Old Bay Salmon with lemon and dill takes the classic seafood flavors of Old Bay seasoning mix to create a deliciously light & flavorful seafood dish bursting with freshness and flavor. Quick to make in the air fryer, oven, or grill in less than 15 minutes!
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What is Old Bay Seasoning Made of?
If you've ever been in the seasoning aisle and have seen Old Bay seasoning, you may wonder what it is and how do you use Old Bay Seasoning.
Old Bay seasoning is a blend of seasonings including celery seed, paprika, mustard, salt, red pepper, and black pepper. Its flavor is perfect for seafood recipes, especially salmon.
Old Bay seasoning tastes similar to a Cajun seasoning (like the kind we used in our Keto gumbo recipe and our air fried mahi mahi) that is paprika-forward.
In fact, once you try this recipe, you may find that this is the best salmon you'll ever eat!
What Makes This Recipe Work
- Can be baked in the oven, on the grill, or in the air fryer.
- Fresh & simple ingredients that make a great base for a green salad or a salmon sushi bowl.
- Healthier than other recipes as this Old Bay Salmon is made without cream cheese, no breading, and without beer.
- Adds a savory, tangy, zesty, and bold spice flavor.
- Made with fresh dill and lemon to create a burst of freshness.
Ingredients
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.
Wild-caught Alaskan is my favorite with great flavor.
Fresh herbs like dill or parsley bring a bright and fresh herby flavor.
Lemon juice brings acidity that helps to balance out the seasoning.
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 cooking time and temperatures.
Prepare Salmon with Old Bay Seasoning
Step 1
Season fish with salt and pepper and rub in olive oil.
Step 2
Rub in seasoning and squeeze some lemon juice onto each fillet.
Air Fryer Instructions
Place fillets in the basket and bake at 400F for 7 minutes or until fish flakes.
Oven Directions
Place salmon on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and place the baking sheet in a cold oven. Bake at 400F for 20 minutes.
Grilling Directions
Place salmon on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and place the baking sheet in a cold oven. Bake at 400F for 20 minutes.
How to Store and Reheat Old Bay Salmon
- Storage: Store cooked leftovers in an airtight container for 3 days in the refrigerator.
- Reheating: Reheat leftovers by air frying at 400F for 3 minutes or until heated through.
Expert Tips
- Make sure the skin is well-oiled to avoid sticking to the basket. You can also use parchment paper or foil.
- Try to use similarly sized fillets so Old Bay salmon cooks evenly.
- For a bolder flavor, create a marinade with the seasoning mix and a bit of olive oil.
- Allow fish to marinate for 4 hours prior to air frying or baking.
- To create a butter sauce for topping, mix 1 tablespoon of butter with ½ teaspoon of Old Bay and spread it on top of the salmon during the last 2 minutes of cooking.
What to Serve with Salmon
Serve Old Bay salmon as a main dish along with veggie side dishes for a healthy meal.
Crispy bacon-wrapped asparagus, steamed broccoli, and zucchini fries are a few of my favorite veggie sides.
This recipe is also delicious as a side to pasta (or use it in baked feta pasta with salmon), with a side of sweet potato wedges, or red potatoes.
Recipe FAQs
It is a delicious seafood spice that is great on crab legs or healthy crab cakes, scallops, argentine red shrimp, and air fried salmon. You could even try it on chicken!
Air fry salmon for 7 minutes at 400F.
My personal opinion is that salmon tastes best when air fried. However, if you don't have one you can bake this in the oven, and will yield great results.
Yes. The skin is edible - check out this recipe if you are looking to make a salmon recipe with skin.
I highly recommend defrosting the fillets before cooking. The rub will not create the best flavor and become too watery if cooked straight from frozen.
Related Recipes
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Easy and Quick Old Bay Salmon
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 - 4 oz. fillets Wild caught Alaskan salmon
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning more or less to taste
- salt & pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoon fresh dill chopped
- ½ medium lemon juiced, use the juice
Instructions
- Season fish with salt and pepper and evenly rub in olive oil on both sides of the fillets.4 - 4 oz. fillets Wild caught Alaskan salmon, salt & pepper, 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Evenly rub in seasoning and evenly squeeze lemon juice onto each fillet.1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning, ½ medium lemon
- Place fillets in basket and bake at 400F for 7 minutes or until fish flakes. No need for flipping!
- Sprinkle with chopped dill and serve.2 tablespoon fresh dill
Notes
- Make sure the skin is well-oiled to avoid sticking to the basket. You can also use parchment paper or foil.
- Try to use similarly sized fillets so Old Bay salmon cooks evenly.
- For a more bold flavor create a marinade with seasoning mix and a bit of olive oil.
- Allow fish to marinate for 4 hours prior to air frying or baking.
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