Panko Crusted Salmon with Garlic, and Herbs

Panko Crusted Salmon is an easy salmon recipe that’s so delicious and simple to make. Panko breadcrumbs are mixed with olive oil, fresh herbs, garlic, and lemon zest, then spread on top of seasoned and Dijon-mustard coated salmon filets and baked. Just 6 ingredients and 20 minutes for a beautiful and easy salmon dinner!

Anything topped with toasty breadcrumbs and baked is a-okay in my book. I love making New England Baked Haddock (one of my most popular recipes for a good reason!) with a breadcrumb mixture. So I decided to do something similar with salmon.

This recipe is so easy and delicious it almost isn’t fair. It feels fancy and elegant and would be great to serve to guests for any occasion, but it’s easy and fast enough for a simple weeknight meal. It’s a perfect beginner recipe if you’re new to cooking, and a much appreciated no-fuss meal even for the experienced cook.

One thing I love about this recipe – the salmon is baked in a way that the skin easily separates from the fish, making it easy to serve without the skin. I love crispy salmon seared skin, but when it bakes, it comes out a bit soggy, so I opted to leave it behind in this case.

Let’s get to it!

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Salmon – you can use another fish for this, like haddock, cod, trout, or sea bass. Just be sure to keep in mind cooking times may be different depending on the type and thickness of the fish.
• Dijon Mustard – this is brushed on the salmon for flavor and so the breadcrumbs stick. You can use mayonnaise instead if you want, or another kind of mustard.
• Panko breadcrumbs – I wouldn’t use traditional breadcrumbs here since they are too fine a texture to get the crispy outcome. Feel free to use homemade breadcrumbs!
• Fresh herbs – I used a mixture of parsley, dill, and chives. Use what you have here, or use dried (Italian seasoning would be good).
• Lemon – you’ll use both the zest and the juice. Don’t skip it – it adds lots of flavor.
• Garlic – I used fresh, but you can use garlic powder if you want.
• Olive oil, salt, and pepper – melted butter or another oil of choice is fine.

How to make Panko Crusted Salmon with Garlic and Herbs

First, place the salmon skin-side-down on a foil covered baking sheet. Don’t add oil to the foil – the skin will stick to it, which is good in this case and makes it easy to separate from the salmon filets for serving (see below for alternatives). Plus, clean-up is a breeze.

Then, mix together panko breadcrumbs, herbs, a minced clove of garlic, lemon zest, olive oil, and salt and pepper. Spread some Dijon mustard on the tops of the filets and season with salt and pepper. Press the breadcrumb mixture on top of the salmon, and bake! Use a thin spatula to slide easily between the salmon and the skin for serving. Serve with lemon wedges to squeeze on top.

This is a summary of how to make this recipe. Please scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe including ingredient amounts and detailed instructions, written in traditional recipe format, or Jump to Recipe.

What if you have skinless salmon filets?

If your salmon doesn’t have any skin on it, don’t use foil. Instead, grease the pan really well, or use parchment paper to cover the pan. I personally would use parchment paper for super easy clean up and to ensure none of the fish gets stuck to the pan. You can also use parchment if you don’t mind serving the fish with the skin still on, but like I said above, the skin will be soggy instead of crispy.

If you want that skin to be crispy…

Give the salmon a sear skin-side-down in an oven-safe skillet after topping with the panko mixture. Then, place the skillet in the oven to finish baking. It will take less time in the oven, but you should get a nice crispy bottom to the salmon filets!

What to serve with panko crusted salmon

I served this with a simple roasted broccoli and some homemade bread on the side. Truth be told, I was going to make rice but I forgot. Luckily I had some bread in the freezer! I love buying the steam-in-the-bag green beans for meals like this. It would also be wonderful with an orzo pilaf, asparagus, or simple salad. And don’t skip on serving with lemon wedges cut from the lemon you zested. That acidity really rounds out the flavor of the panko baked salmon!

Other easy salmon recipes

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