4 Best Ways to Cook Salmon

4 Best Ways to Cook Salmon

Do you love eating salmon out at your favorite restaurant, but aren’t sure the best ways to cook salmon at home? Well, you're in the right place to get the answers you're searching for.

Delicious Salmon Recipes

We’ll be covering 4 of the best ways to cook salmon! These delicious salmon recipes are simple, quick, and oh so flavorful. Add these salmon preparation techniques to your repertoire and never struggle to find a salmon recipe again.

Each of these recipes have under 5 ingredients and will be ready in less than 20 minutes and as quick as 10 minutes!

All according to the expertise of our in-house Chef, Andrew, a 40-year veteran in the restaurant industry. Here's the salmon dishes we'll be breaking down today:

~ Click Below & JUMP TO Recipe ~

Pan Seared Salmon

Breaded Salmon

Baked Salmon with Lemon

Poached Salmon

How to Test if Your Salmon is Done

Cooking Salmon at Home is Easy

Salmon is one of the healthiest, tastiest, and most popular fish in the United States and across the globe. Whether you realize it yet or not, Salmon is also one of the EASIEST fish to cook at home. No joke.

Since Salmon is so versatile and can be prepared in so many different ways, it can be confusing and sometimes a bit intimidating to decide on the best way to cook salmon.

Our advice? Just K.I.S.S. – Keep it SIMPLE Seafood. Salmon is already packed with natural flavor with a tender, melt in your mouth texture. So it does not require a long list of ingredients or complicated steps to reward a truly delicious Salmon dish.

Health Benefits of Salmon

But first, let’s quickly talk about the health benefits of salmon. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the American Heart Association (AHA) both recommend that you should be eating fish two to three times per week, a minimum of 8 ounces, in order to maintain a healthy diet.

Some of the numerous nutrition and health benefits of salmon include:

• Packed with Omega 3 Fatty acids, which can reduce inflammation, lower blood cholesterol levels, and lower risk of heart disease and stroke
• Loaded with lean protein
• Extremely rich in Vitamin D
• Rich in micronutrients and minerals, including Vitamin A, Vitamin B-12, Selenium, Niacin, Calcium, Magnesium, and more!

Tips for Cooking Salmon

• Be sure to pat your salmon dry of any excess moisture. This will ensure the best possible sear and the cleanest flavor profile.
• How to tell when Salmon is done: Use the “Skewer Test”. If you can push the flat end of a wooden skewer through the thickest part of the salmon with no resistance, it is finished cooking. If you feel resistance, allow to cook for 1 more minute, and test again.
• Be sure to account for carry over cooking. Once removed from the heat, the fish will continue cooking another 10 degrees or so. Be sure to account for this, depending how you like your salmon cooked (medium rare, medium, well done, etc.)

Pan Seared Salmon Recipe

How to Pan Sear Salmon

• Use an oil with a high smoke point, like canola oil, sunflower oil, or avocado oil. Using an oil with a low smoke point, such as extra virgin olive oil, will cause that oil to burn in the pan & will not allow you to get a proper sear on your salmon.
• Your salmon should sizzle when placed in the pan. That is how you will know it is hot enough.
• Once it’s in the pan, try not to move it to allow for a nice layer of caramelization to form on your salmon. This will reward a beautiful sweetness and satisfying crunch when enjoying the finished salmon dish.

[[ recipeID=recipe-9l1b14dla, title=Pan Seared Salmon ]]

Breaded Salmon

Breaded, pan fried Salmon is crunchy, flaky, and delicious. This is a fantastic seafood lunch or dinner that will be ready to devour in under 20 minutes.

This breaded salmon follows the same procedure as we covered with pan seared salmon. The difference, of course, is that we will bread one side of this salmon portion and pan fry it. This is another delightfully simple way to “dress up” your salmon for a bit more impressive, visually pleasing dish.

Panko crusted salmon is still only 5 ingredients – salt, pepper, flour, egg, and breadcrumb. We would recommend using seasoned panko breadcrumbs, which you can buy pre-seasoned or season yourself.

We will follow “standard breading procedure”, which is simply flour, egg, breadcrumb. Be sure to use one hand when dredging in your wet ingredient (egg) and the other hand for your dry ingredients (flour & breadcrumb). This will avoid any messy “snowman hands” …

Pair this with Chef Andrew's mouthwatering pimento cheese slaw as a scrumptious side to complement the Panko Crusted Salmon.

[[ recipeID=recipe-8kvmmi4vt, title=Breaded Salmon with Pimento Cheese slaw ]]

Baked Salmon with Lemon

Baked Salmon with Lemon is a reliable, convenient, stress-free way to prepare a healthy salmon dinner in under 20 minutes. Hit it with some salt, pepper, and a knob of butter. Bake salmon at 400°F for 14-16 minutes with a bit of white wine or water.

The white wine in this recipe helps to maintain the natural moisture and juicy texture of the salmon portion. Don’t have wine? Use water! No problem.

We like to serve with steamed broccoli and fresh lemon wedges.

[[ recipeID=recipe-9l1b1bs39, title=Simple Baked Salmon ]]

Poached Salmon Recipe

Poached Salmon is the healthiest way to cook salmon and will be ready in just 10 minutes! Although it seems fancy, this poached salmon recipe is crazy simple and rewards a tender, delicate, flaky piece of salmon that is light and refreshing.

How to Poach Salmon

• Season your pot of water with salt and white vinegar. This adds just a bit of acidity to your poaching liquid.
• Bring poaching liquid to a simmer.
• Carefully add salmon portions and ensure your poaching liquid remains at a GENTLE simmer.
• Be careful not to overcook. After 5 minutes, carefully remove salmon from pot and test for doneness by gently pushing the flat side of a wooden skewer through the thickest part of the fish. If it goes through with no resistance, it is done. If there is resistance, cook for another minute or so and test again.

Serve with fresh roasted asparagus, potatoes, and fresh lemon wedges.

[[ recipeID=recipe-9l1b0xppc, title=Poached Salmon ]]

How to Tell When Salmon is Done

Here’s a trick that Chef Andrew has used for over 30 years! All you need is a small wooden skewer. Gently push the flat side of the skewer through the thickest part of the fish. If it goes through the fish with no resistance, it is done cooking! If there is resistance, cook for another minute or so and test again.

And remember – your fish will keep cooking for a couple of minutes after you remove it from cooking, referred to as “carry over cooking”. Be mindful of this to get your seafood to exactly the right doneness you desire.

North Coast Seafood is a family-owned, Boston-based, quality-obsessed Seafood company founded in 1957. We are a direct-importer and first receiver of the highest quality, sustainable seafood – cutting out the middleman, processing in our own state of the art facilities, and distributing directly to retailers, restaurants, institutions, and consumers. Our mission is "to share the joy of extraordinary seafood".