Baked Salmon with Honey Mustard and Pecan-Panko Crust
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
This baked salmon with a crunchy topping takes just 20 minutes to make, yet it’s elegant enough for company.
This easy salmon dish takes a total of 20 minutes—10 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook—yet tastes like something you’d order at a fancy restaurant. It’s perfect for when you have company coming at the end of a long day (and you’re asking yourself, “What was I thinking?!”) or on a busy weeknight when you have to hit the kitchen running. Feel free to substitute another type of fish like cod, trout or striped bass.
To parents of picky eaters: if your kids are lukewarm on fish, I find that a crunchy coating is the best way to entice them, and you can omit the nuts if need be (or try my panko-topped baked salmon recipe with no nuts). Pair the salmon with a green vegetable and a starch (baked potatoes, twice-baked potatoes, couscous, or drop biscuits are all good options).
Table of Contents
What You’ll Need To Make Baked Salmon with Honey Mustard & Pecan-Panko Crust
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by combining the mustard, butter, honey, salt, and pepper to make the glaze.
Next, make the topping by mixing together the panko, pecans, and parsley.
Spoon the glaze over the salmon fillets.
Then press the pecan-panko mixture over top.
Bake for 7-10 minutes per inch of thickness, or until the salmon flakes when tested with a fork.
Enjoy!
Video Tutorial
You May Also Like
Baked Salmon with Honey Mustard and Pecan Panko Crust
This baked salmon with a crunchy topping takes just 20 minutes to make, yet it’s elegant enough for company.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ¾ teaspoon salt, divided
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup panko
- ¼ cup finely chopped pecans
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped parsley (optional, for color)
- 4 (6-oz) salmon fillets
- 1 lemon, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy cleanup, and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the mustard, melted butter, honey, ½ teaspoon salt, and pepper. Set aside.
- In another small bowl, mix together the panko, pecans, parsley (if using), and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt.
- Spoon the honey-mustard mixture evenly over the salmon fillets. (Don't worry if it drips down the sides a little.) Sprinkle the panko-pecan mixture over the glaze, pressing it lightly so it adheres.
- Bake for 7-10 minutes per inch of thickness, depending on how well done you like your salmon. (If you find that the topping is browning more than you’d like before the fish is cooked through, loosely cover the salmon with foil.) Serve hot or at room temperature. (Note that if your salmon has skin, it may stick to the foil; to remove the fish from the pan, slide a thin spatula between the skin and the flesh, leaving the skin behind.)
- Make Ahead: The salmon can be glazed, coated with the panko-pecan mixture, and refrigerated up to 3 hours ahead of time.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
Powered by 
- Per serving (4 servings)
- Calories: 482
- Fat: 33 g
- Saturated fat: 9 g
- Carbohydrates: 8 g
- Sugar: 5 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 36 g
- Sodium: 467 mg
- Cholesterol: 109 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
This recipe makes me look GREAT! The honey/Dijon and Pecans put Salmon into the stratosphere. Such an easy recipe. I work full time but I love to cook. My partner and kids love it and ask for it whenever I mention Salmon! Thank You!
As always, fabulous recipe, exactly as written. I the salmon on top of a spring mix salad with asparagus that I roasted with a little olive oil/S&P on the same pan. A splash of green goddess dressing on the salad and crusty bread on the side. Delicious, thank you!
We always enjoy your recipes. I plan to make this recipe for guests.
Would your Rice Pilaf with Caramelized Onion, Orange, Cherry & Pistachio go well with this salmon dish?
Hi Agnes, I may choose a starch that is a little plainer so as not to compete with the flavors in the salmon, but it would work.
The spinach under the salmon looks luscious! I couldn’t find a recipe for that on your website; will you be able to add directions for how to properly and tastily wilt spinach (pretty please!).
I also appreciate others’ serving suggestions in the comments! Looking forward to making this with various sides (but I love wilted spinach, but haven’t been able to do myself properly). Also hard to find garlic-free recipe (I finally deduced that many migraines after eating could be traced back to garlic—can you believe that?!).
Thanks so much for sharing, excited to see in comments that you have a cookbook!
Thank you!
Hi Jessica, I’ll add sautéed spinach to my list of recipes to add to the blog – meanwhile, simply sauté spinach with a little butter and and season with salt and pepper. (I use garlic too, but based on what you said, I’d omit it!) Hope that helps. 🙂
Hi!
Do I need to add pecans? My husband isn’t a fan
Hi Alison, It’s fine to leave them out; I would replace them with more panko. Enjoy!
Do you think this topping would go with haddock?
Sure, I think it would work – please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
This was excellent! Thanks for all the great recipes. We recently had to start watching our sodium, and I was able to omit all the salt in this recipe, and it still came out fantastic. The fish and mustard have enough salt.
Delicious! So easy to prepare. I will definitely be making this again! Thanks so much for another fabulous recipe.
Amazing!! If I could rate this 100 times I would, this is our GO TO for salmon. It’s simple, delicious, and looks gourmet. We make it every couple of weeks and my husband raves over it.
I mix the dry ingredients in advance and keep them on hand so it’s even faster. We like to pair it with oven roasted broccoli and rice pilaf. 🙂
Amazing