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Baked Salmon in Foil with Asparagus

Baked salmon in foil with asparagus is a simple one-pan meal with tender, flaky fish and crisp-tender asparagus. Garlicky lemon butter cooks right inside sealed foil packets for fast cleanup and juicy flavor.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 18 minutes
Total Time 33 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Salmon fillets
  • 4 6 oz salmon fillets Cut into 6 oz portions if needed.
Asparagus
  • 1 lb asparagus Trim tough ends.
Olive oil
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
Unsalted butter
  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter Melt for the lemon garlic butter.
Garlic
  • 4 cloves garlic Minced.
Lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Lemon zest
  • 1 tsp lemon zest
Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
Paprika
  • 0.5 tsp paprika
Kosher salt
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
Black pepper
  • 0.5 tsp black pepper
Lemon
  • 1 lemon Slice into thin rounds.
Fresh parsley
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Prep foil packets
  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F and set a sheet pan inside to warm while you prep the foil. Cut four large sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil.
  2. Divide the asparagus evenly among the foil sheets, forming a bed in the center of each piece. Drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil and season lightly with kosher salt and black pepper.
  3. Place 1 salmon fillet over each bed of asparagus. Keep the fillets centered so the steam stays in the packet.
Make lemon garlic butter and assemble
  1. Whisk together the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil, melted unsalted butter, minced garlic, fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, Italian seasoning, paprika, kosher salt, and black pepper until smooth. The mixture should look glossy and pourable.
  2. Spoon the garlic butter mixture evenly over the salmon. Top each fillet with lemon slices.
  3. Fold the foil tightly to seal each packet, leaving a small gap for steam to circulate. Place packets on the hot sheet pan for even cooking.
Bake and serve
  1. Bake at 400°F for 15–18 minutes until the salmon flakes easily with a fork and reaches 145°F internally. The asparagus should be tender but still slightly crisp, not mushy.
  2. Carefully open the foil packets, allowing steam to escape away from you. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and serve immediately with the buttery pan juices.

Notes

For clean foil packet sealing, fold the edges twice to prevent butter from leaking. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days; reheat gently in the microwave until just warm, since salmon can dry out. Freezing is not recommended because foil-cooked asparagus can become watery after thawing. For a lighter option, use olive oil in place of all or part of the unsalted butter (you’ll still get great garlic-lemon flavor).