Chef John's Baked Lemon Pepper Salmon

You don't need the broiler to make great salmon fillets. A hot oven can produce tender, moist, flaky meat every time. This recipe uses lots of lemon juice and black pepper.

• Preparation Time: 10 mins
• Cooking Time: 15 mins
• Total Time: 25 mins
• Calories: 488 Calories

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 1 ½ tablespoons mayonnaise
• sea salt to taste
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon yellow miso paste
• 2 (8 ounce) center-cut salmon fillets, boned, skin on

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Whisk together lemon juice and black pepper in small bowl. Add mayonnaise, miso paste, Dijon mustard, and cayenne pepper to lemon-pepper mixture; whisk together.

Step 2

Spread the lemon-pepper mixture over salmon fillets. Reserve about a tablespoon for later use.

Step 3

Cover salmon with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Step 4

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.

Step 5

Place fillets on the prepared baking sheet. Spread remaining lemon-pepper mixture on fillets without letting it pool around base. Sprinkle with a pinch more black pepper and a generous amount of sea salt.

Step 6

Bake in the preheated oven until the fish flakes easily with a fork, 10 to 15 minutes.