Barbecue Baked Salmon Recipe

Salmon is a fish we could all use a lot more of in our diets, especially seeing as how it is every bit as tasty as it is healthy. There are a number of different ways to cook it right (here are 16, just for starters), as well as a few ways to mess it up (don't do any of these things and you should be okay), but one of the easiest methods involves baking it. As developer Christina Musgrave says of this recipe, "This salmon with a homemade barbecue sauce is super easy, comes together quickly, and is delicious." As a bonus, her recipe for baked salmon also includes one for a homemade ketchup-based sweet barbecue sauce.

Musgrave says her top tip for successful salmon is to "Always use a meat thermometer to check and see if the salmon is cooked to desired temperature." That way, you can know exactly when your fish hits that desired 145 F temperature, and you can be sure not to overcook it. The result is perfectly tender, flaky salmon, with the added flair of a tangy barbecue sauce.

To make the barbecue sauce, you'll need ketchup for the base, then you'll sweeten it up with brown sugar and honey as well as adding cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, onion powder, and paprika for flavor. You're also going to need some salmon fillets, plus a little salt and pepper to season them.

Stir together all of the barbecue sauce ingredients: ketchup, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, honey, onion powder, and paprika. Cook the mixture until it starts to boil, then lower the heat to a simmer. Let it gently bubble for 10 minutes or until it thickens up to a barbecue sauce-like consistency.

As the barbecue sauce is simmering, set the oven to 400 F so it can heat up. Sprinkle the salmon with salt and pepper. When it is seasoned on both sides and the sauce is done cooking, take a pastry brush and use it to coat the salmon with the sauce. You're going to want to put it into a baking pan, too, since the next step involves baking it.

Check the oven and, if it's hot enough, put the salmon inside and bake it for 15 minutes or until it is done. "The salmon should flake easily," Musgrave notes.

Once the salmon has cooked, Musgrave says you can allow it to cool off for a few minutes so you don't burn your mouth if you dig in right away, but adds, "It doesn't need a long resting time like a steak would." Any leftover salmon should be good in the fridge for up to three days and can be used in salads or added to pasta or scrambled eggs, or even, as Musgrave suggests, repurposed as a taco filling.