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Orange Glazed Salmon Recipe – delicious baked salmon in a delicious and easy to make orange glaze!
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Baked Salmon With Orange
Delicious sticky, sweet, and citrus packed salmon – baked to tender perfection… this recipe is an all star knockout!
If you love tons of orange flavor, you’re going to love this glaze – it is easy to whip up and perfect over salmon.
We’re also including notes on how to make the glaze low carb, so it can fit into a keto diet.
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We hope you love this orange glazed salmon recipe as much as we do!
How to Make Orange Salmon
This orange glaze comes together easily – and can be made keto, too!
- Salmon: Salmon is the star ingredient in this dish and provides a rich, buttery flavor and a tender texture. It’s also a great source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids.
- Minced Garlic: Garlic adds a savory flavor to the dish and enhances the natural sweetness of the orange glaze.
- Ginger paste: Ginger adds a subtle spiciness and earthy flavor to the dish that pairs well with the sweetness of the orange glaze.
- Orange zest: Orange zest adds a bright, citrusy flavor to the glaze and helps to enhance the orange flavor.
- Freshly squeezed orange juice: Freshly squeezed orange juice provides the base for the glaze and adds a sweet, tangy flavor to the dish.
- Light brown sugar: Brown sugar provides sweetness and helps to caramelize the glaze, creating a slightly sticky and glossy texture.
- Soy sauce: Soy sauce adds umami flavor to the dish and helps to balance the sweetness of the brown sugar and orange juice. In the keto version, coconut aminos can be used as a substitute for soy sauce.
- Oranges, sliced: Sliced oranges are placed on top of the salmon fillet while it bakes, infusing the dish with extra orange flavor and adding a visually appealing touch.
- Fresh parsley: Fresh parsley can be used as a garnish and adds a fresh, herbaceous flavor to the dish.
- Sea salt flakes: Sea salt flakes can also be used as a garnish and add a crunchy texture and salty flavor to the dish.
- In a small saute pan, melt the butter over medium heat.
- Add the minced garlic to the pan and saute for 1-2 minutes until the garlic is fragrant.
- Add ginger paste, orange zest, orange juice, brown sugar, and soy sauce to the pan. Stir.
- Bring the sauce to a boil.
- Reduce heat to a simmer and continue cooking until the sauce thickens a bit (about 3-4 minutes).
Tips and Tricks for Perfect Baked Orange Glazed Salmon & FAQs
What type of Salmon to use? Salmon can be tricky for home cooks just starting to get used to the fatty fish, because it can vary wildly in color, thickness, and appearance. There are also considerable differences in wild vs farmed, coho vs sockeye salmon – making it even more confusing!
King/Chinook Salmon
- Shortest season of all wild-caught salmon, making demand high
- Largest at 11-18 pounds
- Most Omega 3 fatty acids
- Buttery flavor and texture
Sockeye Salmon
- More abundant
- More available in grocery stores across the United States
- Deep bright red orange color
- High fat and omega 3 content
Coho Salmon
- Smaller, less colorful salmon
- Later salmon season than King and Sockeye salmon
- Milder flavor
Chum Salmon
- Less oily
- Can vary wildly in quality and flavor
- Often used for canned salmon
Pink Salmon
- Most widely available
- Small – only 2-3 pounds
- Lighter color
- Less fat
- Often smoked or canned
While any type of salmon would work for this recipe, I reccomend Sockeye salmon or Coho salmon filets – sockeye and coho have a good flavor, and are a little less expensive than a Chinook salmon. Since this salmon does use a glaze with a strong flavor, you can get away with a less expensive filet – sockeye or coho salmon will be fabulous.
Tip: If choosing a coho salmon filet, you might want to reduce cook-time slightly as they tend to be smaller and thinner filets that cook a bit faster than Chinook or Sockeye salmon filets.
What does salmon look like when its done? Watch to see how your salmon cooks, and pull from the oven when it turns opaque and pinkish-white, rather than going off a cook time.
Use foil. Baking salmon is super simple – while I recommend using nonstick aluminum foil, it’s really the only equipment you need to make salmon.
