If you’ve never made a salmon recipe with mayonnaise on the top, you are in for a treat with this one! Delicious baked salmon is the perfect weeknight dinner – a simple cooking process, minimal prep, and it leaves you with a juicy tasty salmon!
Easy baked salmon recipe with mayonnaise
If you’re used to adding a little olive oil or butter on the salmon fillets, mayo really isn’t much different! The main ingredient in mayo is oil, then egg yolks, lemon juice or vinegar, and some flavorings.
My favorite mayonnaise to use is an avocado oil based, but of course you could use whatever brand of real mayonnaise you have.
You could even make this with a vegan mayo if you’re needing it to be egg free!
What type of salmon to use?
For this recipe we are using a side of salmon, which is a half of a whole salmon that has been prepared with the skin left on.
You can of course use salmon fillets! Any type of salmon will work for this recipe – wild salmon or farmed salmon. Pick what works for you and your family!
Salmon is incredibly easy to bake in the oven and perfect for home cooks to make for easy dinners throughout the week.
If baking salmon intimidates you, I highly suggest getting a meat thermometer to tell you when the salmon is done. It’s a great, inexpensive kitchen tool to keep on hand!
Looking for more salmon recipes? Try these winners!
- Salmon tacos with slaw
- Baked salmon with mango salsa
- Traeger grilled salmon recipe
- Jerk salmon salad
- Salmon sushi bowls
What you need for this easy salmon recipe
Scroll down to view the recipe card below for the full ingredients list, nutrition information, and step-by-step instructions.
- salmon side or fillets
- avocado oil mayonnaise
- italian seasoning
- sea salt
- garlic granules
- black pepper
How to make the best juicy salmon
- Preheat oven to 425 degree F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and place salmon skin side down on the prepared baking pan.
- Take the mayo and, for best results, spread it evenly with a brush over the top of the fish.
- In a small bowl combine the Italian seasoning, garlic granules, sea salt, pepper. Mix together then then season salmon with it by sprinkling it evenly on the mayo. The seasoned mayo mixture is now ready to go!
- Bake salmon for 13-15 minutes, until the fish flakes and looks opaque. For best results, use a meat thermometer to test for doneness. Aim to remove the salmon from the oven when the internal temperature reads 135-140 degrees.
Watch me make this easy baked salmon recipe
The full how to video can be watched below, or on my YouTube channel!
What to serve with a salmon dish
Salmon is a fantastic protein that’s full of good for you fatty acids. Serve salmon with a vegetable or salad, and a starch. Here are many favorites we pair with salmon all the time!
If you have a favorite salmon side dish, I would love to hear about it!
- Easy broccoli salad without bacon
- Lemony Traeger asparagus
- Old bay potato wedges
- Crispy potato bites
- Cast iron sweet cornbread
- Oven baked kale chips
- Avocado mango salad
- Tomato and avocado salad with grilled corn
- Strawberry kale salad with poppy seed dressing
- Kale crunch salad
How to store
Leftover salmon can be stored in the fridge once cooled to room temperature.
Place fish in an airtight container and keep it for up to 5 days.
The best way to reheat leftover salmon is back in the oven on a sheet pan, or, turned into salmon burgers – yum!
Substitutions
Below you’ll find a list of substitutions that will work well in this easy salmon recipe with mayonnaise crust.
If you try something different out, please leave a comment below letting us all know how it turned out!
Salmon – Using a half salmon or fillets will both work great in this recipe, but you can also swap in other fish! Try this with cod, halibut, tilapia, steelhead, or mahi mahi. It’s an easy way to flavor fish with very minimal prep involved!
Mayo – If you aren’t convinced to try mayo topped salmon just yet, try sour cream or plain yogurt with a little parmesan cheese added in. You can also use your favorite creamy dressing as a quick alternative as well – ranch dressing, cilantro lime sauce, or even caesar dressing would add a really delicious flavor to the salmon!
Italian seasoning – Fresh herbs or minced green onion are good options to replace the dried Italian seasoning. Another good seasoning would be swapping in couple tablespoons of fresh dill and adding some lemon slices to give your salmon a ranch flavor!
Garlic granules – Fresh garlic cloves will work here, as with dried garlic. You can also replace the garlic granules with onion powder.
More easy dinner recipes you’ll love
- Teriyaki chicken on a stick recipe
- Healthy chicken burgers
- Healthy burger bowls
- Baked blackened tilapia recipe
Easy Baked Salmon Recipe with Mayonnaise
Ingredients
- 2.5 lb salmon
- ⅓ cup avocado oil mayonnaise
- 1.5 tbsp italian seasoning
- ½ tsp garlic granules
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degree F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and place salmon skin side down on the prepared baking pan.
- Take the mayo and, for best results, spread it evenly with a brush over the top of the fish.
- In a small bowl combine the Italian seasoning, garlic granules, sea salt, pepper. Mix together then then season salmon with it by sprinkling it evenly on the mayo. The seasoned mayo mixture is now ready to go!
- Bake salmon for 13-15 minutes, until the fish flakes and looks opaque. For best results, use a meat thermometer to test for doneness. Aim to remove the salmon from the oven when the internal temperature reads 135-140 degrees.
Nutrition
If you try this salmon with mayo recipe, I’d love it if you left a star rating and comment below letting me know how it turned out!
XO
Heather
