My Go-To Salmon Recipes

Wild caught salmon is something I keep on hand, honestly in the freezer. Buying it frozen ahead of time means that I always have it available for dinners. Purchasing it fresh from a fish market would be ideal, but keeping it in our freezer is a more feasible reality for our current lifestyle. And truthfully, it’s easier and takes less time to cook than chicken! Salmon does not require a long time to marinate, and it cooks in about 10 minutes!  I wanted to share my go-to salmon recipes in this post.

Side Note – Picky Children: If your kids are not big salmon lovers, that is okay. One of my boys LOVES salmon, but my middle son is not a fan. I usually ask him to try a bite of it, and sometimes he chooses to eat several bites at dinner. My advise is to keep trying and don’t stop offering it! Just because your child doesn’t like it today, doesn’t mean he will dislike it forever. 

Some General Salmon Tips

• Wild Caught Alaskan salmon is our favorite.
• Wild caught is much more nutritious than farmed!
• Fresh wild caught salmon is tastier, but buying it frozen is more economical.
• To thaw frozen salmon, place pieces in the refrigerator overnight.
• Once they’re thawed and you’re ready to prep dinner, remove the salmon from the package and try to get as most of the moisture out as possible. I dab the pieces with paper towels.
• Check the salmon for pin bones, and remove any that you find.
• The skin can stay on, because the methods listed below make it easy to remove the skin after cooking.
• I like to cook wild caught salmon to about medium rare. That is an internal temperature of 125 degrees. I use a digital meat thermometer to check the temperature.
• Salmon takes around 7 minutes/inch of thickness to cook.

Grilled Cedar Plank Salmon

This is our most loved go-to salmon recipe! We like to make a version of this for everything from weeknights to birthday dinners. Grilling on a cedar plank makes it very easy, and the clean-up is a cinch. You can find a cedar plank at most grocery stores near the fish or butcher counter.

To prep the salmon, make sure the salmon has been patted dry and any bones removed. Make the following marinade:

• 3 Tbsp whole grain mustard
• 3 Tbsp maple syrup
• 2 Tbsp coconut aminos
• 2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
• chopped fresh rosemary
• black pepper

Pour most of the marinade over 1-1.5 lbs of salmon. Let it sit on the fish for 30 minutes. Keep a little bit of the marinade set aside to use as a sauce. While the fish is marinating, soak the cedar planks in water. This helps them not burn on the grill.

Once the planks are soaked, heat the grill to around 400 degrees. Dry off the planks and place the pieces of salmon directly onto the cedar planks, skin-side down. Place the planks on the grill, and cook until the salmon is around 125 degrees internally.

To remove the planks from the grill, I like to use tongs to slide them to the edge, then place the planks on a large rimmed pan. Be careful, because they will be hot!

The skin should stick slightly to the plank, so it will be easy to remove from the piece of salmon. Toss the planks after grilling – they are only good for one use.

Salmon with Ramen

To make a ramen bowl with salmon, you’ll need a few pots and pans, but the cooking methods are not difficult. You could cook the veggies and noodles ahead of time if you’d like. We prefer Lotus Foods brand gluten free ramen noodles. I cook them according to package directions. We like to sauté some veggies – mainly zucchini, broccoli, and mushrooms – to add to the bowl. In a pot, simmer some bone broth and season with minced fresh garlic and ginger. Season with salt and pepper as necessary.

For the salmon, brush on some sesame oil (avocado oil is fine if you cannot eat sesame), and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Grill it skin-side down. Once the salmon is almost all the way cooked, flip over and cook on the top/flesh side for a minute or so.

To assemble the bowl, add some ramen and veggies to each bowl. Spoon some of the bone broth over the noodles and vegetables. Add a piece of salmon and season with coconut aminos and sesame seeds (optional). If your family is a fan of spice, sriracha is a great addition as well. Make sure you find a GF sriracha. 

Roasted Salmon

Roasted salmon is so easy, guys. What I like to do is place some parchment paper down on a rimmed baking pan. Then place a metal rack down on top of the parchment. Place the salmon (skin left on) on the rack. Add just a little avocado oil, then season with minced fresh garlic, salt, pepper, and parsley.

Roast in an oven preheated to 375 degrees. I like to place it on the top rack so that the top of the salmon browns a bit. You could certainly cook this at a higher temperature if you wanted more caramelization, or broil it at the end. At 350-375 degrees, it takes about 7 minutes/inch of cooking time, but I like to check the internal temperature periodically with the digital meat thermometer. Ideally, I like wild caught salmon to be cooked to around 125 degrees, but you could cook it to your preference.

For this meal, I made some romesco sauce, and served the salmon with roasted potatoes and an arugula salad. Trader Joe’s sells a really good romesco dip, but you can also try making your own. I used this recipe by Lillie Biesinger.

 

Salmon does not have to be overly complicated! This fish is full of vitamin D and omega 3 fats, and one of the most nutritious proteins that is available in many grocery stores and markets. I’d love to hear if you try one of these salmon dishes!