Healthy Lemon Butter Salmon Recipe | 4 Ingredient Lightly Buttered Salmon

You are going to love this healthy lemon butter salmon recipe! I’ve skinnied it down so it’s ever so light on the butter, and it brings out the best salmon flavors. | Pin it here.

Flashback to a year and a half ago when my husband switched jobs. We got invited over to his boss’s house for dinner and I had no idea what a treat I was in for! Out of the grill he pulled out the most delicious, lemon butter salmon and I had to know his secret!

Disclosures: None. This post was not created in partnership with any product or brand. 

Although I didn’t really get a recipe per se, I got the direction I needed to recreate this at home in a healthier way!

Healthy Lemon Butter Salmon Recipe

Sometimes you need to think about how some ingredients can be a vehicle to more nutritional value to your diet. For example, we add fat to food because it helps it taste better. The better it tastes, the more we eat. You can’t get the good nutrition if you won’t eat it! That said, it doesn’t take a whole lot to really bring out the richness of flavor in nutritious foods.

How I Skinnied This Lemon Butter Salmon Recipe Down

Since I just got the “how-to” and not an actual recipe, I took it upon myself to make sure I put it together in a way that made sense to my nutrition brain!

• I used a very small amount of butter, and to make a little go a long way I melted it in the microwave first and then used a pastry brush to “paint” it along the fish
• I used a low-sodium lemon pepper seasoning

That’s it! This recipe is so simple, it’s only four ingredients!

Benefits of Salmon

I’ve talked about the nutritional value of salmon before in my Honey-Glazed Poppyseed Salmon Salad Salmon recipe, but I’ll reiterate some of those important points here! Salmon is a rich source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids.

Protein at each meal is important because it helps trigger feelings of satiety or fullness. It’s also important for muscle protein synthesis (building and maintaining lean body mass!) and many hormones and enzymes in the body are made from protein.

Omega-3 fats are essential nutrients that our body cannot produce on its own, which means they must be eaten (or supplemented). They have anti-inflammatory properties and are important for brain, nervous system and heart health.

What I Like About This Lightened Up Lemon Butter Salmon Recipe

This lighter lemon butter salmon is so moist because it’s cooked in a foil tent. It takes a little bit longer to cook than if you put it on the grill bare, but it’s really flavorful and has a fantastic texture. Because it’s cooked in a foil tent or “packet,” it makes clean-up a breeze. This recipe is really forgiving; if you go over on lemon pepper or go light, no problem. It’s really hard to mess up this easy recipe!

What to Serve with Lemon Butter Salmon

Personally, I like to serve all of my lunch and dinners with a non-starchy vegetable, a whole grain and fruit! This lightened up lemon butter salmon pairs very nicely with roasted broccoli, sautéed zucchini squash or asparagus or a refreshing, crisp salad as a non-starchy vegetable. For a whole grain you could serve brown rice, a potato, whole grain pasta or an “easy garlic bread” (one slice whole grain bread, olive oil drizzle, dash of garlic powder or garlic salt, and a sprinkle of cheese, broiled or toasted in the toaster oven). You can serve fruit as dessert or with the meal to help satisfy that inner sweet tooth!

As always, I hope you love this healthy lemon butter salmon recipe! Let me know what you think!

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Do you like lemon butter salmon?

What do you like to serve with your lemon butter salmon??

Updated 4/29/2019. 

Healthy Lemon Butter Salmon Recipe | 4 Ingredient Lightly Buttered Salmon

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Prep Time 5 mins

Cook Time 18 mins

Total Time 23 mins

Course Main Dish

Cuisine American

Servings 4

Calories 229 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 lb salmon
• 2 tsp butter, melted
• 1/4 tsp lemon pepper (or to taste; can use fairly generously; I use ~1/8th-1/6th tsp sprinkled evenly depending on the size of my filet)
• 1 lemon, sliced
• salt to taste (optional - I don't usually salt mine)

Instructions

 

• IF USING A GRILL: Preheat grill to medium heat (indoor grill like a George Foreman is fine). IF USING THE OVEN: If you prefer to use the oven, preheat oven to 400°F.
• Place salmon (skin side down) on a large piece of foil.
• Melt butter by placing in the microwave for ~30 seconds.
• Prepare salmon by topping with butter (use a pastry brush or back of a spoon to spread evenly), then sprinkling on lemon pepper. Place lemon slices on top with lemon flesh directly on top of the salmon; for best flavor do not overlap slices.
• Completely enclose the salmon in foil by bringing the short ends together like a tent, then rolling down. Roll up the long ends.
• IF USING A GRILL: Grill until internal temperature of the salmon reaches 145° F (about 18 minutes). IF USING THE OVEN: Bake until internal temperature of the salmon reaches 145° F (about 20 minutes).

Notes

I always cook my salmon with the skin on because it's much easier to remove AFTER it's been cooked than while it's raw! The salmon should very easily lift from the skin using a spatula after it's been baked or grilled.

Nutrition

Calories: 229kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 23gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 72mgSodium: 101mgPotassium: 431mgFiber: 0.4gSugar: 0.4g

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