Oven-baked almond crusted salmon with honey mustard sauce is a healthy dinner recipe you can make in under 30 minutes! Crispy crust, tender and flaky fish, and a delicious sauce make this dinner so tasty! Air fryer instructions included.
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We eat a lot of salmon at my house. Whether it's pesto-crusted, seasoned with Old Bay, in baked feta pasta, in a buddha bowl, made into bites, or simply air-fried, it is the base for so many of our favorite healthy seafood recipes.
To mix things up, I decided to adapt HelloFresh's Pecan Crusted Chicken recipe to make this almond crusted salmon. The results were so tasty, it's definitely going to go into regular dinner rotation!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Quick and easy! This almond crusted salmon recipe can be made in just 30 minutes.
- Restaurant-quality recipe that is simple to make at home!
- Beginner recipe for introducing picky eaters to seafood. They will love the crispy crust.
- Can be made in the oven or air fryer.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here are the ingredients you need to make this recipe. Reference the recipe card at the bottom for exact measurements and the notes below for substitution ideas.
- Honey: Can be swapped for maple syrup, brown sugar, or keto maple syrup.
- Mayonnaise: I made this almond crusted salmon using mayonnaise from Primal Kitchen. You can substitute Greek yogurt or regular mayo like Hellman's if desired.
- Season salt: Refer to the recipe card for instructions on how to make season salt for this recipe. Alternatively, you can purchase store-bought season salt.
How to Make This Recipe
This is a step-by-step walkthrough of how to cook this recipe. The recipe card at the bottom shows the exact cook time and temperatures.
Step 1
Stir together season salt ingredients in a small dish and set aside. You will use this for seasoning the fish, crust, and sauce. Alternatively, you can use store-bought season salt.
Step 2
Place salmon on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Season the salmon with ½ of the season salt and rub it in. If air frying, cut fish into 6 fillets after seasoning.
Step 3
In a food processor, process the almonds and breadcrumbs. Mix the almond and breadcrumb mixture together in a small bowl along with the melted butter and ¼ of the season salt to make the crust.
Step 4
Evenly spread the crust over the top of the fillet and press in lightly.
Oven-baked Instructions
Place sheet pan in the oven. Turn the oven on to 400F and set a timer for 20 minutes. The oven does not need to be preheated for this recipe.
Air Fryer Instructions
Air fry salmon at 400F for 7 minutes or until cooked to your liking.
Honey Mustard Sauce & Final Instructions
While the salmon is cooking, stir together the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Once the fish is cooked, evenly drizzle it over the cooked salmon. Top with lemon and dill if desired.
Serving, Freezing, Storage And Make-Ahead, And Reheating Tips
How To Serve
Serve almond crusted salmon on top of a quinoa bowl or with salad toppings to make a salad or with green beans, asparagus, broccoli, carrots, or another veggie side dish.
Mashed potatoes, sweet potato wedges, quinoa salad, or rice are also great starchy side dishes to serve with almond crusted salmon.
How to Cook When Using Frozen Salmon
Salmon should be defrosted prior to baking to ensure that the crust sticks. The Kitchn has a fabulous resource for how to defrost salmon quickly.
How to Store
Store leftover almond crusted salmon in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Reheating Tips
Place leftovers on a sheet pan and reheat at 350F for a few minutes or until heated through. This almond crusted salmon can also be reheated in the air fryer or can be eaten cold.
Other Expert Tips
- Make it keto: To make this almond crusted salmon recipe low-carb and without bread or breadcrumbs, use almond meal or parmesan cheese in place of panko breadcrumbs. Also, substitute honey in the sauce for keto maple syrup.
- For an even crispier crust and tasty flavor: Make the honey mustard sauce before making the crust and put the crust on after seasoning the fish but before adding the crust and before baking. Reserve some extra sauce for dipping.
Recipe FAQs
It is always better to bake it with the skin on, even if you aren't a fan of the skin. Removing the skin prior to baking can be challenging, so I usually remove it after I bake it.
Although a personal preference, air frying or baking salmon in the oven are both great ways to cook salmon.
Oven-baking salmon is great for larger fillets while the air fryer cooks salmon quickly making it great for individual portions.
Covering during baking is not necessary, even with this almond crusted salmon.
According to Refinery29, the white stuff in salmon is a protein called albumin that generally comes out of salmon when cooked at higher temperatures. It is a sign that your fish may be cooked or overcooked so keep an eye on your fish as you cook it.
The protein is not harmful and can just be wiped away. If you have extra time you can try to brine the salmon as Cook's Illustrated describes in their article about tricks for avoiding salmon's "white stuff."
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Almond Crusted Salmon
Equipment
Ingredients
Season Salt Ingredients
Salmon Ingredients
- 2 lbs wild Alaskan sockeye salmon
- ½ portion season salt
Crust Ingredients
- 1 oz almonds finely chopped in a food processor
- ½ cup Panko breadcrumbs gluten-free if needed
- 2 tablespoon butter melted
- ¼ portion season salt
Sauce Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoon honey
- ¼ portion season salt
- 4 tablespoon mayonnaise I used Primal Kitchen garlic aioli mayonnaise
Instructions
- Stir together season salt ingredients in a small dish and set aside. You will use this for seasoning the fish, crust, and sauce.1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper
- Place salmon on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Season the salmon with ½ of the season salt and rub it in.2 lbs wild Alaskan sockeye salmon, ½ portion season salt
- In a food processor, process the almonds and breadcrumbs. Mix the almond and breadcrumb mixture together in a small bowl along with the melted butter and ¼ of the season salt to make the crust.1 oz almonds, ½ cup Panko breadcrumbs, 2 tablespoon butter, ¼ portion season salt
- Evenly spread the crust over the top of the fillet and press in lightly.
- Place sheet pan in the oven. Turn the oven on to 400F and set a timer for 20 minutes. The oven does not need to be preheated for this recipe.
- While the salmon is cooking, stir together the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Once the fish is cooked, evenly drizzle it over the cooked salmon. Top with lemon and dill if desired.1 tablespoon dijon mustard, 2 tablespoon honey, ¼ portion season salt
Notes
- Make it keto: To make this recipe low-carb and without bread or breadcrumbs, use almond meal or parmesan cheese in place of panko breadcrumbs. Also, substitute honey in the sauce for keto maple syrup.
- For an even crispier crust and tasty flavor: Make the honey mustard sauce before making the crust and put the crust on after seasoning the fish but before adding the crust and before baking. Reserve some extra sauce for dipping.
- Reheating: Place leftovers on a sheet pan and reheat at 350F for a few minutes or until heated through. This almond crusted salmon can also be reheated in the air fryer or can be eaten cold.
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
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