40 Salmon Recipes to Perfect
Whether you like your salmon poached, seared, or roasted, these salmon recipes offer tons of ways to prepare the flavorful fish. In the morning, use smoked salmon as a topping for crunchy Tater Tot waffles or a strata inspired by bagels with cream cheese and lox. For a quick dinner, throw a fillet on a sheet pan with some vegetables and call it a day. And if you want to grill it? Try pairing it with homemade Meyer lemon relish to bring out its buttery, rich flavor. No matter which option you choose, you're only a few steps away from an impressive meal.
"Caesared" Salmon Salad
In this creative salmon Caesar salad, Caesar dressing is spread on the salmon before grilling, creating a rich crust that keeps the fish succulent as it picks up delicious smoky flavors from the grill. For a perfect wine pairing, Master Sommelier Andy Myers says to reach for a bottle of Roero.
Quick-Brined Salmon with Lemon, Miso, and Sofrito
Here, pastry chef Paola Velez mixes green sofrito with garlic, shiro miso, butter, and lemon for a deeply flavorful sheet-pan salmon dinner. Brining the salmon before cooking it seasons the fish and prevents it from drying out. Serve it over your favorite rice dish.
Caraway Salmon with Rye Berry and Beet Salad
? Con Poulos
Rye berries have a wonderfully aromatic, tangy flavor that goes well with the caraway in this Scandinavian-style dish from chef Marco Canora. Pair the meal with a boldly fruity Sauvignon Blanc from California.
Miso Air Fryer Salmon with Baby Bok Choy
Cooking salmon in the air fryer allows the miso marinade to form a salty-sweet crust on the surface of each fillet. While the salmon rests, you can quickly cook the bok choy in the air fryer; the edges of the leaves will char a bit, creating a savory contrast to the ginger, soy, and sesame oil sauce that goes on top.
Sizzling Garlic Salmon with Sheet Pan Potatoes
For this sheet pan dinner, baby potatoes, red onion, and spring onions get a head start in a hot oven before they're joined by a side of salmon that's been slathered with mustard and drizzled with toasted garlic oil. The salmon cooks alongside the vegetables for a seamless finish.
Whole Wild Salmon Fillet with Mustard Sauce
? Petrina Tinslay
This simple salmon recipe from restaurateur Ben Towill is a great crowd-pleaser, and it makes stellar leftovers. The mustard sauce can be made one day in advance and refrigerated overnight.
Lobster Roll-Style Salmon Sandwiches
? Chris Court
In this clever take on the summertime classic, salmon replaces lobster and yogurt stands in for mayonnaise. Topping the rolls with potato chips adds a nice crunch.
Spinach and Smoked Salmon Salad with Lemon-Dill Dressing
This refreshingly crunchy, tangy salad makes for an excellent spring lunch or super-quick dinner. It's ready in just 15 minutes.
Crispy Potato Galette with Dill Cream, Smoked Salmon and Sturgeon, and Osetra Caviar
? Lucy Schaeffer
This luxe appetizer from star chef Wolfgang Puck is perfect for dinner parties. A fresh chive garnish adds a pop of color and brightness.
Cedar-Planked Salmon with Lemon and Dill
Curing raw salmon fillets in a combination of salt, sugar, dill, and lemon zest for 90 minutes, then soaking them in sake for an hour, gives the fish an exceptionally silky texture and delicate flavor. Depending on the size of your grill, you might need to cook the salmon in two batches.
Gingered Salmon with Grilled Corn and Watercress Salad
? David Malosh
Chef Quinn Hatfield stuffs pickled ginger into slits in the salmon to infuse it with flavor. To keep the sliced fish intact and the ginger in place, he cleverly skewers the fillets before cooking.
Roasted Salmon with Lentils and Bacon
? Hannah Queen
A center-cut salmon fillet is best for roasting because it is uniform in shape and thickness and cooks more evenly than an end piece. Served on a bed of lentils that have been simmered with vegetables and bits of bacon, it makes for a hearty meal.
Salmon Ni?oise Salad
Tender salmon, briny olives, crisp-tender green beans, and satisfying potatoes all soak up the zippy, perfectly balanced dressing in this variation on a classic tuna Ni?oise. Don't skip the anchovy garnish — it provides pops of umami saltiness that take this salad over the top.
