Dinner, Recipes

Honey-Dijon Roasted Salmon

Quick and easy to make, this delicious Honey-Dijon Roasted Salmon is perfect for an easy weeknight dinner. With just a few simple ingredients, yet packed with so much flavor, it’s ready in under 20 minutes. This Honey-Dijon Roasted Salmon is definitely a keeper!

Easy dinners on repeat. Please and thanks. My summer masters classes have come to an end and now starts the fall semester. Between work and school there isn’t much time to think about ‘what’s for dinner’. As I’ve said, it’s whatever I can heat and eat during the week. That’s literally been fueling me over these past few weeks. Enter this Honey-Dijon Roasted Salmon. Bonus: leftovers serve for lunch the next day!

I feel like a broken record here, but the truth is that patients’ number one complaints are that they don’t have time for dinner and they don’t really like to cook. Consider me the odd one out, because I normally do like to cook, (I just don’t have time right now). However, school has brought the challenge of trying to cook quick and easy meals that satisfy. This has in turn helped my patients be able to see quick and easy go-to options they too can have. The less complicated dinner is, the better, in my opinion.

2 empty plates with forks, thyme, and potatoes as props for decoration

Added Sugar

In creating this recipe I did use added sugar in the form of honey. Added sugar can be lurking in some foods we eat that we might not be aware of. As I teach patients, begin to identify where your added sugar is at and ultimately aim to cut back as much as possible. Simply be aware this recipe does have some added sugar.

Honey is what helps to create a caramelized top and also helps hold the moisture in. There is some science to baking/cooking and why I’ve used ‘added sugar’ here in this recipe. As you can see from my balanced plate created: salmon, potatoes, and broccoli, side salad not pictured, there are ways to build healthy meals while still being cognizant of where our added sugar is coming from. My other recommendation is to pay attention to the rest of your day and not hyperfocus on any one meal/food if possible. The ultimate goal is to identify your sources of added sugar and aim to cut back when/where you can.

Close-up picture of honey in a glass bowl

Ingredients for Honey-Dijon Roasted Salmon: salmon, dijon mustard, honey, and thyme

Ingredients: Honey-Dijon Roasted Salmon

Honey: A key ingredient for not only sweetness but also necessary to produce the caramelized exterior on the fish. Remember there is some science for the added sugar in this recipe.
Dijon Mustard: While I’m not a big Dijon mustard fan, paired with honey here it makes for a perfect sauce on salmon. Some people will use equal parts honey and Dijon-mustard. I used more honey to help with the caramelization and because Dijon mustard is not my favorite.
Salmon: Either fresh or wild-caught salmon work. The key is incorporating more seafood when and where you can. Either fresh or frozen (and thawed) work great for this recipe, just not canned. Purchase fillets that are boneless, bright pink, and have a nice marbling to them. Keep the skin on for this recipe as the salmon will easily flake off when broiling at such a high temperature.
Thyme: is the herb I had on hand, however, dill would work well also. I also added a few red pepper flakes for just a pinch of heat.
Black Pepper: Opting for a sprinkle of black pepper vs salt is typically the way I season my dishes. Over time my palate has adjusted to no added salt. Feel free to use a pinch if needed.

All the ingredients for Honey-Dijon Roasted Salmon: salmon, honey, dijon mustard, thyme

How To Make Honey-Dijon Roasted Salmon

Preheat broiler to high. Line pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.
Combine honey, Dijon mustard, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Reserve 1 tablespoon honey mixture. Stir/mix well to combine.
Arrange fillets, skin side down, on pan. Brush ~1 tablespoon of the honey mixture over fillets. Broil for 6 minutes. Check for doneness. Broil for 2 minutes more or to your liking. Brush fillets with remaining honey mixture.
Alternatively you can broil without any honey mixture for the first 6 minutes. Brush 2 tablespoons of the honey mixture over the fillets and then broil for 2 more minutes. Remove pan from oven; brush fillets with remaining honey mixture. Keep warm.
Serve salmon fillets with sides of your choice.

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Honey-Dijon Roasted Salmon

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5 from 1 review

Print Recipe

Total Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 4 1x

Ingredients

Scale

4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets
3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 thyme sprigs
pinch of red pepper flakes
4 thyme sprigs, optional

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Instructions

Preheat broiler to high. Line pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.

Combine honey, Dijon mustard, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Reserve 1 tablespoon honey mixture. Stir/mix well to combine.

Arrange fillets, skin side down, on pan. Brush ~1 tablespoon of the honey mixture over fillets. Broil for 6 minutes. Check for doneness. Broil for 2 minutes more or to your liking. Brush fillets with remaining honey mixture.

Alternatively you can broil without any honey mixture for the first 6 minutes. Brush 2 tablespoons of the honey mixture over the fillets and then broil for 2 more minutes. Remove pan from oven; brush fillets with remaining honey mixture. Keep warm.

Serve salmon fillets with sides of your choice.

Notes

*If making just one salmon fillet for myself I reserve the honey mixture in the refrigerator to use for a quick weeknight meal. Or if I make up extra salmon fillets I’ll use the salmon for a salmon bowl to eat as leftovers/lunch the following day.