How to bake fish without fishy smell. Baking salmon in the oven with a citrus (like the orange slices) helps to counteract any fishy smells as the salmon cooks, so you won’t have fishy smells after dinner.
Know When Is Salmon Done. One of the most popular questions I get is how to tell when salmon has finished cooking. As it cooks in the oven, salmon will change from translucent (dark red, sometimes almost purple, or a bit grey-silver depending on the variety of salmon) to a bright pinkish white and turn opaque.
When to check if salmon is done. After about 6-8 minutes of baking in the oven, check your salmon for doneness by taking a sharp knife to peek into the thickest part – if it is still deep red and raw looking, keep cooking until the middle is only just red. If the salmon meat is beginning to flake, but still has a little translucency in the middle of the deepest part of the filet, your salmon is done. It shouldn’t look very red and raw though, and it should be hot to the touch, not cold. Once you cook salmon more and more, you’ll know how done it is by the look of the salmon, and won’t need to check the middle.
Recipe FAQs
Depending on the size of your salmon filet, expect this salmon to bake for 25-35 minutes.
Salmon is considered fully cooked at 145 degrees.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
What To Serve With Orange Glazed Salmon
Roasted Vegetables: Roasting vegetables such as asparagus, Brussels sprouts, or broccoli with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper can add a healthy and flavorful side to the salmon.
Rice or Quinoa: Serving orange glazed salmon with rice or quinoa is a great option. You can add some herbs, such as chopped parsley or cilantro, to the rice or quinoa to give it some extra flavor.
Steamed Vegetables: Steamed vegetables such as green beans, carrots, or snow peas can add a healthy and colorful side to the dish. You can drizzle them with a little olive oil and sprinkle some salt and pepper to taste.
Salad: A simple side salad of mixed greens, sliced avocado, and a light vinaigrette dressing can add some freshness and balance to the dish.
Grilled Vegetables: Grilled vegetables such as zucchini, eggplant, or bell peppers can add a smoky flavor to the dish. You can brush them with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper before grilling.
Mashed Potatoes: Creamy mashed potatoes can be a comforting and delicious side to the salmon. You can add some garlic or herbs such as chives or rosemary to the potatoes to give them some extra flavor.
Crusty Bread: Serving crusty bread with orange glazed salmon is a great option to soak up the delicious glaze and sauce.
You can find the rest of our favorite side dishes in our side dish recipe archives here.
You can find our complete salmon recipe index here.
Orange Glazed Salmon Recipe
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Orange Glazed Salmon Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb. filet of salmon
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 teaspoons 2-3 cloves minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon ginger paste or freshly minced ginger
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice keto – use juice from an orange, do not use store bought orange juice
- ¼ cup packed light brown sugar keto – use monkfruit brown sugar
- ⅛ cup soy sauce keto – use coconut aminos
- 2 oranges sliced
- Fresh parsley for garnish optional
- Sea salt flakes for garnish optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Spray a sheet pan with nonstick cooking spray or line with parchment paper for easier cleanup.
- Remove salmon filet from packaging.
- Rinse and pat dry with paper towels.
- You can use skin on salmon or a filet with the skin already removed.
- Place the prepared salmon filet in the center of the sheet pan. Slice oranges and place them on the sheet pan next to (not on top of) the salmon and set aside.
- In a small saute pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the minced garlic to the pan and saute for 1-2 minutes until the garlic is fragrant.
- Add ginger paste, orange zest, orange juice, brown sugar, and soy sauce to the pan. Stir.
- Bring the sauce to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and continue cooking until the sauce thickens a bit (about 3-4 minutes).
- Pour the sauce over the salmon and the oranges. Use a pastry brush to spread the sauce to cover the full salmon filet.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the inside of the salmon is no longer glassy and has turned mostly opaque. It does not need to be opaque all the way through as it will continue cooking during the next step.
- For a bit of browning on the top of the salmon and oranges, switch the oven to the broil setting and broil for just a minute or two until the sauce has caramelized over the dish.
- Remove from the oven and transfer to a serving dish.
- Sprinkle with a bit of fresh, chopped parsley and/or flaky sea salt if desired.
- Serve immediately.