Herbed Salmon Tartare with Chips
If you aren't sure if you like raw fish but are game to try it, this is a great tartare to start. It combines both fresh and hot-smoked salmon, which, along with cucumber, cornichon, and crème fra?che, give it an appealing range of textures.
Rye and Crème Fra?che Strata with Smoked Salmon
In this playful riff on a bagel with cream cheese and lox, F&W culinary director at large Justin Chapple makes a custardy rye bread pudding with capers, then tops it with smoked salmon and red onion. It's warm, comforting, and a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.
Salmon Croquettes with Creole A?oli
A homemade Creole spice blend adds a piquant kick to these salmon croquettes, which are crispy on the outside and tender and flaky on the inside. If you'd like, you can swap in an equal amount of leftover cooked salmon for the fresh fillets to save time. The Creole A?oli is an irresistible combination of creamy, crunchy, and salty, an ideal match for the croquettes.
Quinoa-Crusted Salmon with Spicy Orange-Miso Sauce
Chef Ricardo Zarate coats salmon fillets with an extra crunchy, slightly nutty crust of quinoa, a staple in his native Peru. He served a version of this dish at the now-closed Picca in Los Angeles.
Crisp Salmon with Sesame-Cumin Eggplant Panzanella
Here, former Food & Wine editor Kay Chun pairs crisp salmon with a warm, smoky eggplant salad that's tossed with cubes of sesame bread. The dish is finished with a garnish of dill and sesame seeds.
Salmon with Mashed Peas and Tarragon Butter
Chef Gerardo Valenzuela uses seafood in dishes that can pair beautifully with whites and reds, such as this recipe for Salmon with Mashed Peas and Tarragon Butter. If you're looking for a wine pairing recommendation, we suggest a wild berry-scented Pinot Noir.
Salmon and Arugula Frittata with Pesto
Chef Eric Adjepong uses salmon two ways in his pesto-infused frittata, topping the eggs with cooked fresh salmon before baking it, then garnishing the frittata with thinly smoked salmon just before serving. Adjepong likes to serve the frittata with crisp greens drizzled with fresh lemon juice.
Seared Salmon with Summer Vegetables
In this recipe from chef Michael Romano, myriad vegetables — corn, spinach, tomato — and shiitakes sing of late summer, and pair perfectly with seared salmon. This recipe serves three to four as a main course and can easily be doubled.
Tater Tot Waffles with Smoked Salmon and Caviar
Jen Pelka of Une Femme Wines makes super-crunchy and delicious waffles using Tater Tots. Here, she tops the waffles with caviar and smoked salmon, creating a casual and elegant dish that is ideal with Champagne.
Sheet Pan Salmon with Brussels Sprouts
"I get excited making this dinner because it's easy, full of flavor, and a good balance of sweet, sour, and spicy — depending on how much cayenne pepper you add," says Klancy Miller, cookbook author and editor/founder of For the Culture. "Start with a small pinch...then add more if you prefer a spicy kick."
Pomegranate-Glazed Salmon with Oranges, Olives, and Herbs
"Tart and just barely sweet, the pomegranate molasses cuts through the richness of the fish while creating a gorgeous, shimmering glaze; the olives balance the bright flavors of the salad with their soft salinity and luxe butteriness," cookbook author and F&W Cooks contributor Andrea Slonecker says.
Barbecue-Spiced Hot-Smoked Salmon
Homemade barbecue spice seasons both a dry brine and pineapple-based mop sauce for a double dose of flavor in this salmon recipe. Hot-smoked salmon makes a showstopping centerpiece for your meal any time of day.
Herb-Roasted King Salmon with Pinot Noir Sauce
Originally served by chef David Pisegna at Seattle's Hotel Sorrento, this throwback salmon dish stands the test of time. We simplified the original recipe but didn't change a thing about the velvety, wine-blushed beurre blanc; keep it warm and serve it immediately for the best results.
Ginger Crispy Rice with Salmon and Bok Choy
Grains of jasmine rice take on a toasty, crispy crust in this perfect pot of rice topped with salmon, bok choy, and corn. To achieve the crust at the bottom of the pot, use a squeeze bottle to drizzle oil around the edge of the pot, or apply it precisely with a spoon.
