Maple Baked Salmon (Simple and Easy Meal Prep)

This easy maple baked salmon recipe is made with only 3 simple ingredients and is perfect for healthy meal prep.

Maple baked salmon is the perfect salmon meal prep

If you are looking for an easy salmon meal prep recipe, try this maple baked salmon! It’s super simple to make, only uses 3 basic ingredients, and is easy to customize.

Maple baked salmon is slightly sweet, addictive, and perfect as part of a high-protein meal prep. I love making this simple maple baked salmon for my weekly meal prep because it’s delicious and easy to pair with other dishes like quinoa salad or rice and veggies.

Furthermore, this maple baked salmon recipe lends itself super well to meal prep because you can serve the maple salmon cold or hot, making it a versatile protein for any meal.

Maple baked salmon is more versatile than maple glazed salmon for meal prep

There’s a reason why there exists so many maple syrup salmon recipes. Maple syrup and salmon and a classic flavour combo! The fattiness of the salmon compliments the slight sweetness of the maple syrup, and the fat and sugar help caramelize the salmon chunks to be flavorful and tender.

I’m making the case that maple baked salmon is superior to maple glazed salmon for meal prep. While maple glazed salmon is more of a hot entrée, not only can maple baked salmon hold its own as the protein portion of an entrée or dinner, but it can also be used as part of other dishes. Since maple baked salmon can be served cold as well as hot, the possibilities are many.

Furthermore, because maple baked salmon does not have a sauce, it is much less messy than its glazed counterpart.

Finally, maple baked salmon has a simple taste profile, so can easily be used in other dishes for variety, making it very well suited for meal prep. All of this makes this easy maple baked salmon recipe a great salmon meal prep.

Here are some more ideas for how to use maple baked salmon:

• With breakfast, topped on a bagel with cream cheese
• Mixed into an omelette
• As part of a sandwich
• As part of a lunch salad
• Served with rice and veggies
• As part of a pasta dish

Maple baked salmon is the perfect high protein meal prep for athletes

Not only is salmon anti-inflammatory and good for the joints, but it is also a quality protein source. If you are a strength athlete or a weightlifter, salmon is a great choice for your weekly high protein meal prep.

Fatty fish such as salmon are widely known to be superfoods beneficial to athletes. In particular, omega-3 fatty acids which are prevalent in salmon may promote muscle growth, increase oxygen levels, and promote recovery.

This makes maple baked salmon a great addition to any post-work out meal.

Macronutrients in maple baked salmon

Maple baked salmon is a good source of protein and healthy fats. One serving (around 2 pieces, 98 g) has 273 kcal, 26 g protein, 17 g fat, and 3.4 g carbs. Out of the fats, 3.13 g are omega-3 fatty acids and 0.11 g are omega-6 fatty acids.

See below for more detail. You can find the nutrition facts under the recipe card.

How to make maple baked salmon, step by step

As far as easy salmon recipes go, you can’t get much simpler than my maple baked salmon, which only has two steps. So how do we make this simple maple baked salmon?

The first step is to mix the salmon chunks with salt and maple syrup. For this recipe, the chunks should be around 4-5 cm big (or just less than 2 inches). Make sure everything is well coated.

The second step is to bake the salmon chunks on a parchment lined baking tray in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes. That’s it! Simple and fuss free.

 If you have a food thermometer, it is a good idea to make sure that the internal temperature is 145F/64C or higher for food safety reasons. While some chefs say that 125F is enough for salmon, I prefer to bake the maple syrup salmon until 145F since it is intended as a salmon meal prep. In other words, if you are consuming the maple baked salmon straight away, an internal temperature of 125F or more may be sufficient. However, for salmon meal prep 145F is the safer bet because we want the maple baked salmon to last for many days in the fridge.

Optional variations and spices for maple baked salmon

This simple maple baked salmon recipe is delicious as is, but you can optionally add herbs and spices as you see fit. Dill and paprika or chilli powder are favourite herbs and spices to add to maple baked salmon. Simply rub the spices into the salmon along with the salt and maple syrup before baking.

Print Recipe

Simple Maple Baked Salmon

This easy maple baked salmon recipe is made with only 3 simple ingredients and is perfect for healthy meal prep.

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Course: Fish, Main Course

Cuisine: American, Canadian

Diet: Gluten Free, Low Lactose

Keyword: Maple, Meal Prep, Salmon

Servings: 8

Calories: 273kcal

Equipment

• 1 baking tray
• 1 sheet parchment paper
• 1 food thermometer

Ingredients

• 2 pounds 0.9 to 1 kg salmon filet (fresh preferred)
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp maple syrup

Instructions

• Slice the salmon filet into chunks around 2 inches or 5 cm big. (2 pounds of salmon can be divided into roughly 16 pieces of salmon chunks.)
• In a bowl, toss the salmon chunks with salt and maple syrup until evenly coated.
• Preheat oven to 400 F / 200 C.
• Line a baking tray with parchment paper, then distribute the salmon chunks onto the parchment lined baking tray. The salmon chunks should be spaced out to not touch each other. If there is leftover maple syrup in the bowl, pour this evenly over the salmon chunks.
• Bake for 10-15 minutes. Test for doneness with a food thermometer. The internal temperature should be around 145 F / 63 C.
• If you don’t have a cooking thermometer, break open the largest piece of salmon to test for doneness. The salmon should easily flake and should have changed color into a lighter pink.

Video

@hellenshouse

maple baked salmon is the ultimate easy salmon meal prep to get those omega-3s in! MACROS One serving (around 2 pieces, 98 g) has 273 kcal, 26 g protein, 17 g fat, and 3.4 g carbs. #highproteinmealprep #healthymealprep #mealprepideas #highproteinrecipes #salmonrecipe #bakedsalmon

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