This recipe is for easy saffron-infused marinated salmon using an oven baking method and fillet cuts of fish. Salmon has great flavor on its own – add to it this light and sophisticated marinade, and this fish dish rises to the top.  With only a few ingredients and a short marination period, this recipe is a keeper.  Easy marinated salmon is perfect for special occasions and to add to the weeknight rotation.

Beautiful bloomed saffron stains the fish fillets ever so mildly with an appealing orange tint.  My favorite way to serve saffron-infused salmon is alongside a steaming serving of fluffy Basmati rice.  For quick preparation tips for making Persian rice, see our post How to Prepare Rice in a Rice Cooker.  

This simple fish dish is easy to dress up.  Save this recipe for a special Persian new year (in Farsi the new year is called Norooz, Nowruz) meal.  The Persian New Year falls on the first day of spring at the exact moment of the vernal equinox (typically falling somewhere between March 19th and 21st in our northern hemisphere).   The Persian new year and the start of spring reflect growth, renewal, health, hope, and love.  

The traditional Persian new year Norooz meal consists of an Herb rice and fish dish which in Farsi is called Sabzi Polo ba Mahi (translation:  herb rice with fish; mahi is Farsi for fish).  The fish that is prepared is normally either a white fish like trout, tilapia, or cod.  We find salmon to be a flavorful fish.  It is most traditional for families pan fry the fish and serve it with the herby rice.  Sometimes the fish is smoked.  We choose salmon with a fun marinade to cook in the oven for a modern, healthy twist.

pictured here, a side dish of kookoo sabzi along with a platter of smoked salmon

In a pinch, you can take a shortcut and use a store-bought breaded fish or a smoked salmon as the fish place holder of this iconic Persian new year meal.  Any fish will do but our saffron-infused marinated salmon is delicious and memorable.

Other customary dishes served on the Persian New Year Norooz table include koo koo sabzi (see our recipe for fast, easy, healthy Kookoo Sabzi Herb Muffins) and a delicious and hearty noodle soup called aash reshteh (see our delicious recipe for Aash Reshteh | Persian Noodle Soup).  

Easy marinated salmon ingredients:

• olive oil
• minced garlic
• fresh-squeezed lemon juice
• sea salt
• bloomed saffron

It only takes 15 to 20 minutes for the oils, spices, and flavors to seep in.  

In Persian new year meals, the fish is traditionally pan-fried.  To make it healthier we save on oil and calories by oven baking our fish.

A good rule of thumb for baking fish fillets is to cook for about 8 minutes per 1 inch of thickness in a nice hot, 450 degree F preheated oven.

You will know you have cooked the salmon perfectly when it has turned from translucent to pink inside.  It should easily fall into pieces without being flaky (overcooked, dry) while still moist and tender in the centers.

If you missed our post about the unique Persian trail mix (Ajeel in Farsi), also enjoyed during the Persian new year Norooz festivities, be sure to click over and read about it HERE.

Yield: 4

Easy Marinated Salmon

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This recipe is for easy saffron-infused marinated salmon using an oven baking method and fillet cuts of fish. Salmon has great flavor on its own - add to it this light and sophisticated marinade, and this fish dish rises to the top.  With only a few ingredients and a short marination period, this recipe is a keeper.  Easy marinated salmon is perfect for special occasions and to add to the weeknight rotation.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Additional Time 30 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 to 5 salmon fillets (with skin intact)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons bloomed saffron (see recipe notes for blooming saffron)
• 4 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

1. Combine the marinade ingredients in a large measuring glass or a medium-size bowl - olive oil, lemon juice, bloomed saffron, garlic, and salt
2. Place the salmon fillets in a shallow dish or Pyrex and drizzle the marinade over it, coating the tops with minced garlic
3. Marinade for a total of 15 to 30 minutes, turning the fillets once - drizzle the marinade over the tops of the fillets after flipping in the dish. All of the fillets should be soaked and get an orange tint from the saffron
4. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F
5. Line a baking pan with tin foil
6. Transfer the marinated fillets to the foil-lined baking sheet with the skin side down
7. Bake for 8 minutes per 1-inch thickness of the fish fillet, staying mindful not to overcook the fillets (see recipe notes) or burn the skins

Notes

How to bloom saffron:

Grind the saffron threads down to a powder using a mortar and pestle. Dissolve in boiling water and allow to dissolve, bloom, and come to room temperature. Using about 1/4 teaspoon of ground saffron per 2 tablespoons of boiling water produces 2 tablespoons of concentrated saffron-infused water.

Cooking tips:

You will know you have cooked the salmon perfectly when it has turned from translucent to pink inside.  It should easily fall into pieces without being flaky (overcooked, dry) while still moist and tender in the centers.