Baked Christmas Salmon (2024)

Introducing this incredibly easy Homemade Cranberry Sauce Baked Christmas Salmon! It’s the perfect Christmas Salmon recipe to share over the holiday season. Only containing 3 simple ingredients it’s ready in 35 minutes!

Recipe Difficulty – Easy

📋About The Recipe

Holiday season is quickly approaching and I’ve got your back with this simple holiday salmon recipe. It’s quick, only requires 3 ingredients, and is a great gluten-free dinner option. It smells amazing, looks gorgeous, and it’ll definitely impress your guests!

The bright colour you get some the cranberries gives it such a festive feel levels up your baked salmon. It is such a great recipe for using up extra or leftover cranberry sauce. Since I like to make my own healthy homemade cranberry sauce, I usually just double the batch so I can have some left for this oven baked salmon!

Serve these up with my Smashed Brussels Sprouts and you have a winning combination at the dinner table.

I also added this recipe into my collection of 21 Gluten Free Easter Recipes.

👨🏻‍🍳Why Make This Baked Christmas Salmon

• Easy – You really can’t get an easier oven baked salmon recipe than this. You just cover the salmon with the cranberry sauce and into the oven it goes. It’s the best Christmas dinner salmon you’ll try.
• 3 Ingredients – You really only need three ingredients! If you’re making the cranberry sauce ahead of time for a holiday dinner, then you can count it as two ingredients: the salmon and cranberry sauce! It’s a great recipe using leftover cranberry sauce!
• 35 minutes – Get dinner on the table fast and spend the extra time with your family instead.
• Family friendly – Loved by both adult and kids, this holiday salmon recipe is a family favourite!
• Gluten & Refined Sugar Free – There are no added refined sugars as the cranberry sauce is made with maple syrup and the ingredients are all naturally gluten free.

🥘Ingredients to make Baked Christmas Salmon

The only 3 ingredients you need to buy for this Christmas Salmon recipe (it takes 2 more ingredients that you’ll have which is water and salt).

• Salmon Fillet – I always get a 1kg fresh side of salmon from the fish mongers. This will easily feed 6 for a holiday season dinner.
• Fresh Cranberries – In season during mid-September until around mid-November. You can usually buy them in store in November and December. I often get mine from Waitrose but have also spotted them frozen in Tesco. Other green grocers should stock them around Christmas time though.
• Maple Syrup – This keeps this cranberry sauce refined sugar free. It also gives it an incredibly flavour that I think makes it better than the store bought or other sugar packed cranberry sauces online.

🔪How to make Baked Christmas Salmon

Step 1: We need to make the cranberry sauce. It’s as simple as adding the fresh cranberries, maple syrup, water and salt to a pot and simmering for 3 minutes until the cranberries soften. Then with a fork squash them and continue simmering until desired consistency, that’s it!!

Step 2: Now we just top the salmon fillet with the homemade cranberry sauce.

Step 3: Place the salmon fillet into a baking dish lined with baking paper. You can always add in some veg to roast at the same time such a Brussel sprouts! Bake at 200C (390F) for 20 minutes.

It comes out the oven smelling incredible! Place this into the middle of the table at a family gathering and you will totally impress with the colour and look of this baked salmon recipe.

👪Recipe FAQ’s

💭Top Tips

• Ask your fish monger for the center-cut of salmon fillets for the prettiest presentation.
• If you are unsure if your salmon is done or not, you can use an instant read thermometer and check. The temperature of cooked salmon should be 145°F/62C.
• Frozen salmon can work in a pinch, just be sure to thaw it fully before baking.
• If you are cooking pre-cut salmon fillets, you’ll have to adjust the time as it takes less time to cook smaller cut fillets than one large one.

🥡Preparing Ahead & Storing

I would suggest making the cranberry sauce in advance if you need to (even though it only takes 10 minutes to make fresh).

If you’re tight on time prepare the cranberry sauce, top the salmon (up to 2 days in advance) and place in the fridge until you’re ready to bake the salmon.

Once the salmon is baked you can store it in the fridge for up to 2 days. So you can enjoy it with any leftovers you may have!

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