Grilled King Salmon with Meyer Lemon Relish
Floral and lightly acidic salsa brings out the buttery, rich flavors of grilled king salmon. Salmon is meaty enough to stay intact on a grill and gets meltingly tender as it cooks. Serve leftover salsa with grilled lamb, chicken, or pork.
Roasted Honey-Dijon Salmon with Spring Vegetables
"With this recipe, you have just enough time to prep each step as ingredients each take their turn in the oven," cookbook author and F&W Cooks contributor Susan Spungen says. "Get the radishes, carrots, and shallots going while you work on the mustard glaze (which takes less than a minute!) and season the salmon, and then prep the asparagus and snap peas while the fish cooks."
Quick-Cured Salmon Steaks with Grilled Tomatoes and Tzatziki
Salmon steaks are essentially two fillets attached by the spine of the fish. Less expensive and easier to grill than a fillet, these steaks are quickly dry-cured in brown sugar, salt, and smoked paprika. Make sure to serve with warm pita wedges.
Coulibiac of Salmon with Pickled Beets and Kale
Once the centerpiece on the tables of czars, coulibiac has a storied past. The pastry-wrapped parcel of fish and various layered fillings started its life as kulebyaka, a Russian delicacy, before being commandeered by the French and rechristened coulibiac. This modern update on the classic swaps labor-intensive brioche with store-bought phyllo, which bakes into an ethereally crisp parcel that encases lemony rice, mustard-brushed salmon, pickled beets, and garlicky kale.
Brown Sugar–Glazed Salmon with Buttery Roasted Squash
Chef Erick Williams recommends thick cuts of salmon for this recipe; they cook quickly while remaining juicy and tender and are well balanced by the sweet, gingery glaze. If delicata or acorn squash aren't available, substitute six cups of peeled and diced butternut squash.
Shallow-Poached Salmon with Leek Beurre Blanc
Shallow poaching under a cartouche, a circle of parchment paper, yields tender fish in minutes. This method works with any mild fish, such as flounder, rockfish, or grouper. If any fillets are of uneven thickness (such as tapered portions near the tail), fold the thin portion underneath to achieve an even 3/4-inch thickness.
Slow-Roasted Salmon with Walnut-Olive Vinaigrette
A vinaigrette bolstered with chopped olives, toasted walnuts, and fresh parsley is a bold finishing touch for roasted salmon basted with smoked paprika and lemon. The combination of basting and slow roasting yields incredibly tender salmon; the walnut-olive vinaigrette adds a briny, buttery crunch.
Soy-Ginger Salmon Collars
The collar of salmon — as well as other rich fish — is full of flavorful meat that's hidden among the bones and fins. When broiled, it stays succulent and stands up well to bold flavors like the soy-based sauce here.
Salmon and Cherry Tomato Skewers with Rosemary Vinaigrette
Cook these simple salmon-tomato kebabs created by Justin Chapple on skewers or even on sturdy rosemary sprigs for extra flavor. The whole meal comes together in just 40 minutes, making it ideal for weeknights.
Salmon Sandwiches with Bacon and Apple-Horseradish Mayo
Mayonnaise spiked with tart Granny Smith apple and a jolt of jarred horseradish is the secret to these fantastic salmon sandwiches. They're also ready in only 40 minutes.
Sheet-Pan Salmon with Black Olive Butter
In this elegant sheet pan supper, salmon fillets are slathered with a flavor-packed butter of smashed garlic and salty, oil-cured olives. Simply seasoned with olive oil, salt, and pepper, fingerling potatoes get a head start roasting on the sheet pan; the salmon joins them for the last 10 minutes of cooking. A simple chilled yogurt sauce flavored with lemon and capers adds a cool, fresh contrast for this speedy yet impressive dish.
Sous Vide Salmon with Cucumbers
Chef Maria Hines turns salmon buttery-soft and rare in just 12 minutes by cooking it via sous vide. For more well-done fish, increase the water temperature. Serve the salmon with steamed couscous, and pour a glass of Greek white wine to sip with it.
Slow-Roasted Salmon Tails with Herb and Mustard Seed Salad
The narrow salmon tails are often overlooked at the fish counter because they are quite thin, which makes cooking them a bit tricky. Here, the tails remain intact, which results in evenly cooked meat that stays juicy because it's cooked on the bone. Plus, the fin gets delightfully crispy.