We combined our best and others recipe ideas for salmon dinner. As a result, these are the easiest to make salmon recipes for baking, grilling, frying, glazing, and many other ways. So, keep reading to see all the different ways. Then, also check out our entire Seafood and Stove Top Recipes categories.
How To Select And Prepare The Best Salmon
Select Your Salmon, Whole or Store-Bought Filets
To begin with, here are some traits to look for in choosing the best salmon for cooking. This list of how to choose a salmon is good for either prepackaged filets or fresh & whole.
- Rich, vibrant color
- Skin is moist and bright
- Avoid salmon with dark spots
- If fresh and whole
- Look for tightly packed scales along with a fresh sea smell
- Salmon eye is bright and clear
Prepare Your Salmon (whole, fresh)
Basically, with whole and fresh salmon, you’ll want to clean it, descale it and get it ready. So, see these articles for those tasks.
Remove The Salmon Skin
If you choose to remove the skin, you can do it now. Or, an alternate method is to pull it off after it’s cooked. However, that’s not always feasible with some cooking methods. So, here’s a good article of “How To Remove Skin From Salmon“.
Prepare Your Salmon Filets (fresh or store-bought)
With your salmon filets, run them under cold water. Then, ensure any final loose scales, slime, or loose residue is removed. After that, pat the salmon fillets dry. I always use paper towels and press downward on the pink side to absorb excess moisture. You’re now ready for cooking so, read further to choose the salmon recipe you want next.
1. Recipe Ideas for Salmon BAKED Dinners
Overall, baked salmon is one of the healthier ways of enjoying this seafood.
Best Baked Salmon Recipe for a Perfect Dinner
To be sure, here’s a basic, easy salmon baked recipe. When ready, place your salmon filets on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Drizzle with some lemon juice, minced garlic, and parsley flakes. Then, pour to brush on honey about 1 Tablespoon per filet. Finally, bake for 20-25 minutes in a preheated oven at 350⁰F.
Also, here are other more detailed recipe ideas for salmon to try.
- Honey Garlic Butter Baked Salmon
- Baked Lemon Garlic Butter Salmon
- Summer Veggie Salmon Foil Packets
- Garlic Buttered Baked Salmon
2. Recipe Ideas for Salmon GRILLED or SMOKED
Move your salmon dinner up a notch with grilling or smoking methods.
The Art of Grilling Salmon: Smoke Techniques
Prep your salmon filets with any of the oven baked recipes. But, instead of using the oven, get your outdoor grill or smoker preheated. Then, add some wood chips for smoking. After that, lay your salmon filets on an oiled, perforated grill pan. Place the pan on your grill or smoker and cover the grill/smoker. Finally, use good venting, maintain about 350-425⁰F and check it in about 15-25 minutes.
Grilled Salmon Tacos: Shake it up for Your Dinner
For a fun change, try grilled salmon tacos. Initially, choose one of the grilled salmon recipes. Then, use those grilled salmon pieces and place in a taco shell. To Subsequently, splash on some lime juice and pineapple tidbits. Also, for making it spicy, add a little bit of diced jalapeños. Serve with Tortilla chips and Salsa. Finally, wash it down with an authentic, traditional Margarita drink.
Smoked Salmon Pasta: Easier Than Your Think Salmon Idea
Make your cooked salmon using any of the salmon recipe ideas. In particular, it’s best if it was smoked. Then, break up the salmon into a large mixing bowl. Finally, toss in some cooked pasta (your choice of egg noodles, elbow macaroni, or fettucine), sour cream, and some dill (or diced dill pickles).
Smoked Salmon Crunchy Appetizer
Follow any of the salmon recipes to have some cooked salmon. The flavor’s the best with smoked salmon though. Then, in a mixing bowl, break up the salmon into small bits. After that, work in some softened cream cheese and some diced cucumber. Afterward, this will spread well atop any cracker, bagel chip, or crostini of your choice. For this reason, they’re easy to eat and you don’t need any toothpicks.
3. Recipe Ideas for Salmon BLACKENED
How to Make Homemade Blackened Salmon
To make your own blackened salmon, coat the salmon filet with olive oil. Then, rub in some cajun seasonings or Mrs. Dash. After that, fry it in a pan or skillet on medium high heat with a small amount of olive or peanut oil. It will be a little blackened and crispy on the outside. Or, here’s another optional recipe.
