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Did you buy salmon at the store, and now you don’t know what to do with it? Learn more about how to cook salmon!
I love salmon.
But I didn’t always love it, because poorly cooked salmon is just not good.
And over the past few years, I’ve learned that a lot of you want to like salmon, but you just aren’t sure what in the world to do with it.
And so– today we’re going to learn how to cook salmon.
Hint– there’s more than one way!!
How to Cook Salmon: Bake (or Roast) It
As a rule, bake (or roast) salmon at 450°F for about 10 minutes per inch of salmon.
You can wrap it in parchment paper or foil before cooking if you want to, and add in some lemon slices and herbs for extra flavor.
Personally, I like to smother it in basil pesto before cooking, because it helps seal in all the juices.
Slow-Roasted Salmon
Another easy way to cook salmon is to bake (or roast) it for a little longer at lower heat.
This is called slow-roasting.
To slow-roast salmon, set your oven to 275°F, and cook the salmon for 15 minutes per inch of salmon.
When I slow-roast salmon, I like to rub it with spices and serve it on a sandwich.
How to Cook Salmon: Pan-Sear it
This is my favorite way to cook salmon. It’s juicy, fatty, and all-around delicious.
To pan-sear salmon, let your salmon fillets come to room temperature for about 10-20 minutes. Pat them dry, and season them.
Heat a heavy pan with oil or butter over medium heat, until oil shimmers or the butter melts.
Set the fish in skin-side down (if it has skin), and don’t touch it. Pan-sear the salmon until the salmon is cooked halfway through, and then flip and finish cooking.
Tip: You’ll be able to watch the salmon cook, and know exactly when it’s half-way done, because the flesh changes from bright pink or red to a paler, opaque color as it cooks.
Need more help? Learn how to pan-sear fish.
I like to pan-sear salmon and then make a salmon Caesar salad, or add it to a salmon sandwich!
Pan-Roasted Salmon
If you love the idea of pan-seared salmon, with its crispy skin and tender meat, but don’t want to flip the fish over, you can also pan-roast the salmon.
For this technique, you start by searing the salmon until it’s about halfway cooked (just like with pan-searing).
Next, you slide the entire pan into the oven and cook it at 350°F for 5-6 more minutes.
Want to try it? Check out this pan-roasted salmon recipe from Bon Appetit.
How to Cook Salmon: Grill It
One of the most delicious ways to cook salmon is on the grill!
Plus, salmon is easy to grill because it’s oily, and doesn’t stick to the grill as easily as lean fish.
If you want to make grilling salmon fool-proof, try using a fish grilling basket!
Learn more about how to grill fish!
When I grill salmon, I especially love to pair it with an acidic fruit– like this grilled side of salmon with pineapple or grilled salmon with plum sauce.
how to Poach salmon
Want to try poaching your salmon? It’s easy, and is hard to over-cook.
Start by making a flavorful poaching liquid (I like to use wine, water, and herbs), and then bring it to a simmer. Add the fish, and simmer for about 5 minutes per one inch of salmon.
Don’t Cook Salmon– Eat it Raw!
And of course, you can also buy (or make) salt-cured salmon (lox).
Buy lox near the seafood counter in sealed, refrigerated packets, or learn how to make lox at home!
Did you try one of these methods? Do you have another way that you love to cook salmon? Let me know in the comments!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Whoa! Thanks so much for the low down on all the types of salmon!! I do really enjoy it, but I don’t like ‘strong’ salmon flavours and I like it more on the fatty side. And what a round up of recipes! Consulting this one next time I prepare it. Everything looks so good, especially that pecan bourbon recipe of yours 🙂
champagne-tastes
Thanks Dawn! Let me know if you ever need more help when you’re salmon-shopping! 😀
Kathy McDaniel
Another great posts with lots of great information and details.Your photography is absolutely gorgeous and Oh my those dishes look amazing! The savory cheesecake with salmon roe is calling my name and I want it now!!!!! So many great options, Thank you!
champagne-tastes
Thanks Kathy! I’m so glad I could help!
