Oven Baked Salmon

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
• 12 to 16 ounces fresh or thawed salmon, cut into 3 or 4 pieces of similar size
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

1. Wash hands with soap and water.
2. Preheat the oven to 450 °F.
3. Place the salmon, skin side down, on a foil-lined baking pan. Drizzle the flesh with oil and sprinkle on the salt and pepper.
4. Bake the salmon for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness and size of the fish pieces.
5. The salmon has cooked long enough when it is opaque on the outside and flakes when tested with a fork. If you have a food thermometer, check in the middle of a piece for a temperature of 145 °F.
6. Remove the pan from the oven and serve the salmon skin side down.
7. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours.

Notes:

• No time to thaw? You can bake salmon from frozen:
  • Preheat the oven to 450 °F.
  • Place the frozen salmon pieces in a foil-lined baking dish. Tightly cover the dish (without the cover touching the salmon) and bake for 15 minutes.
  • Remove the cover, drizzle the salmon with oil, season with salt and pepper and cook uncovered for 10 to 12 minutes until it is opaque on the outside and flakes when tested with a fork.
• Cook a smaller fish portion for one or two or save extras for another meal.