Herbes de Provence Baked Salmon Recipe with Easy Lemon Herb Mayonnaise
This herbes de Provence baked salmon recipe with homemade lemon and herb mayonnaise is as easy to make as it is appetizing. I love to make this when I’m hosting girl's night at my house. The oven does most of the work, crisping up this breadcrumb baked salmon perfectly, which means you get to spend more time with your friends! I always ask my local butcher, Carnivore, to trim the salmon for me. This saves time on prep work, so I can make an extra treat—like my Rosé Blackberry Spritz Cocktail recipe. Read on to learn how to trim salmon yourself and so much more!
How to Trim and Portion Your Salmon
There are a couple different ways to approach this salmon recipe: Your fish filet can be prepared whole or cut into six 6-ounce portions. Serving a large filet makes for an impressive presentation, but cutting the salmon into portions makes serving so much easier. I’ve included both options in the recipe below. Your girlfriends are going to love it either way—this is a truly delectable recipe!
If you are trimming your own salmon, begin by using a chef’s knife to remove the skin, if desired. Then trim off the white, fatty areas on the bottom and top of the salmon. Even out the cut of the salmon by trimming the fish sides.
What are Herbes de Provence?
You’ve probably seen this blend of herbs on the shelf at your local market—if there’s not already a jar on your spice rack at home! But what exactly is herbes de Provence, anyway? This mixture is an essential component of French and Mediterranean cooking and includes a variety of herbs and spices like rosemary, thyme, oregano, and sometimes lavender.
The Label Rouge, a food quality organization in France, defines herbes de Provence as containing 19% thyme, 27% rosemary, 27% savory, and 27% oregano. Although there can be quite a bit of variation across different brands, you can buy a premade blend from your favorite grocer or local spice shop.
How to Make an Herbes de Provence Breadcrumb Coating
Any variety of herbes de Provence you like will work for this recipe. Herbes de Provence are great paired with breadcrumbs as a topping—they take on a nice, toasty flavor and crisp texture that complements the fish perfectly. A few quick pulses in a food processor with a bit of olive oil will do the trick.
Easy Lemon Herb Mayonnaise
This Easy Lemon Herb Mayonnaise recipe is so simple and will take your salmon to the next level. Serve on the side of your salmon or add a dollop to the top… Delicious!
What to Serve with Herbes de Provence Baked Salmon
My au gratin potato casserole recipe also includes this classic herb blend, which means it would make a great side dish for your salmon! Add a chopped Italian salad with homemade vinaigrette and it’s a complete meal!
Herbes de Provence Baked Salmon Recipe with Easy Lemon Herb Mayonnaise
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
- 2 teaspoons herbes de Provence
- 1¾ cups dry breadcrumbs or panko
- 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (divided)
- 1 boneless salmon filet (skin on or off—your choice!), about 2 ½ pounds
- Lemon zest
- Chopped Italian parsley
- Arugula if serving on a buffet platter
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the mustard, lemon juice, honey, parsley, herbes de Provence, and the breadcrumbs. Pulse just to combine. A few twirls should do it! Add 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and pulse again just to combine.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Now it’s time to decide whether you’d like to prepare individual portions or the whole filet. If you decide to portion it out, cut the fish into portions now. If your salmon filet is 2 ½ pounds, you will get about 6 portions.
- Place the salmon, skin-side down (if it has been skinned, place down the side that the skin was on), on the prepared pan.
- Brush the top of the salmon with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Firmly pack the breadcrumb mixture onto the top of the salmon.
- Bake in the preheated oven until the salmon is just cooked through—about 25 minutes for a whole filet, or 18 to 20 minutes for individual portions. You can use an instant read thermometer to test if it is done. Insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the salmon: The temperature will be 155 degrees when it’s ready.
- While the salmon is baking, prepare any sauces you would like to serve it with.
- Serve the finished salmon either whole on a serving platter (you can cut it into serving pieces and keep it on the platter if you like) or on individual serving plates. I like to serve it on a large serving platter on a bed of arugula with lemon slices. For a gorgeous garnish, I like to top the salmon with finely chopped Italian parsley and lemon zest. Enjoy!
