Salmon tastes so much better when you coat it in an everyday ingredient first. Salmon is a delicious but tricky fish to cook well — it can easily turn dry and stringy without the right preparation.
By Katherine McPhillips, Vita Molyneux, Travel Reporter 14:35, Mon, Jun 15, 2026 Updated: 14:40, Mon, Jun 15, 2026
The salmon will be juicy, tender and full of flavour when you use the right ingredients. Salmon is a delicious evening meal and it's perfect for sunny summer evenings as it doesn't take long to cook. It's incredibly simple to make, yet it can sometimes end up dry, stringy, or even burnt if you don't employ the proper ingredients when preparing the fish.
Many people simply place a salmon fillet into the oven or air fryer, but salmon is especially lean and doesn't contain enough fat to protect the skin from the heat, unlike other meats. This means the fat renders quickly during cooking, and the proteins in the fish expel the moisture, resulting in you losing most of those flavoursome juices.
Journalist Katherine McPhillips is a salmon fan, and has prepared it regularly over the years. She has discovered the secret ingredient which will stop your salmon drying out and make it delicious every time.
She said: "When I first came across the idea of cooking salmon with mayonnaise, I thought it sounded peculiar and frankly unappetizing, but having grown tired of it emerging from the oven overcooked, I decided to give it a go at least once. I can now confirm that mayonnaise is the secret to achieving flavoursome salmon with a perfect golden, slightly crispy texture."
Mayonnaise is made of oils, eggs and a hint of acid, which creates a protective barrier around the fish to lock moisture in the skin. It simply minimises moisture loss, maintaining the salmon's succulence throughout cooking, delivering a wonderfully rich and satisfying meal without considerable effort.
Having tried this cooking technique on multiple occasions, Katherine can verify the salmon won't take on any mayonnaise taste, as the coating essentially disappears during the cooking process. It may look a little strange when you put the coating on but it will come out really tasty.
Mayonnaise tends to crisp the skin towards the conclusion of cooking, producing a golden-brown salmon fillet with a delightfully buttery texture.
How to make tastier salmon fillets
You will need (per person):
- One salmon fillet
- Two teaspoons of mayonnaise
- One teaspoon of lemon juice
- Half a teaspoon of smoked paprika
- Half a teaspoon of Dijon mustard
- Half a teaspoon of honey
- A slight drizzle of olive oil (optional)
- Salt and pepper
Mayonnaise contains oils and fat, which will protect the salmon fillet as it cooks to prevent it from drying out.
Method:
- Start by preheating the oven to 180°C and lining a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
- Mix the mayonnaise and lemon juice in a small bowl until you obtain a smooth, uniform sauce.
- Position the salmon fillet skin-side down on the tray. A modest drizzle of olive oil can be added if you're working with a larger fillet, though this is typically unnecessary when using mayonnaise.
- In a separate small bowl, blend the smoked paprika, Dijon mustard and honey, then apply the mixture to the salmon. If you'd prefer not to handle raw fish directly, gloves work perfectly well, as does the back of a spoon or simply your hands.
- Next, spoon several dollops of the lemon-infused mayonnaise onto the salmon, spreading it into a thin, uniform layer across the fillet.
- Transfer the salmon to the oven and roast for roughly 20 minutes, monitoring it closely after the 15-minute mark.
The completed salmon ought to come out of the oven rich, buttery and delightfully tender, with each bite practically dissolving on your tongue — all without demanding lengthy hours spent in the kitchen.
