Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and spray a baking sheet or a casserole dish with cooking spray. You can also grease the pan using avocado oil, which is what I do.

Remove the salmon filets from their packaging and pat them dry using paper towels.

In a small bowl (I use a ramekin), stir together the avocado oil, pure maple syrup, stone ground mustard, garlic powder, paprika, and sea salt until the ingredients are well combined.

Transfer the salmon filets to the prepared baking dish. Drizzle each filet with the pure maple syrup mixture and use your hands or a silicone brush to coat all of the salmon flesh with the mixture.

Gently press the finely chopped pecans into the fish so that they stay put during the baking process.

Bake on the center rack of the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until the salmon is cooked through. Note that thinner salmon fillets require less bake time than thick fillets. Salmon fillets that are about an inch of thickness require about 8 minutes, versus upwards of 12 minutes for thick filets.

The FDA considers salmon to be fully cooked once it reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit. Insert a digital thermometer into the thickest part of the fish to check for doneness. If you prefer salmon that is rare in the middle, cook to 130 degrees F, but only do so if you trust the quality of the fish.

Remove the salmon from the oven and serve immediately with your choice of side dishes. I like serving salmon with lemon wedges so that one can drizzle the fish with a little fresh lemon juice if desired.