You are going to love this delightful maple pecan glazed salmon! Oven baked and perfectly seasoned, this elegant salmon dish is impressive but easy. Made with wholesome ingredients that come together to create the most delicious meal with the best homemade maple glaze in just 30 minutes. Perfect for the holidays or for date night in! Gluten free, refined sugar free, dairy free, and paleo.
The best maple pecan glazed salmon
This recipe is a delightful festive spin on a classic oven baked salmon. It would be such a good seafood option to serve for Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner instead of turkey, and equally delicious for date night or a dinner party with friends!
Made with simple and wholesome pantry friendly ingredients and ready in less than 30 minutes with tons of flavor with minimal effort.
An easy seafood meal at home that is sure to delight!
Why you’ll love this maple pecan glazed salmon
It is:
- Perfectly cooked
- Sweet and savory
- Well seasoned
- Easy to make
- Festive
- Perfect or the holidays
- Gluten free, dairy free, and paleo
- Irresistibly delicious!
For more salmon inspiration be sure to check out our recipes for 30-Minute Garlic Ginger Glazed Salmon, Lemon Garlic Baked Salmon, and Buffalo Baked Salmon!
Ingredients and substitutions
For the salmon
- Salmon – For this recipe you can either use individually portioned salmon, or one large piece. Individual fillets will cook faster and are easier to serve to guests, but a large piece of beautiful salmon does make for a stunning presentation. If purchasing individual fillets ask for center cut pieces so they’re all equal thickness.
- Spice blend – A simple blend of salt, black pepper, and paprika are used to season the salmon fillets before baking.
- Olive oil – Just a little bit of olive oil helps the spices stick to the salmon.
- Fresh rosemary and orange slices – These are optional ingredients, but are a very pretty way to garnish the finished dish!
For the maple pecan glaze
- Pecans – Chopped pecans are the main star of the maple pecan glaze.
- Ghee or olive oil – Ghee or olive oil (to keep the recipe completely dairy free) add richness to the glaze.
- Rosemary – A small amount of finely chopped fresh rosemary is added to the glaze for some earthy, herby notes. You can substitute with 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary.
- Maple syrup – Maple syrup is the other main star of the glaze.
- Orange juice – Orange juice adds a bit of acid and layered sweetness.
- Mustard – Dijon or stone ground mustard both work.
- Salt – A little bit of salt brings all the other flavors together.
How to make maple pecan glazed salmon
This salmon recipe looks more complicated to make than it is!
The salmon is prepared with a simple spice rub and a little olive oil and baked while the glaze comes together on the stove top. All in all it only takes around 30 minutes to bring the dish together.
Here’s the step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Prep and season salmon. Wash and pat salmon thoroughly dry with paper towels. Season filets all over with paprika, kosher salt, black pepper, and olive oil and place in an oven safe baking dish. Transfer to the oven and bake until salmon is done.
- While salmon is baking make the maple pecan sauce. In a medium skillet toast chopped pecans over medium heat with ghee or olive oil. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced slightly and thick enough to coat a spoon.
- Top salmon with maple glaze. When salmon is done, spoon the pecan maple syrup glaze over the top and garnish with some fresh rosemary and sliced oranges if desired.
- Serve and enjoy!
What temperature should you bake salmon at?
I find that baking salmon at 400 degrees Fahrenheit is the perfect temperature. It’s hot enough that the salmon cooks fairly quickly and gets a nice crust on the exterior, but not so hot that it dries out before it cooks all the way through.
Should you cover salmon while cooking it?
Not for this recipe. I like leaving the salmon uncovered for a nice crisp exterior.
How to garnish this glazed salmon for a pretty presentation
While not necessary, garnishing the finished dish with some flavor cues and pretty ingredients does add a special touch to this recipe.
Cutting small tangerines into half moons and rounds and scattering them around the baking dish or on the serving platter along with some small pieces of fresh rosemary brings a welcome pop of color and vibrance!
What to serve with salmon
This oven baked glazed salmon is an easy main dish to add simple side dishes to!
Here’s some ideas for what to serve it with:
- Mashed potatoes
- Twice baked sweet potatoes
- Roasted sweet potatoes
- Hearty kale salad
- Brussels sprouts
- Green beans
- Garlic lemon roasted asparagus
- Roasted potatoes
If you enjoyed this recipe, we’d love it if you would take 5 seconds to rate and review it below! It’s also super helpful for other readers if you share any modifications you made to the recipe.
Thank you for sharing your kitchen with NK. We’re so grateful you’re here!
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Maple Pecan Glazed Salmon – Dairy Free!
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
You are going to love this delightful maple pecan glazed salmon! Oven baked and perfectly seasoned, this elegant salmon dish is impressive but easy. Made with wholesome ingredients that come together to create the most delicious meal with the best homemade maple glaze in just 30 minutes. Perfect for the holidays or for date night in! Gluten free, refined sugar free, dairy free, and paleo.
Ingredients
For salmon
- 4 (6-8 ounce) center cut salmon filets, or a 1 3/4 pound piece of salmon
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
For maple pecan glaze
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or ghee
- 1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary or 1/4 teaspoon dried
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 2 teaspoons stone ground or dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
To garnish
- Fresh rosemary and sliced tangerines
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Prep and season salmon. Wash and pat salmon thoroughly dry with paper towels. It’s easier to cook if you leave the skin on, and should easily slide off the salmon once it’s done. Bones can be removed with a needle nose pliers or tweezers. Season filets all over with paprika, kosher salt, black pepper, and olive oil, and place in an oven safe baking dish. Transfer to the oven. Bake for 15-16 minutes, until salmon is done – it should flake easily with a fork and be opaque almost to the center. If cooking one large piece of salmon instead of individual fillets it will take longer – anywhere from 18-22 minutes. If you really want to be sure you can use a thermometer to check – an internal temperature of 145° is recommended.
- While salmon is baking make the maple pecan sauce. In a medium skillet toast chopped pecans over medium heat with ghee or olive oil, stirring frequently until fragrant and slightly darker in color. Watch them closely so they don’t burn. When toasted, add maple syrup, orange juice, kosher salt, and Dijon mustard. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced slightly and thick enough to coat a spoon. If the sauce ends up too thick once cooled slightly, thin it with a bit of maple syrup.
- Top salmon with maple glaze. When salmon is done, spoon the pecan maple syrup glaze over the top and garnish with some fresh rosemary and sliced oranges if desired.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
While not necessary, garnishing the finished dish with some flavor cues and pretty ingredients does add a special touch to this recipe. Cutting small tangerines into half moons and rounds and scattering them around the baking dish or on the serving platter along with some small pieces of fresh rosemary brings a welcome pop of color and vibrance!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: dinner
- Method: oven
- Cuisine: american
Jamie says
Could I use pineapple juice instead of orange?
Nyssa Tanner says
Hi Jamie! Yes I think pineapple juice would totally work instead of orange juice. Hope you enjoy, and happy cooking! – Nyssa
MaryAnn says
Great maple salmon recipe!
I basted the cooking salmon with some of the sauce plus a little orange juice in it
~ sans pecans while cooking for extra flavor & glazed look & taste. Presented as shown ~ RAVE OVATION!
Nyssa Tanner says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!! Thanks for the note and happy cooking! – Nyssa