It doesn’t get much easier (or tastier) than this recipe for baked salmon with bread crumb topping. Salmon fillets are generously topped with buttery seasoned bread crumbs and oven baked. Finished with an extra grating of fresh Parmesan cheese, it makes for a deliciously simple meal that feels super special but requires very little effort.
I love this easy baked salmon recipe. It’s one of those recipes that can easily be made for busy weeknight suppers, yet it’s special enough to serve to family and friends when you are entertaining.
Simple pan fried or oven baked salmon is pretty awesome, yes, but add a buttery bread crumb topping? It just takes things over the top in the best kind of way!
Melted butter is combined with garlic powder, onion powder and Italian seasoning, and then mixed with bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. That deliciousness is piled on top of seasoned salmon fillets, then oven baked. Once baked, the bread crumb topping is golden brown with lovely crispy bits and the fish is juicy, flaky and just plain tasty. If you enjoy seafood (like I do), then this crumb-topped salmon recipe is a must try!
Fan of seafood? Check out this recipe for baked cod with Newfoundland dressing.
Ingredients
- Butter: I prefer to use unsalted butter so that I can better control the salt content, but feel free to use salted butter if you prefer.
- Seasoning: Includes salt, garlic powder, onion powder and Italian seasoning.
- Fresh bread crumbs: You can typically find small bags of fresh bread crumbs where you would find loaves of sandwich bread in the grocery store. You can often get white or whole wheat varieties. Either will work in this recipe.
- Parmesan cheese: Use freshly grated Parmesan cheese, not the powdered variety for the best flavour.
- Salmon fillets: This recipe calls for salmon fillets that are 5 ounces each. Try to have all the fillets about that size so everything cooks at the same time.
How To Make Baked Salmon With Bread Crumb Topping
Here is an overview of how to make baked salmon with bread crumb topping (full details are in the recipe card below):
- In a small bowl, combine melted butter, garlic powder, onion powder and Italian seasoning.
- In another bowl, combine fresh bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese.
- Pour the melted butter mixture over the bread crumb and cheese mixture.
- Stir the bread crumbs until they are nicely combined with the butter. Things are starting to smell good already!
- Place the salmon fillets onto a parchment paper-lined sheet pan. Season them with salt and top with the buttery bread crumb mixture.
- Baked the salmon until cooked through. Once baked, garnish with a little extra Parmesan cheese. Now it’s time to devour. Talk about delicious!
What To Serve With It
As you can probably imagine, this breaded salmon pairs wonderfully with so many things. Some of my favourite sides to serve with it are:
- Simple mixed green salad
- Blueberry spinach salad
- Garlicky green beans
- Roasted broccoli or roasted cauliflower
- Roasted garlic mashed potatoes
Tips and Variations
- Bread crumbs: As mentioned above, you can often find small bags of fresh bread crumbs in the grocery store in the bread section. You don’t want anything fancy here, just simple white or whole wheat bread. More often than not, I’ll use white bread crumbs. If you have a little bit of time, you can easily make your own bread crumbs by processing some slices of fresh sandwich bread in a food processor until you get fine crumbs. Generally speaking, to yield the amount required for this recipe, you’ll need about 2 slices of bread. Of course, the number of slices of bread you’ll need to yield 2 cups of bread crumbs could vary depending on the size of the slices.
- Speaking of bread crumbs, I used 2 cups worth (which is a generous amount). The cups are not packed. When measuring, I like to spoon the bread crumbs into the cup, not press or pack them in. I love to serve the little crispy bits that fall off the salmon with it because those toasty, buttery bread crumbs are so delicious.
- Garnish: Feel free to garnish the baked salmon with freshly chopped parsley for an extra pop of flavour and colour.
- The protein: Try arctic char or rainbow trout instead of salmon for something similar but a little different.
More Easy Seafood Recipes
If you make this recipe for baked salmon with bread crumb topping, be sure to leave a comment below!
Baked Salmon With Bread Crumb Topping
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 2 cups fresh bread crumbs
- ⅔ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
- 4 (5-ounce) salmon fillets
- Salt, pinch for each piece
- 4 Lemon wedges, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the melted butter, garlic powder, onion powder and Italian seasoning. Stir to combine.
- In another small bowl, combine the bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese.
- Pour the melted butter mixture over the bread crumb and cheese mixture and stir to combine.
- Place the salmon fillets onto the prepared sheet pan and season each fillet with a pinch of salt. Top each piece generously with the butter bread crumb mixture (it's okay if some of the bread crumbs fall off; they toast up nicely in the oven and are delicious served with the fish).
- Bake the salmon for 12 to 15 minutes or until it's cooked through, is opaque and flakes easily with a fork (insert the tines of a fork into the thickest part of the fish at an angle and twist gently; it should flake easily).
- Sprinkle some extra grated Parmesan cheese over top of each piece of salmon. Serve with lemon wedges. Enjoy!
Notes
- Bread crumbs: You can often find small bags of fresh bread crumbs in the grocery store in the bread section. You don’t want anything fancy here, just simple white or whole wheat bread. More often than not, I’ll use white bread crumbs. If you have a little bit of time, you can easily make your own bread crumbs by processing some slices of fresh sandwich bread in a food processor until you get fine crumbs. Generally speaking, to yield the amount required for this recipe, you’ll need about 2 slices of bread. Of course, the number of slices of bread you’ll need to yield 2 cups of bread crumbs could vary depending on the size of the slices.
- Speaking of bread crumbs, I used 2 cups worth (which is a generous amount). The cups are not packed. When measuring, I like to spoon the bread crumbs into the cup, not press or pack them in.
- Garnish: Feel free to garnish the baked salmon with freshly chopped parsley for an extra pop of flavour and colour.
A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.
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Tried this recipe?
If you do make this recipe, thank you!! It would mean so much if you could leave a comment below. Love to know how you enjoyed it, and it helps other readers too!
Michelle says
A lovely way to add texture to baked salmon! Delicious!
Dawn | Girl Heart Food says
Thank you so much, Michelle!