Salmon Recipes & Ideas

Broiled salmon is one of the all-time great weeknight meals — the effort-to-deliciousness ratio really can’t be beat! Topped with a pat of spiced butter and served on a bed of fluffy brown rice, this is my favorite way to serve up tender fillets of fish. There are plenty of ways to cook up a salmon fillet, but searing and broiling is my hands-down favorite method.

This easy dish is on the short list for weeknight meals that hit all my criteria: fast, healthy, filling, and killer good. Simply seasoned, the salmon is pan fried until the exterior is super crispy while the interior remains buttery soft. Its simplicity lends it to pairing with any number of sides, although I’m partial to serving it with a carb and something green; for example, whipped sweet potatoes and steamed broccoli.

Sometimes the simplest recipes are the very best. Like this one, which has become a weeknight favorite of mine, but is also classy enough that you could serve it for Easter dinner. It’s made with just a handful of ingredients and is ready in under 20 minutes — a delicious fish dinner in the time it takes to set the table and pour the wine. In the spring, I love this salmon with dill and lemon — so classic! — but it is endlessly adaptable.

We’ve noticed that fish seems to intimidate many home cooks. They’re afraid of overcooking it, undercooking it, or otherwise ruining an expensive dinner. This method of cooking salmon is the place to start for a cook intimidated by fish, because the process is truly foolproof; there’s almost no way to mess it up. The keys are the low baking temperature and the olive oil.

Last weekend I took a walk through the spring farmers market. I wanted to make something special, and was looking for inspiration. At first my focus fell on the new arrivals of seasonal vegetables, especially ramps and leafy greens. I really wanted a fresh side that would hold up in a fancier dish. Then, walking past the local fishmongers, an idea was born. Bright sautéed greens with salmon, a fish that is nicely complemented but not overpowered by strong flavors.

I always thought of canned salmon as that oily stuff with the bones and skin that my mom would mix up with mayonnaise to make a dip. Even though I actually kind of like the bones and skin, they hardly make for an elegant presentation. Well, here’s a salad that several steps removed from either mayo dip or your typical bowl of mixed greens and chopped vegetables. It can be put together very quickly, and the leftovers are great for lunch the next day.

To keep these salmon burgers moist and tender, chop the salmon by hand rather than in the food processor. The salmon is easiest to chop when quite cold, as this makes the fish more firm and easier to cut. You can stick fresh salmon in the freezer for about 20 minutes — it won’t freeze, but it will firm up a bit. These may also be cooked on the grill.

Every time I cook farro, I kick myself for waiting so long to revisit it. Nutty and chewy, it’s a subtle but sophisticated grain, making it perfect to serve as a backdrop to strong flavors without getting lost. That’s exactly what it does in this grain bowl, proudly bearing the weight of crispy seared salmon and saucy sesame spinach. While the flavors are complex, the prep is surprisingly simple.

Everyone likes to dress up now and again, right? Well, scrambled eggs feel the same way. Don’t deny them the opportunity to be adorned with some silky crème fraîche and aromatic herbs. This sandwich will raise your standard breakfast sandwich routine to the height of elegance. These eggs also look — and taste — sophisticated, cloaked in pink slices of smoked salmon. Serve them for brunch with a glass of sparkling wine, or even for dinner (wine still included).

Almost any cooking technique you apply to salmon shows off its impressive versatility. After all, this rich and fatty fish is called “the king of fish” for a reason. Poaching takes advantage of salmon’s high fat content, slow transforming the flesh into a seasoned, buttery-tasting dish you can actually make on a weeknight in under an hour with 10 ingredients or less — and that’s including the salt and pepper!

Perhaps after the egg, the best food to exhibit the true triumph of sous-vide cooking is salmon. The already-tender fish is rendered nearly translucent when cooked in the low, steady heat of a water bath. But how many of us actually have the equipment on hand to make this for a weeknight dinner? Thanks to this technique from Diane Morgan, it’s probably more of us than you think. Do you have an oven, a thermometer, and a Dutch oven or roasting rack? Then you can make sous-vide salmon.

Salmon’s second life can take many shapes — croquettes, patties, a salad Niçoise, you name it — but any extra that shows up in my house is now going the way of this herby potato and salmon hash. While this dish lends itself to good eating any time of the day, I’m going to have to agree with Diane on it being an excellent choice for breakfast.

If you don’t know what salmon rillettes are, you’re missing out. Creamy but light, flavorful without being overpowering, think of it as salmon’s answer to paté. It’s a spread that’s sure to impress, and it’s deceptively simple to make. This version comes from Talbott & Arding, an upscale larder in Hudson, New York.

Want a simple way to make salmon even more delicious? Spicy Dijon mustard, maple syrup, and a splash of apple cider vinegar join forces to turn basic salmon fillets into a flavorful dinner that will far exceed your weeknight expectations. And since this whole meal of fish, crispy potatoes, and asparagus cooks on a single sheet pan, you won’t be staring down a sink full of dishes later. Consider this tangy mustard and maple sauce your secret trick for roasting salmon without drying it out.

