Cook Salmon

Yes, salmon hits the dinner-time trifecta. Delicious and easy to prepare, salmon is also good for you. It’s a fatty fish with plenty of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, plus protein and an abundance of vitamins, including B vitamins, and the antioxidant vitamin E.
And versatile? You bet. Salmon is tasty baked, broiled, or tossed on the grill; smoked, poached, or cast into stews; fashioned into fish cakes and burgers, added to salads, or whipped up into dips and spreads. Salmon does it all. So let’s get to it!

How to Pan-Fry Salmon

A terrific method for salmon fillets, it’s quick and easy and develops a crispy, crunchy skin, too. In its simplest form, pan-fried salmon is simply salt-and-pepper seasoned fish, a little butter or olive oil, and a hot skillet over medium-high flames. Start skin-side up in the hot skillet. Don’t touch it. Let the fillet sizzle for about 5 or 6 minutes. Then slip a wide spatula underneath the salmon, turn it, and cook skin-side down for about 3 minutes. A little squeeze of lemon, and you’re golden.An alternate method is to broil the salmon. So quick, it’s the don’t-stray-from-the-kitchen method. Turn the oven to broil, and place seasoned fish on a sheet pan or untreated cedar plank soaked in water. Slide it onto the top rack of the oven under a red-hot-glowing broiler — about 3 inches from the heat source. Check the fish after 3 minutes. If it’s done on the outside but you like it slightly more well done in the center, turn the broiler off and let the salmon sit in the oven for a few more minutes.

How to Take Salmon From Skillet to Oven

Can’t decide between stovetop or oven-roasted salmon? Do both. Start with the salmon in an oven-proof skillet — this time skin-side down; sizzle it for about 3 minutes in olive oil or butter; then transfer it to a lowish-heat oven, about 275 degrees F, and cook for about 20 minutes; then it’s back to the stovetop for the final crisping! Give it some high heat for about 3 minutes until the skin is crispy. If time is of the essence, you can raise the oven temp to 400 degrees F for the roasting phase, and cook it for about 10 minutes in the oven.

How to Grill Salmon

Can you handle yet another simple way to cook salmon? Grilling. It’s not just for summer anymore. The smoky flavor it imparts on salmon fillets and steaks is a serious bonus. Grilling also makes for quick clean-up work. So unless the grill is buried under 6 feet of snow, consider it in the fall, winter, and spring. Start with hot coals, and place a lightly oiled fish skin-side down on the grate. Give it a flip after 5 minutes. To turn, slide a spatula beneath the fish; if the flesh is sticking to the grate, let it go another minute or two, then try again. Cook the flipped salmon for another 5 minutes and check for doneness.