Baked Cajun Salmon

Baked Cajun Salmon is quick and easy recipe to add to your fish dinner repertoire! This low carb salmon is the perfect quick dinner to serve on busy weeknights. I will show how to roast the most delicious salmon so that it’s flaky, juicy and packed with flavor!

Easy Pan Roasted Cajun Salmon recipe is so simple to prepare and so flavorful! I know you would want it in your list of quick and easy baked salmon recipes. I topped this most popular fish with a yummy Creole seasoning mixture. It also includes lemon zest, and paprika. With only 2 grams of carbs per serving this gluten free salmon recipe is a protein powerhouse. I love baking salmon for its meaty texture, light taste and because it bakes quickly in under 30 minutes! So healthy and delicious!

Jump to:

• Is baked salmon good for your health?
• Farmed Salmon vs. Wild Salmon
• Is salmon better with skin or without skin?
• Is salmon high in mercury?
• Can you eat that white gooey stuff on salmon?
• Benefits of eating salmon
• How to prepare Cajun Seasoning Blend
• What kind of skillet do I need?
• How to cook salmon
• How to zest a lemon
• Roasting time for cajun salmon
• More seafood recipes
• Easy Pan Roasted Cajun Salmon

Is baked salmon good for your health?

WILD CAUGHT SALMON is considered to be one of the world’s healthiest foods due to the abundance of Omega-3 fatty acids, selenium and iodine. Those elements keep your body healthy by reducing inflammation. The also lower blood pressure and keep your thyroid in a good shape. Very important!

SALMON IS LIGHT ON CALORIES AND CARBS. Did I mention that this fish protein also very light on calories and carbs? It’s the perfect healthy meal! By the way, the calorie and fat content in wild salmon is lower compared with farmed salmon.

Farmed Salmon vs. Wild Salmon

• FARMED SALMON are fed on oil, soybeans, and chicken fat. Did you know that the flesh of farmed salmon is actually grey? To make it pin, it is colored by astaxanthin, a manufactured copy of the pigment that wild salmon eat in nature.
• WILD SALMON on the other hand get their color from eating krill and shrimp.  That’s why the flesh of wild salmon is naturally orange/pink. This reddish-orange compound found in krill and shrimp.

Is salmon better with skin or without skin?

• SKIN ON EQUALS MORE OMEGA-3 FATS! We all know that salmon is full of healthy fats, but did you know that much of those are actually stored in the skin? Omega-3’s are known to help prevent heart attacks, improve brain health in babies, and reduce inflammation. They are found in the salmon’s fat and get absorbed by the skin during cooking. Thus the skin is a great source of these beneficial Omega-3 fats.
• MOISTURE RETENTION! Another benefit of having the skin on is that the skin will help the meat retain its moisture as it cooks.

Is salmon high in mercury?

Fortunately, MERCURY LEVELS in Salmon are among the lowest found! Therefore eating a lot of salmon will NOT put you at the risk of mercury poisoning at all :). But do you know why? Because salmon migrates upstream to the fresh waters, away from contaminated ocean waters, in order to lay eggs. As a result, salmon spends a significant part of its life outside the ocean, accumulating lower levels of mercury.

Can you eat that white gooey stuff on salmon?

WHITE STUFF ON SALMON is a fish’s internal protein, called “albumin”. This coagulated protein is perfectly safe to eat. As you cook your salmon, its muscle fibers contract, causing it to wring out the fish’s internal protein.

WHEN SALMON IS RAW, you can’t see the albumin inside, but as the fish cooks, albumin thickens and results in the gooey white stuff you see on salmon skin and surface. I find it to be quite tasty and used to think that it was fat, not a protein.

Benefits of eating salmon

PROTEIN CONTENT. Salmon is a protein powerhouse. A 3.5-ounce serving of salmon contains 22–25 grams of high quality protein, which is almost 50% percent of the daily required intake of protein. And as a bonus, it’s a great source of essential amino acids that promote healthy cell growth and maintain muscle tissue mass.

B VITAMINS. What’s even more amazing about salmon is that salmon is an excellent source of essential vitamins to keep your body healthy longer. It’s high in B vitamins, which protect your heart brain and maintain nervous system. Of course, the topping in this recipe is no less nutritious. This bright orange color is loaded with vitamins and minerals too!

How to prepare Cajun Seasoning Blend

• First, you will mix Cajun seasoning and paprika.
• Next let’s add garlic and onion powders, as well as black pepper.
• You can also use Creole seasoning and regular, smoked, or Chipotle Paprika. Depending on what kind of paprika you use, the color can range from a bright orange-red to a deep blood red. And the flavor can be anything from mild to bitter and hot.

What kind of skillet do I need?

ANY OVEN PROOF SKILLET! To make this baked salmon, you will need a reliable oven proof pan, such as Lodge Pro Logic seasoned cast iron pan.

You can also use a dutch oven skillet or a stainless steel skillet.

How to cook salmon

• First, rinse salmon and pat it dry with paper towels.
• Next I add olive oil to the skillet.
• Now let’s place salmon in the skillet SKIN SIDE DOWN.
• You will rub the top surface of salmon with the second tablespoon of olive oil. Use your fingers like I did. Or, use a pastry brush.
• Season salmon with salt.
• Finally rub prepared Seasoning Blend into salmon’s surface.

LEMON JUICE. Top the Cajun Salmon with lemon juice. You won’t need much, only ¼ of a lemon. I just cut up my lemon and squeezed a quarter of it right over the salmon. Fish and lemon go together very well!

How to zest a lemon

LEMON ZEST. You will need some lemon zest in this salmon recipe. To quickly zest a lemon, I used this stainless steel zester that  is super sharp and easy to use! You an also use this grater that is also a zester. It’s a different design and is also razor sharp!

If you never zested a lemon, you can easily learn how to zest a lemon here.

Besides making lemon zest with those sharp tools, I use them frequently to finely shred cheese, chocolate and even onions!

Roasting time for cajun salmon

BAKE this Cajun Salmon at 425 F for 20-25 minutes. Once done, garnish with fresh chopped Parsley. Easy Roasted Cajun Salmon is done! So nutritious and tasty!

More seafood recipes

If you are a fan of fresh salmon like we are, I hope you will also try our recipes for Pesto Shrimp Fettuccine in Mushroom Garlic Sauce and Shrimp Pasta in Garlic Basil Tomato Sauce. These are perfect for a weeknight dinner or for when you have guests.

Make sure to use a good heavy skillet here, such as cast iron and make sure it’s a large one too. I used 12 inch Lodge Pro-Logic Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet in this recipe – it’s well designed, has a helper handle and sloped sides – very sleek looking for cast iron!

I have other cast iron skillets, but prefer this one due to its size (it’s very large with even more space due to its sloped sides), it also never sticks or leaves weird black dots on meat like other cast iron skillets do. And it’s one of my most used kitchen tools!