What To Serve With Blackened Salmon Dinner
You can serve this well with a simple Romaine lettuce salad (or a creamy cucumber tomato salad) and skillet potatoes and green beans (or asparagus with tomatoes from the oven)
4. Recipe Ideas for Salmon PAN or SKILLET
This low oil, pan fried salmon recipe is absolutely the easiest recipe for salmon filets known. It’s good in a frying pan or skillet. You literally coat in in olive oil and rub it with some simple spices. See the recipe to see the details. It’s ready to serve in under 10 minutes.
- Fast, low oil, pan fried salmon fillets recipe with seasonings
- Spicy Salmon Sweet Potato Skillet
Air Fryer Salmon
Here’s a very simple salmon air fryer recipe. It’s easy to make for a smaller quantity of salmon fillets.
5. Recipe Ideas for Salmon GLAZED
Glazed salmon recipes are often made with coating the fish with a mixture of soy sauce, citrus juice, and honey. The citrus can be anything like orange, lemon, or lime juice. Sometimes, brown sugar is added and some other flavorings like garlic or ginger. With that said, here’s our selected winner glazed salmon recipe.
6. Recipe Ideas for Salmon PATTIES
How to Make SALMON PATTIES for a Special Dinner
Just like crab cakes, you can make salmon patties as salmon burgers.
- Just use any of the cooked salmon or canned salmon. Break it apart into a mixing bowl.
- Then, add in some breadcrumbers and eggs to get a consistency good for making patties.
- After that, add in some Old Bay seasonings or Mrs. Dash.
- Then, make your salmon patties like you would burger patties.
- Finally, you fry them in an oil coated pan or skillet on medium heat. It takes about 4-7 minutes per side.
- Serve them on warmed hamburger buns with a little bit of tartar sauce or dill tartar sauce. Or, you can just use some mayo and some sweet pickle relish. Another option is to serve them as straight salmon patties on a plate, usually 2 per person along with your typical seafood sides.
Or, just look over our recipe for the deluxe version with all the details of how to make salmon patties (aka salmon burgers).
7. Recipe Ideas for Salmon SALADS
These are easy salmon salads to make. They also handy for using any leftover salmon from a recent meal. For another idea, these make a great lunch for the day after a salmon dinner.
Healthy Grilled Salmon Salad
Use any grilled salmon recipe for a skillet or pan. Or just simply fry the salmon in an oiled pan with some salt & pepper and a splash of lemon juice. Then, after cooked, break it apart and toss it into your salad of green lettuce, cherry tomatoes, diced cucumbers, and diced green onions. It’s great with an Italian or other vinaigrette dressing. For more detailed salmon salad recipes, here are our top choices.
What Sides Go With A Salmon Dinner?
Many will choose salmon side items such as those shown here For example, you can try cooked vegetables like asparagus, corn on the cob, or even tomatoes. Or you can try cooked sides such as rice variations, baked potatoes, or macaroni and cheese. Also, for raw veggies, you can try some salads or individual items like sliced tomatoes.
- Creamy cucumber tomato salad
- Asparagas with Tomatoes
- Baked Potatoes or Loaded Baked Potatoes
- Corn on the Cob from the Oven
- Old Fashioned Mac n Cheese Casserole
- Green Salad with Blue Cheese Topping
Interesting Facts About Salmon
1) Salmon are considered a health food, as they are high in protein, vitamin D, & Omega-3 fatty acids.
2) To begin with, Salmon are born in fresh water, migrate to salt water, and return to fresh water to spawn.
3) Even though there are about 1,500 to 10,000 eggs in a female, only about 0 to 10 will survive to adulthood.
4) In time, Salmon live 2 to 7 years.
5) The largest salmon can achieve a little under 5 feet long and around 125 pounds. However, the pink salmon grow to about max of 30 inches and 12 pounds.
Finally, here are “10 Amazing Things About Salmon” filled with facts and pics info. They’re from Canada’s largest International conservation organization.
Conclusion of Recipe Ideas for Salmon
You now have a great variety of recipe ideas for salmon dinners and lunches. Plus, some of them are great for making with salmon leftovers. Also, you have seen them categorized by how the salmon is cooked. To this end, there were baked, pan fried, air fried, glazed, smoked, and grilled salmon sections. Additionally, the seasonings and ingredients were reasonably common. Also, the cooking of each was fairly simple. Finally, some were even for appetizers. So, go ahead and plan one of these recipe ideas for salmon now.
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