Baked Salmon w/ Marinade

We're having salmon again, and of course, we're baking it! We do have a grill outside, but it has no cover, and cooks kind of oddly. Oh, the joys of living in an apartment. :)

I wasn't sure what to make for dinner, then remembered we had a whole fillet of salmon in the freezer. We let it thaw, and got to work on a simple marinade. 

Now, I have never cooked fish that still had it's skin. When I bought it, I guess I didn't realize what I was actually buying. It totally freaked me out when I opened the package and this thing slid out. I may have panicked slightly and told Tony I changed my mind and decided not to make dinner. But...he assured me that it wasn't that scary, so I put my big girl pants on and got to work!

Even though I forgot I had fish in the oven and overcooked it, it was still good! Keep in mind, baked fish never really looks appetizing to me, but the taste is still super good! 

(Be sure to buy wild caught fish though....it's so much better!)

In a small bowl, I mixed up some olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, lemon juice, and a little Jack Daniel's horseradish mustard.

In a dish, I drizzled it over the fish then turned it flesh side down to soak in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate at least 1-2 hours. 

(If I wasn't out of gallon ziplocs, I would have used that instead. I think it would have worked a little better.)

Once it's done marinating, take it out and set it on a piece of aluminum foil.

The lemon juice will have made it look a little funky. Don't fret...it's fine. :)

{Ignore the fact that I kind of demolished my fillet when I was shoving it into the marinating container.}

Pour the marinade on top.

Add a few slabs of butter to the top. 

{If you have any lemon leftover, throw a couple of slices on there, too!}

Fold up the packet.

Bake in a 400 degree oven for approximately 30 minutes, or until done.

Mine was pretty over baked....pretty sure it was in there for closer to 50 minutes. Eek...

{See all those juices around the sides? Scoop 'em up and pour on top!}

Ingredients

1 whole salmon fillet

1/3 c. olive oil

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp mustard (any style: Dijon, stone ground, etc.)

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp Italian seasoning

juice of 1 lemon

3 Tbsp butter

Directions

Mix all ingredients (except salmon and butter) in a small bowl.

In a large ziploc bag, or a container, pour marinade over the salmon.

Seal and refrigerate 1-2 hours.

Remove salmon from marinade and place on large sheet of aluminum foil.

Pour marinade over the top.

Divide butter and place on top of fillet.

Top with lemon slices. (optional)

Fold aluminum foil to make a packet.

Place in 400 degree oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until done.

(Fillet will easily flake apart with a fork when done.)

It's really good dipped in some lemon juice, too!