10 Ways to Make a Meal Out of Frozen Salmon
Frozen salmon fillets are a freezer staple these days. Keep a few fillets on hand and you have a healthy meal on your hands at all times without having to run to the fish market on your way home. Transfer a portion or two to the fridge in the morning to defrost, and in the evening you’ll have countless options for dinner. Here are 10 ideas to get you started.
1. Make some salmon tacos.
Salmon might not be the first fish that comes to mind when you’re thinking tacos, but it makes for some seriously tasty ones. Just roast the salmon while you prep the accompaniments (we especially like this all-purpose taco slaw, along with sliced avocado and sour cream), and then go ahead and build them.
2. Turn it into an easy sheet pan supper.
If you’re going to cook the defrosted salmon fillets in the oven, you might as well add some veggies to the sheet pan to turn it into a complete dinner! Lay the fish right alongside some potatoes and asparagus and you’ve got a wholesome one-pan meal.
3. Sauté it with leftover veggies for a quick skillet hash.
Cook the fillets in a skillet, let them cool slightly so you can flake them, and then toss the flaked fish back into the skillet with some leftover cooked vegetables to create a quick hash.
4. Add it to any and all salads.
Turn any salad into dinner by cooking a few defrosted salmon filets and sliding them on top of each bowl. Go basic with a green salad or try something new with cucumber noodles.
5. Cook it and tuck it into wraps and sandwiches.
Flake the cooked salmon so it easily tucks into wraps, or just slip a big piece between two slices of bread — along with your favorite additions, of course — for a hearty sandwich.
6. Transform it into salmon burgers.
Defrost the fillets, chop them up finely, combine with some herbs, an egg, and breadcrumbs, and shape the mixture into patties. These patties cook up to be moist and juicy burgers that are a nice change from the usual.
7. Make a simple salmon skillet dinner.
Simmer the defrosted salmon fillets in a skillet full of a quick, fresh tomato sauce and you have something that you can serve out of shallow bowls and eat with good, crusty bread.
8. Top a grain bowl with it.
Just like salads, grain bowls become hearty meals when topped with cooked salmon. You can even try cooking the defrosted fillets in the slow cooker, if you’d like to limit hands-on time.
9. Toss it on the grill.
If the weather is nice, why not take those defrosted fillets out to the grill? Cook them simply, with just salt and pepper, and then top them with a bright and flavorful relish.
10. Steam it.
Steamed salmon has such a moist texture and clean flavor you might wonder why you haven’t been making it this way the whole time. Use a bamboo basket or a steamer to cook the defrosted fish, then serve with sautéed greens and a dash of soy sauce.