how:
- Get ready. Lightly oil a baking pan and place 2 pounds of skinless salmon fillet on top. Set aside at room temperature while you heat the oven and make the cilantro sauce. Preheat your oven to 425°F.
- Make the garlic cilantro sauce. In the bowl of a small food processor, add 4 to 6 chopped garlic cloves, 1 whole bunch of cilantro (just roughly chop the top, leaving the tender stems attached), 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, 1 lime, and a good pinch of salt. Blend until everything is well combined into a sauce, then taste and add more salt if necessary.
- Bake the salmon. Sprinkle the salmon lightly with salt and pepper. Now spoon the garlic-cilantro sauce on top and spread evenly to coat the salmon. You will have extra sauce, which you can reserve for serving. Slice 1 large tomato and 1/2 lime into rounds, then arrange the slices on top of the salmon.
- Bake the salmon. Place the baking pan in the top half of your heated oven, bake until the thickest part of your salmon flakes with a fork, about 8 minutes for a 1-inch piece of fish (an instant read thermometer should read somewhere between 125°F and 130°F). Remove the pan and carefully cover with foil. Let rest for another 5 to 8 minutes or so to finish cooking. Serve the salmon with more garlic cilantro sauce on the side. Enjoy!
What to Serve with Cilantro Lime Salmon
This cilantro lime salmon is so versatile, you can pair it with just about anything! For an easy weeknight, I like to make fluffy basmati rice and spoon the cilantro sauce over everything. Add a big seasonal salad to round out the meal, like arugula tomato salad in the summer or radicchio salad with citrus and pears in the winter. And for a wholesome weeknight-friendly dessert, try chocolate covered dates.
More Weeknight Salmon Recipes
Fish and Seafood
Baked Lemon Garlic Salmon
Entree
Easy Greek Salmon
Fish and Seafood
Easy Salmon Piccata
Fish and Seafood
Easy Baked Salmon with Garlic Balsamic Glaze
Browse all Mediterranean recipes.
Visit Our Shop.
Ingredients
For the Salmon
- 2 pounds skinless salmon fillet
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- 1 large tomato, sliced into rounds
- 1/2 lime, sliced into rounds
For the Garlic Cilantro Sauce
- 4 to 6 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro, roughly chopped (tender stems included)
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lime, juiced
- Kosher salt (to taste)
Instructions
- Get ready. Lightly oil a baking pan and place the salmon on top. Set aside at room temperature while you heat the oven and make the cilantro sauce. Preheat your oven to 425°F.
- Make the garlic cilantro sauce. In the bowl of a small food processor, add all of the ingredients for the garlic cilantro sauce. Blend until everything is well combined into a sauce.
- Bake the salmon. Sprinkle the salmon lightly with salt and pepper. Now spoon the garlic-cilantro sauce on top and spread evenly to coat the salmon. You will have extra sauce, which you can reserve for serving. Arrange the tomato and lime slices on top of the salmon fillet.
- Bake the salmon. Place the baking pan in the top half of your heated oven, bake until the thickest part of your salmon flakes with a fork, about 8 minutes for a 1-inch piece of fish (an instant read thermometer should read somewhere between 125°F and 130°F). Remove the pan and carefully cover with foil. Let rest for another 5 to 8 minutes or so to finish cooking.
- Serve. Serve the salmon with more garlic cilantro sauce on the side. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Bundle and Save!
Four of our best-selling signature olive oils, perfect for everyday use.
*This post has recently been updated with new information for the readers’ benefit.
We made it (easy!) and we loved it!
Awesome, Steph!
Thanks for all of the tips and tricks, I get a bit intimidated making salmon but you made it so easy. Such a delicious meal.
I’m so glad the tips were helpful, Jennifer!
I love the idea of a garlic cilantro sauce!
So glad! Enjoy, Jordan!
I love everything about this yummy salmon. The garlic cilantro sauce is fresh and so easy to make. This is the perfect topping for the salmon. A great dinner for any night of the week. My family will be enjoying this recipe weekly. I love how easy it is to make and thus be perfect for entertaining!
Thanks so much for sharing, Eileen! So glad everyone enjoyed it.
This sauce is perfect for salmon! Great meal for a weeknight.
My boys have just started to being open to eating salmon and they really loved this! The sauce was so perfect.
Oh, my gosh this was such a simple, yet delicious entree! The garlic cilantro sauce was perfect with the salmon!
Yay! So glad to hear it!
Thank you so much for this simple easy, but packed with flavor Baked Salmon Recipe with Garlic Cilantro Sauce. My husband and I loved it!
We will be making it again.
Can’t wait to try another recipe.
Isabel, I am so glad you both enjoyed this one. Can’t wait to hear what you try next!
This was delicious! I absolutely love the cilantro sauce. I’m going to try this recipe with chicken too.
The sauce will work on chicken as well! thanks so much, Rachel!
This was sooooo good!!! My husband loved it!!
I made the mediterranean garlic and cilantro salmon came out amazing, sides were rice with cranberries and fatoosh. Thanks for the recipe. I added a jalapeno to give it that little kick.
Wonderful, Helen! I am so glad to hear this!
I have tried the salmon with garlic/cilantro sauce 3 times and it is delish..I ‘love’ these innovative recipes
and look forward to every new one presented to me…This talented and lovely woman guides me through
her recipes so easily!! It is a joy to view her at work and I pick up many little tips on the way!!!I thank her so and feel so fortunate to have found her and that I have access to her talent and so delicious offerings`…..
I thank her so!! Gratias!!!
Loved your baked cod so would like to try the salmon but along with 50% of Europeans i can’t stomach Cilantro – which herb would you use as second choice?
Hi Patsy, you can try mint or basil…but I also have a couple more salmon recipes here that I would recommend. Here are the links: https://www.themediterraneandish.com/mediterranean-style-oven-baked-salmon-in-foil/ and https://www.themediterraneandish.com/grilled-salmon-recipe-mint-mango-salsa/
Try italian parsley or what you might also know it as flat leaf parsley.
Made it last night for Father’s Day dinner. Absolutely wonderful. Easy breezy to make. Thank you!
Awesome, Elena! Thank you for sharing!
Delicious and so easy, the sauce is amazing
So glad to hear it!
Hi
I can’t find cilantro to buy. There’s another herb that I can Use?
Hi Barbara, so sorry I wasn’t able to get to your question earlier. You can likely use dill or mint, but start with a smaller amount and adjust as you like. Otherwise, here is another salmon recipe we really like: https://www.themediterraneandish.com/mediterranean-style-oven-baked-salmon-in-foil/
Depending on where you live, they might be calling it coriander…