I firmly believe that anything is better with a sauce — make a dish saucy and I am sold — so you bet this quick salmon dinner has me swooning. It’s cooked in a fresh tomato-based sauce that’s punched up with garlic, balsamic, and a hint of fresh thyme so it’s a little sweet and a little tangy.

Top a ho-hum potato chip with a little smoked salmon, crème fraîche, lemon zest, and chives, and suddenly it’s dressed to the nines, ready for one of those serious cocktail parties. These chips are so good, though, that it would be a shame to save them for such an event. Instead, invite a few friends over tonight, pop open a bottle of wine (we’ll tell you which!), and make this appetizer immediately.

This smoky black bean salad is sure to get you excited about the midday meal.

Seattle's most revered cooking icon has the secret to moist and silky salmon.

These are basically delicious salmon "crab" cakes.

This sheet pan supper will show you just how quick and simple it can be to get a salmon dinner on the table any night of the week. It all starts by firing up your broiler. Do that and you will be tucking into perfectly cooked fillets with just the right amount of char around the edges. We’re making it a meal by partnering this weeknight-friendly fish with crispy red potato rounds and tender asparagus spears. Oh, and it will all happen in under 20 minutes. Yes, really!

Garlic butter salmon in foil is the best summer dish you haven't grilled yet (but should).

I’ve never been the type of person who chooses a bottle of wine or a chocolate bar based on the label alone. Until now, that is. If you’ve seen the movie Bridget Jones’s Baby, this flavor-packed salmon will immediately ring a bell. And now, thanks to Ottolenghi’s new cookbook, Simple, you can recreate it at home.

Fast, easy, and flavorful.

Because I almost always include salmon in my weekly meal plans, I’m constantly on the lookout for new ways to cook it. Like so many dinner favorites, it’s very versatile, and yet I often resort to the same preparation week after week (usually some sort of mustard-glazed situation). In an effort to change things up, I turned to teriyaki.

It’s hard to beat the ease of a sheet pan dinner. Toss a few things on a baking sheet, pop it in the oven, and in next to no time at all you have a well-rounded meal that requires barely any cleanup. This recipe gets bonus points for being made from just a few frozen ingredients. There’s no washing of vegetables, chopping, or even defrosting required. Instead, you simply need to schedule a trip to the freezer section of Trader Joe’s.

The trio of onion, mayonnaise, and mustard is all good salmon needs.

I’ve long been marinating my chicken breasts and pork chops, but until recently I’d neglected to marinate salmon. Now that I’ve tried it (it takes just a few ingredients!), I realized I’ve been missing out on so much flavor — and one major aesthetic upgrade. Here’s our favorite salmon marinade, plus our favorite way to cook the flavor-packed fillets. This super-easy salmon marinade is heavy on the lemon, garlic, and fresh and dried herbs.

Slow-cooking salmon makes it incredibly tender and nearly impossible to overcook.

It's tender, flaky, and packed with flavor.

It's a fun, flavorful twist on the classic.

Say hello to your new weeknight salmon recipe.

Steaming it in foil makes it incredibly flaky and juicy.

This method of cooking salmon leaves it beautifully bright, intact, and never dried out.

This dish will officially cure you of boring weeknight chicken blues. Not only does the recipe come together incredibly quickly (like, 15 minutes!), but it’s something I’d order in a restaurant, and at a fraction of the price. The vinaigrette adds a fresh, bright flavor to otherwise bland couscous and scallions provide a satisfying green crunch to buttery smooth salmon. This recipe is the result of a mostly lazy attempt on my part to incorporate more fish into my diet.

Shrimp fried rice is a one-pan wonder, full of plump shrimp, fluffy eggs, and toasty rice that can be adapted to your mood and the contents of your refrigerator. Plus, it’s satisfying enough to be served on its own, and it’s incredibly easy to make. Our version below goes from prep to plate in less than 30 minutes — which is even faster (and we think tastier!) than takeout. 1. You start with leftover rice. Cold, cooked rice is actually a better choice here than freshly cooked.

I dare you not to twirl your fork into this simple pasta dish! Once your pasta pot is at a rolling boil, you’re about 10 minutes away from noodly bliss. Succulent shrimp and linguini are tossed with a super-quick tomato cream sauce — one that’s fragrant with aromatic garlic, shallots, and white wine. Seriously, what’s not to like?

It's impossible to mess this up.

Creamy polenta is near the top of my list of favorite comfort foods, because it’s rich, creamy, and the perfect base for pretty much anything saucy. I rarely make it, though, because it takes a solid 40 minutes to cook — and that’s more than I can spare on busy weeknights. Recently, though, I spotted a shortcut at Trader Joe’s: Their frozen creamy polenta cooks in minutes, and has extra veggie power with both carrots and spinach mixed in.

What are you waiting for?

