Roasted Salmon Glazed With Brown Sugar and Mustard

By Sam Sifton

Updated Sept. 10, 2025

Roasted Salmon Glazed With Brown Sugar and Mustard
Linda Xiao for The New York Times
Total Time
15 minutes
Rating
5(20,895)
Comments
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This is what we call around here a no-recipe recipe, the sort of meal you can cook once off a card and you'll know it by heart: salmon glazed with brown sugar and mustard. The preparation could not be simpler. Heat your oven to 400. Make a mixture of Dijon mustard and brown sugar to the degree of spicy-sweetness that pleases you. Salt and pepper the salmon fillets. Place them skin-side down on a lightly oiled, foil-lined baking sheet, slather the tops with the mustard and brown sugar glaze and slide them into the top half of your oven. They ought to be done in 12 minutes or so, and they pair beautifully with simple braised greens.

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Ingredients

Yield:Number of servings vary
  • Salmon fillets, preferably wild or farmed organically
  • Dijon mustard
  • Brown sugar
  • Salt and black pepper
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

212 calories; 13 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 1 gram carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 1 gram sugars; 20 grams protein; 237 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat your oven to 400 degrees.

  2. Step 2

    Make a mixture of Dijon mustard and brown sugar to the degree of spicy-sweetness that pleases you. Salt and pepper the salmon fillets.

  3. Step 3

    Place the salmon fillets skin-side down on a lightly oiled, foil-lined baking sheet. Slather the tops of the fillets with the mustard and brown sugar glaze and slide them into the top half of your oven. Roast for about 12 minutes, then serve.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
20,895 user ratings
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Comments

Figaro

First, don't oil the foil. You want the skin to stick to it when your remove the fillets. Second, don't roast, broil. Put the oven shelf up as high as it goes & preheat the broiler. Third, use the coarse, country Dijon; it adds more zip. How much? Depends on how much salmon you're cooking. For 2-6 oz fillets, I used about 2 heaping TB Dijon; added brown sugar until I liked the taste. I universally broil salmon fillets for 6 min, no more. Served this one with stir-fried spinach with pine nuts.

Jean Hunter

This is essentially the same recipe I have been making for years, a real go-to. Only difference is that I add 1 tsp of ground ginger to the mustard/brown sugar mix. Gives it a bit more zip.

Paul Broeker

This is going into my rotation for the easiest and nicest salmon dish on my roster. I probably went 4 parts brown sugar 1 part Dijon mustard, the marinade was a think paste in the end. Which means it stuck to the salmon beautifully and caramelized very quickly for a nice crunchy crust.
Please try this out!

Linda B

Made this for the first time last night. We have a subscription for Alaska Sockeye Salmon, so are always looking for new directions. We tried two mustards, a strong stone-ground blend and a green peppercorn Dijon, then shared the result. We both liked the stone-ground mustard best. We had used 1:1 ratio, and think that's a bit sweet. We want to try straight Dijon, and we also have a Dijon + tarragon we got in France. So many mustards, so little time...

Allan M

Recommend less time on roast, more time on broil. I lined a pan with parchment in the toaster oven, worked great, easy clean up. Yumsville !

Sallie

I have made this several times now and the mustard-brown sugar glaze always liquefies and runs off of the fish and while it’s a delicious glaze it doesn’t really caramelize. Am I coating it too thickly? I have experimented with more sugar, so the coating will be thicker, and with less sugar. Has anyone else experienced this?

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