Cajun Honey Butter Salmon

Published: Oct 25, 2024 · Modified: Oct 26, 2024 by Colleen 2 Comments

Cajun Honey Butter Salmon is a delicious blend of sweet and spicy, combining spicy Cajun flavor with sweet honey and creamy butter. The honey butter gives the salmon a perfect caramelized glaze and locks in tender, flaky texture. This simple dish takes just minutes to prep and less than fifteen minutes in the oven. It's a perfect weeknight meal the whole family will love.

Four baked Cajun honey butter salmon fillets on a baking sheet.

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Here's why we love this recipe
Ingredient Notes
Step by step instructions
Top tips
Serving suggestions
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Recipe
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Here's why we love this recipe

Delicious. This Cajun honey butter salmon recipe strikes a perfect balance of sweet and spicy for a flavor packed meal that will wow your taste buds.
Simple ingredients. Just a few simple ingredients are needed to make this delicious recipe.
Quick and Easy. The great thing about this recipe is that it's perfect as a quick dinner option for those busy nights. The salmon needs just a few minutes of preparation and takes less than 20 minutes start to finish
Nutritious. Salmon is a very healthy protein, loaded with omega-3s and a great source of heart-healthy fats.

Three Cajun honey butter salmon fillets on a baking sheet with lemon wedges.

Ingredient Notes

Ingredient quantities and complete instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Salmon: You can use fresh salmon fillets or frozen and defrosted salmon fillets. I prefer wild salmon over farmed but either will work for this delicious dish. Fresh salmon should not have a fishy odor and should look moist. Farmed salmon will be a light pink color, while wild salmon should be a darker pink. Most fresh salmon fillets are sold with the skin.
Cajun seasoning: A Cajun spice blend usually contains cayenne pepper, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, black pepper, and a blend of herbs which can vary. You may want to try my homemade Cajun seasoning blend. It's really easy to make your own, and you can use it for many other Cajun recipes where you want those spicy flavors. (Like Cajun shrimp devilled eggs, Cajun shrimp and sausage pasta or, Cajun corn on the cob. You can also use a store-bought Cajun spice mix.
Butter: Salted butter vs unsalted butter. If you have unsalted butter on hand, use it, as it gives you more control over the amount of salt in this Cajun salmon recipe. However, feel free to use salted butter if that's what you have. No salt is added to this recipe because there is salt in homemade Cajun seasoning blend, and there is usually (a lot) of salt in packaged seasoning mixes.
Honey: Pure liquid honey works best but you can use maple syrup. Just be aware that there will be a change in flavor. Agave syrup can also be used and has a more neutral taste than maple syrup.
Lemon and Parsley: Lemon slices and chopped parsley are optional for serving.

Step by step instructions

On a parchment lined baking sheet, place salmon fillets skin side down. Rub the fillets with olive oil to coat.
Sprinkle Cajun seasoning over each fillet and use your hands to coat the seasoning evenly over each piece of fish.

In a small bowl, whisk together the honey and melted butter until smooth.

Bake the salmon fillets for 7 minutes.
Remove the fish from the oven and spoon the honey butter sauce over each fillet, coating with the back of a spoon. Return to the oven and bake for three to five more minutes.

Top tips

Pat the salmon dry. Use paper towels to dry the fillets before adding the oil and seasoning. This will help them to adhere better and less moisture will give the fillets a better caramelization.
Don't over cook. Overcooked salmon will be dried out and tough. Salmon should be opaque, rather than shiny and translucent. However, the flesh should till be pink and moist. To be sure that this Cajun honey butter salmon is cooked perfectly, I recommend using an instant read thermometer. The internal temperature of the salmon should be 145°.
Let it rest. Allow the salmon to rest for a couple of minutes before serving. This will allow the juices to distribute.
Add garlic. If your Cajun seasoning blend doesn't contain garlic powder, you can add it with the seasoning to your taste, or you can add fresh minced garlic to the honey butter sauce.
Adjust the spice or sweetness. Use less honey if you want less sweetness, and you can increase the spice level by adding red pepper flakes to the seasoning mix.
Storage: Store cooked salmon in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. (You can use leftover salmon to make old fashioned salmon patties, or salmon and shrimp alfredo pasta.)
To freeze: Cool completely, then store in a freezer safe container or zip lock bag for up to three months. Thaw in the fridge.
Other cooking methods: You can also pan fry (a grill pan works great), grill, or use an air fryer to make this salmon recipe.

Serving suggestions

Serve Cajun honey butter salmon with rice, cauliflower rice, or a fresh salad and asparagus or green beans. Or try a creamy parsnip puree for a perfect salmon pairing. And you can't go wrong with a simple medley of roasted vegetables, or roasted zucchini.

A squeeze of lemon juice is the perfect touch, so be sure to serve with lemon wedges.

More salmon

If you love salmon, you'll want to try these recipes, too.

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