8 Perfect Salmon Recipes for Lunch or Dinner

Salmon refers to several species of oily, pink-fleshed fish from the 100-million-year-old Salmonidae family. Salmon are carnivores that spend most of their lives in the ocean, but return to the streams where they were born when it’s time to spawn (deposit eggs). The best salmon are caught as they reach the mouth of their home river, before they start a difficult upstream migration that depletes their fat stores. Salmon is a popular source of protein because of its high omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D levels.

Learning how to cook salmon is easy. You can cook salmon in several ways, including pan-frying and baking. When preparing salmon, consider the following:

1. 1. Select the proper cut of salmon. Salmon is typically sold as fillets, steaks, or whole. A salmon fillet is a small, meaty section of the side of the salmon with very few bones. A salmon steak is a cross-section of the salmon with larger bones.
2. 2. Know the source of the fish. Wild salmon is different from farm salmon. Fresh salmon from the ocean has a darker color, while farm salmon is lighter. Farm salmon is fattier than fresh salmon, and it is usually less expensive.
3. 3. Pick your seasonings. Salmon does not need much seasoning to shine. You can season it with just salt and black pepper or with lemon juice, fresh herbs, balsamic, Dijon mustard, butter, minced garlic, or any other flavors that you desire.
4. 4. Dry the salmon for crispy skin. You can purchase skinless salmon, but salmon skin can be delicious when cooked properly. It is easy to get crispy salmon skin. First, thoroughly dry the salmon with paper towels. You can sear the salmon skin-side down on a pan on high heat, such as a cast-iron skillet or a nonstick pan. You can also broil the salmon in the broiler or bake the salmon skin-side up to get crispy skin.
5. 5. Make sure your salmon is done. Salmon has a short cooking time and can be consumed even when it’s slightly rare in the middle (though the USDA recommends salmon be cooked to an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit). Check for doneness by gently poking the top of the flesh with a finger. It should flake apart easily. Alternatively, slide a sharp knife into the thickest part of the fillet to observe the color. Light pink, opaque salmon is cooked through, while darker pink, more translucent salmon is still somewhat rare. To avoid damaging the flesh, you can insert a metal cake tester or thin skewer into the thickest part of the fillet, then touch the side of the tester to the area between your lower lip and chin. If it feels hot, the fish is cooked through. If it’s cold, it’s rare in the middle.

You can serve salmon with grilled or steamed veggies (such as green beans or bell peppers), salads, rice, or sweet potatos. For an easy weeknight dinner, consider making one of these salmon recipes:

1. 1. Baked salmon en papillote with lemon and herbs: This roasted salmon recipe bakes the salmon en papillote (French for “in paper”), a technique involves wrapping fish in a packet of parchment paper packet or foil packet and placing it on a sheet pan. This cooking method traps the steam, gently cooking the salmon. It is also easy to clean up. Flavor the salmon with lemon juice, dill, salt, and pepper.
   
2. 2. Miso salmon: This miso salmon dish includes marinating salmon in miso paste. Miso salmon is a “saikyo yaki”—a Japanese dish that involves marinating fatty fish in a marinade of saikyo miso (sweet white miso from Kyoto), mirin, sugar, and sake.
3. 3. Pan-seared salmon: Pan-seared salmon or pan-fried salmon cooks quickly, making it perfect for a weeknight dinner as well as a dinner party. For a particularly delicious seared salmon dinner, make a quick lemon garlic butter sauce by deglazing the pan with white wine and adding lemon slices, a smashed garlic clove, and plenty of butter. Drizzle the lemon butter sauce over the salmon fillets. Alternatively, flavor your butter sauce with capers and minced fresh parsley.
4. 4. Lox: Lox is a rich, thinly-sliced, cured salmon that is often enjoyed atop bagels and cream cheese. Lox is widely available at most stores, but homemade lox is a simple process, and less expensive than buying lox. Lox should not be confused with smoked salmon, which is similar to lox in the initial curing, but smoked salmon has the additional step of cooking the salmon by exposing it to smoke.
5. 5. Salmon chowder: Like New England clam chowder, salmon chowder features a creamy broth, studded with classic stew vegetables like carrots, celery, and diced potatoes, but instead of the clams, it’s full of tender, meltaway pieces of salmon. Garnish the salmon chowder with fresh herbs.
6. 6. Smoked salmon pizza: This smoked salmon pizza highlights the bold flavors of chili and garlic oil. Fresh dill creme fraiche takes the place of mozzarella cheese, and caviar adds an extra layer of luxury. Sous vide salmon: You can use a sous vide machine to cook salmon to create a tender salmon dish. This salmon sous vide recipe involves cooking the salmon in the sous vide, making a béarnaise sauce, and serving the salmon with a side dish of asparagus.
7. 7. Teriyaki salmon: This Asian-inspired recipe consists of salmon fillets glazed in teriyaki sauce, made with soy sauce, brown sugar, and mirin. You can pan-fry teriyaki salmon on the stovetop, bake it in the oven to make baked salmon, or cook it on an outdoor grill pan to make grilled salmon.

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