Stefanie
Holy moly did you put a lot of work and research into this post! I looooove Sockeye salmon season. I always have to google salmon cooking times because I never want to over cook it. This is super helpful!
champagne-tastes
Thank you!! Isn’t sockeye season the BEST season??? I wish it was summer right now!
Ashley @ Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen
What an epic collection! I love salmon, and am always looking for new ways to prepare it. You’ve got all the bases covered here!
Nicoletta @sugarlovespices
What a great, informative post! I really needed all the explanations about the differences, since it’s Loreto the one that buys and cooks salmon. We like it a lot and usually buy it fresh from trusted sources. The recipes are also superb, thank you so much!
Matthew Durfee
Can’t wait taste these salmon dishes.
Dad
champagne-tastes
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Sharon Rigsby
I have to confess that I’ve have never been much of a salmon lover, but your post changed all that! There is so much good information and I can’t wait to try some of your delicious looking recipes. I’m bookmarking your page to use as a reference Thank you so much for taking time to pull together all of this information!
champagne-tastes
Aw that’s the best compliment ever Sharon!! Thank you! Let me know if you need help when you try cooking it! ????
Erica Acevedo
Salmon is one of my all-time fave proteins – this is about as comprehensive as a how-to post gets! Thanks so much!
Analida Braeger
I love the tips on the salmon! We love it and actually served a full fillet for Thanksgiving, grilled with Montreal seasoning and a little brown sugar, fantastic! We are non-traditional meal type house when it comes to holidays. Thanks for sharing! Pinning for later reference on my seafood board.
Julia
This is an absolutely amazing resource! So much very very very useful information and so expertly laid out. I am definitely going to be coming back to this article many times. Also – salmon wrapped scotch eggs from Diversivore? Oh, yum!!! And thanks for including my smoked salmon recipes 🙂
champagne-tastes
You’re very welcome!!! We should have a big salmon party and try all of them lol
Megan
Salmon intimidates the heck out of me, but I’ve been wanting to try my hand at it. Thanks so much for the how-to!
champagne-tastes
Aw it’s not too hard! If you need more help just let me know!
Helene
That’s a really useful post about salmon. I had no idea that there are different types of salmon. Here around they call a local fish, commonly found in the Indian ocean, as Indian salmon. people say this white flesh fish was a salmon. Turns out the name was given wrongly at some point in time by some people and it was of course not a salmon.
After reading about king salmon etc I feel I still need to learn a lot about this fish and I wish I could taste some of the different fish, side by side to compare better. Thanks to your explanation it’s easy to see what salmon variety should be used for what and when.
champagne-tastes
That’s so interesting!! I’d never heard of Indian salmon- I just looked it up! How fascinating!!
Michelle | The Last Food Blog
This is a brilliant guide Sarah! Perfect for anyone who is nervous about cooking salmon, so much great information here and some really great recipes too, well done x
Anne Murphy
Great guide! Salmon is such a delicious fish (and appeals to many who don’t like some other kinds) so it’s great to have this much information in one place!
Karyl | Karyl's Kulinary Krusade
These are great ideas. I especially love the salmon waffles! Never would have thought of that combination
Julie
This is such a great, well-compiled guide! Salmon is such a good at home fish option and I learned something new – I’ve never heard of hot smoked salmon before!
champagne-tastes
If it’s smoked but looks meaty instead of silky- it’s hot smoked 🙂
Amanda
I love this ultimate guide! We buy salmon a lot, but with all of the different varieties, I’m sometimes overwhelmed at the market! Bookmarking this so I can get to it quickly on my phone. I also now have a craving for every recipe featured in the post. Am going to have to start at the top and cook my way to the bottom! 🙂
champagne-tastes
It can be overwhelming!!! I think we should have a salmon party and try them all 😉
Agness of Run Agness Run
I love salmon but I must admit that I rarely cook it at home, Sarah. I’ve learned so much from your enlightening post and you’ve inspired me to start cooking it and include it more into my diet. 😉
champagne-tastes
Thanks Agness! Let me know if you need help!
Ashley Adamant
Woah! I’m sending this to my mom. Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a comprehensive guide! Especially the salt-cured salmon section. I thought they were all the same…
champagne-tastes
Aw you’re very welcome!