Last Updated on February 18, 2026 by Eve Dawes
Bourbon Honey Pecan Crusted Salmon | Easy Oven Baked Salmon Recipe
Pecan crusted salmon and brown sugar recipe make for the tastiest, moistest, salmon entree that is super easy to make. This oven baked salmon recipe is pecan crusted and sweet bourbon glazed for a crunchy, sweet flavor that’ll keep having you coming back for more. It cooks in 1 pan and 1 oven dish for a quick and easy clean up. I kept this oven baked salmon recipe healthy by keeping the brown sugar and sodium content low and not adding any fat since salmon is naturally high in healthy fats anyway. Don’t worry the salmon won’t dry out. The sauce and fats from the salmon keep it super moist.
Pecan crusted salmon with brown sugar & bourbon
We love salmon in my family, it’s one of the less fishy smelling fishes, cooks quickly, and is really versatile and healthy. Oven baked Salmon’s easy to cook and it’s really hard to mess up unless you try to cook it on too high a heat for too long. I definitely recommend buying salmon fillets so that you don’t have to deal with any bones.
This oven baked salmon recipe looks impressive with its pecan crust and bourbon glaze but is so easy to make. It also makes your house smell amazing while baking with it’s sweet, garlicky scent.
How do I know when Salmon’s cooked?
The internal temperature for salmon should be:
- Medium Rare 120 F
- Medium 125 F
- Done 145 F
I highly recommend MEATER Plus | 165ft Long Range Smart Wireless Meat Thermometer for The Oven Grill Kitchen BBQ Smoker Rotisserie with Bluetooth and WiFi Digital Connectivity to make your life easy.
This meat and fish thermometer connects via bluetooth to your phone so that you don’t have to keep checking the internal temperature.
It walks you through every step of cooking to ensure perfect results. It can also let you know the estimated and remaining cooking time and temperature and sends you customized alerts.
If you don’t have a thermometer you can cut into the salmon at the thickest part to make sure it’s done, look for flakiness rather than toughness. It can look a little undercooked when you first take the salmon out of the oven but it’ll keep cooking while it’s resting.
Do you bake salmon covered or uncovered?
It depends. If you’re not doing a glaze or crust, baking salmon in a covered oven proof baking dish or in a baking foil packet will help keep moisture in. It almost steams the fish and can speed up cooking time
However, when baking at a low heat with a glaze like this oven baked salmon recipe, it’s best cooked uncovered.
Do I need to let the salmon rest?
Ideally you should let most proteins rest for about 10 minutes after cooking to let the fibers relax for more tender meat and fish. So once you’ve taken the salmon out of the oven or off the heat, cover it with aluminum foil and allow it to rest for about 10 minutes.
Oven baked bourbon pecan salmon recipe serving suggestions
Oven baked salmon goes with pretty much any side from cold salads to hot starches but if you’re trying to keep it a healthy salmon recipe green vegetables, salad, quinoa or brown rice all compliment the fish well.
Serve with:
- Brown rice
- Coconut rice
- Teriyaki vegetables
- Green Salad
- Steamed broccoli and asparagus
- Cauliflower mash
Bourbon Pecan Crusted Salmon Oven Baked Salmon Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 -2 lbs Salmon fillet of your preference
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 TBSPS honey or maple syrup
- 5 TBSPS low sodium soy sauce
- 2 minced garlic cloves
- 1 TBSP Bourbon (we used Vanilla Crown)
- Juice 1/2 freshly squeezed lemon
- 1/2 cup chopped unsalted, raw pecans
- 1 TBSP chopped fresh or dried parsley to garnish (optional)
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 285*F or 275*F convection oven
- Line an ovenproof tray with aluminum foil.
- In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, honey, soy sauce, garlic, lemon juice and Bourbon over a medium heat. Stir until the sugars dissolved and it’s boiling. Keep on rolling boil and let the mixture reduce while stirring. If you prefer a thicker glaze add more sugar or cornstarch. I kept the sugars low to be healthier.
- Place the salmon onto the foil skin side down. Do not cover the salmon.
- Pour the bourbon glaze evenly over your salmon, using a pastry brush to cover it evenly.
- Sprinkle the pecans over the salmon and press them into the fillet(s) to keep them in place.
- Place the salmon in the preheated oven for 10-20 minutes. To make sure the salmon is cooked perfectly I recommend using a blue tooth cooking thermometer. You want the internal temperature at the thickest part to be 120*F.
- Once the internal temperature reaches 120F, remove the salmon from the oven and turn on your broiler.
- Place the salmon under your broiler until the pecans brown not blacken, usually 1-2 minutes depending on how close your salmon is to the heat. This will bring your salmon up to 125-135*F.
- Do not overcook as the salmon will keep cooking while it’s resting.
- Optional: Cover with aluminum foil and allow to rest for about 5-10 minutes if you like your salmon more well done.
- Serve your pecan crusted salmon brown sugar entree with any of the serving ideas above.
Avoid these mistakes when cooking or oven baking salmon
- Cooking salmon on too high a heat. Cook medium low and slow
- Bones! Buy fillets so you don’t have to deal with removing the bones
- Salting raw salmon. Avoid a salt rub or seasoning prior to cooking so you don’t dry the fish out.
- Taking the skin off. Leave the skin on while cooking.
- Cooking skin side up. Cook skin side down for the best results.
- Uneven thickness. Try and get salmon of equal thickness, if you can’t use a thermometer for the best results
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