This keto salmon with cilantro is the easiest salmon recipe out there and is ready in only 25 minutes. Packed with flavors, this recipe is a gluten-free and low carb crowd-pleasing dish that’s super colorful and will look amazing on your dinner table.
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Ingredients you will need
Salmon fillet - Wild-caught salmon is the best choice you can make, but not everyone can afford or access to it. So, choose what’s available to you and your pocket. I used one large 2.5 lb fillet farm-raised salmon with skin on, but you can also use 6 pre-cut salmon fillets.
Salt and black pepper - You really can't go wrong with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper when seasoning salmon. You can also use another type of salt like kosher salt.
Cilantro - Cilantro and salmon are two ingredients that go so well together. I'm using dry cilantro to season my keto salmon dish before baking it and fresh cilantro for garnishing.
Chili flakes - Or you can use chili powder!
Lemon - You're going to put thin slices of fresh lemon on top of the salmon fillet before baking it - they’ll brown and crisp up while baking. We're also going to use lemon wedges to serve our keto salmon dinner.
Butter - I use unsalted butter to grease the piece of foil that I cover my baking tray with and to brush the salmon. You can also use olive oil, ghee or avocado oil to make this dish paleo.
Step by step instructions
Let me tell you, this salmon keto recipe is one of the easiest keto recipes out there. All you need is to properly season and bake the fish.
Season our salmon fillet with salt and let it marinate for 10 minutes at room temperature. After, place the fillet on the baking tray lined with a piece of foil greased with some butter or olive/avocado oil, skin-side down. Add freshly ground black pepper, chili flakes, and dried cilantro, then place lemon slices on top.
Place the baking tray with your seasoned salmon in the middle of the oven (preheated to 190C (375F)) and bake for 18-20 minutes or until flaky and the inner temperature of the thickest part riches 140F (60C). If you use 4-6 small fillets, the cooking time will be around 15 minutes.
When our low carb baked salmon is done, remove from the oven and let it rest for 3 minutes before slicing and garnishing with freshly chopped cilantro. Serve this easy low carb salmon dinner with lemon wedges and a side dish of your choice!
How to tell when salmon is done
The easiest way to check if this low carb salmon recipe is done is to use an instant-read thermometer. The inner temperature of fully cooked salmon should be 145F (63C) for well-done. Don't forget that your salmon fillet will continue cooking for several minutes after you take it out from the oven! So, if your thermometer shows 140F (60C), no need to return the salmon back into the oven - just let it rest for 3-5 minutes before slicing it!
The other way to check if your salmon is ready to dig in to is to stick the fork into the thickest part of the salmon. If the meat flakes easily and the color of the meat is opaque pinkish-white, it's ready to eat.
The one thing you definitely want to avoid is cooking your cilantro salmon fillet until white liquid (albumin) start to appear on the surface. If that happens, you’ve overcooked your salmon and the liquid proteins that make your salmon juicy try to escape, making the fish dry.
How many carbs in salmon with cilantro
Zero! I mean, there're some traces of carbs in the spices and cilantro, as well as an insignificant amount of carbs in thin lemon slices and lemon juice from wedges, but the salmon itself has no carbohydrates in it. So, if you're still asking yourself ‘is salmon low carb?’, the answer is YES IT IS!
Serving ideas
Fresh vegetables will always feel right to serve with fatty fish to balance out the flavors. Baked or fried asparagus will also complement the dish. However, my absolute favorite side dish that I love to serve with this cilantro salmon recipe is my easy OVEN ROASTED RUTABAGA RECIPE. It's not only absolutely delicious but also suitable for the keto diet.
More keto salmon recipes
Recipe
Keto salmon with cilantro
Equipment
- Baking tray
Ingredients
- 2.5 lb (1.5kg) large salmon fillet, skin on
- Sea salt
- 3 tablespoon 45g unsalted butter, melted (olive oil, ghee or avocado oil to make it paleo)
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1-2 tablespoon chili flakes
- 1-2 tablespoon dried cilantro
Garnishing
- Fresh cilantro, chopped
- Lemon wedges
Instructions
- Season the salmon fillet with the sea salt and let it marinate for 10 minutes at room temperature.
- Preheat the oven to 190C (375F) and line the baking tray with a piece of foil greased with melted butter.
- Place the salmon fillet on the baking tray, skin-side down, and season with some extra salt (if needed), freshly ground black pepper, chili flakes, and dried cilantro. Place lemon slices on top.
- When the oven is hot, place the baking tray with your seasoned salmon in the middle. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until flaky and the inner temperature of the thickest part reaches 140F (60C). If you use 4-6 small fillets, the cooking time will be around 15 minutes.
- When done, remove from the oven and let it rest for 3-5 minutes before slicing.
- Serve hot, garnished with freshly chopped cilantro and lemon wedges on the side.
Notes
This website, https://heretocook.com, offers nutritional information for recipes contained on this site. This information is provided as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. This information is a product of online calculators such as Cronometer.com and MyFitnesPal.com
Anna says
I'm glad that you liked it!
Order Food Online says
I like this recipe and I will try this at home.
Anna says
Let me know how you like it!
Karen says
This recipe was extremely easy to make and it came out absolutely delicious.
Anna says
Glad you liked it!