Baked Salmon with Garlic and Basil

Oh how I adore salmon! Salmon has a great, unique taste that can be quite addictive. I don't make salmon too often because of it's rather high price but I got a good deal at Costco (a whole Atlantic salmon for only $12!) so I was really excited. I wasn't quite sure how I was going to cook it. I usually like to bake salmon and top it with some kind of sauce. And it goes really well with creamy sauce, too, but as you might already know, I am trying to stay away from cream and butter, so I simply baked the salmon with simple toppings, like olive oil, garlic, and basil leaves. And it tasted quite amazing! I'd definitely make it again.

Baked Salmon with Garlic and Basil

(Makes about 4 servings)

Ingredients:

1 fillet Atlantic salmon, skinned and cut into 4-6 pieces
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
garlic salt (use Santa Maria seasoning if you have it), to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Spray a baking sheet with a cooking spray. Place the salmon pieces on the baking sheet. Drizzle the oil and sprinkle the salt and pepper over the salmon pieces. Gently rub the salmon pieces with your hand to coat them evenly with the oil and the seasonings. Sprinkle the chopped garlic and basil leaves on the salmon pieces and bake for about 12-15 minutes, or until the salmon is cooked all the way throuh.

Enjoy!