When it’s cold outside, my body craves warm foods — even if it probably needs a good dose of raw, crunchy vegetables instead. Warm lentil salads are always just the ticket when I want something satisfying yet light. Topped with some easy roasted shrimp, you now have a complete dinner that’s good any time of the year. I wanted to bulk up my lentil salad with some grains, and bulgur is one that adds a nice chew to contrast with the earthy, creamy lentils.

Dinner = solved.

Put down that jar of Alfredo sauce.

Finally.

Garlicky shrimp and a buttery lemon sauce in 15 minutes! You got this!

Shrimp cocktail, for dinner? Now isn't that an ingenious idea!

It has one super-smart grocery-store shortcut.

It's love at first bite.

It's easy to make this gorgeous, make-ahead dish at home.

Who else is counting down the minutes to dinner?

If there was a favorite breakfast food at our house it would be a lightly toasted bagel smeared with cream cheese, topped with smoked salmon, red onion and capers. You know what I’m talking about — lox. It makes our world go round, but sadly it can be a little harsh on the pocketbook… unless you salt cure it at home like we do!

Simplicity is key with summertime meals. And that’s why turning to Mark Bittman’s The Minimalist column is never such a bad idea, especially now that he’s starting to make videos to accompany so many of his most popular recipes. And this summer, this particular recipe should really be your simple, go-to salmon.What I love about Bittman’s take on salmon is the warm blend of spices and the versatility of the dish.

Kitchn’s Delicious Links column highlights recipes we’re excited about from the bloggers we love. Follow along every weekday as we post our favorites. The first thing most people think of when they hear “pesto” is probably pasta. Pasta in pesto is a classic, but pesto can also give that same bright, fresh, green flavor to just about anything. I like putting it on sandwiches, meat, vegetables, and especially fish.

The first meals alone in a foreign country are always intimidating. When I moved to a small city in central Japan to teach English for two years, onigiri was the first food I clung to. Like a life raft, these seaweed-wrapped rice balls — sort of the sandwiches of Japanese cuisine — kept me afloat in a sea of unfamiliar foods labeled in a language I could just barely read.

We asked some of our favorite food bloggers to share a holiday treat with us over our holiday break. Here’s a special treat for our readers from New Zealand and Australia from Jules Clancy of stonesoup. She writes about how it feels to always have Christmas in the summer! She also shares a lovely recipe for baked salmon — a festive yet summer-friendly dish for those of you celebrating the holidays in warmer climes. Growing up in Australia, Christmas was always a slightly odd holiday.

It's a little taste of Greece.

You'll wonder why you've never done this before.

Plump and juicy shrimp are the fastest, most versatile food you can grill.

Smoked pork has hogged the spotlight long enough. It’s time bacon stepped aside and let smoked fish enjoy a little well-deserved attention. Smoked trout is my weekday lunch staple, but when it comes to weekend brunches or other special meals, I splurge on smoked salmon. In this recipe, pungent, smoky slices flavor a soft potato cake that is dredged in panko and cooked until crisp, then drizzled with an herbed crème fraîche. Bacon who?

I love to cook, and love to entertain. There’s something about sharing a meal with friends, or even strangers So today I’m going to show you how to prepare a smoked salmon two ways. One for the delicate palate and another for the person who’s looking for something boldly sweet and spicy. During the summer I always cook a few things in the smoker as a good reason to have an outdoor party or two.

When I moved to Japan in 2005, I was surprised to discover how utterly simple the food was. The sticky, salty sauces and over-the-top sushi rolls I knew from Japanese restaurants back home were as American as hamburgers and French fries, I realized. Japanese food, and especially Japanese home cooking, was actually subtle, nuanced and basically simple, creating a myriad of dishes with a handful of basic pantry staples and the freshest, tastiest produce and proteins available.

Lately I’ve been looking to add more healthy seafood to my diet without breaking the bank, and while canned fish will never have the allure of a fresh filet, today’s good-quality canned salmon is not the fishy, bone-studded mush you may be picturing.

Q: I am trying to eat a healthier diet these days and of course, wild salmon is always recommended as one of the best foods you can eat for good nutrition. The problem is, I don’t really like the taste of salmon. Are there any good recipes for salmon that disguise the taste of it? Sent by Katie Editor: What about making fish cakes?

Now that Thanksgiving and all the leftovers have been demolished, it’s time time to move on to the holidays. This week we have some fun edible gift ideas like raw dark chocolate peppermint bites and an apple and cinnamon-infused bourbon. If you need some solid, easy recipes to get you through the holiday season, try our Indian scrambled eggs for breakfast and the kale and apple soup for dinner.

This recipe is as fun to assemble as it is to enjoy — there’s just something wonderful about hollowing out a crusty loaf of bread and filling it with fresh, springtime goodies. If smoked salmon and capers don’t suit you, feel free to substitute whatever does, like crumbled bacon, tomatoes, marinated artichokes, or fresh pesto — it’s hard to go wrong with egg boats. A bâtard is an oval-shaped loaf of bread that’s about 10 inches long.