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Looking for ways to incorporate more salmon into your diet? Look no further. This collection of easy salmon recipes has it all, from baked in the oven to crisped in the air fryer— even perfected on the grill! They’re all super approachable, so even the most amateur of home cooks can make them.
Salmon. You’ve decided you want more of it in your life, and honestly, same. It’s one of those things that works basically everywhere—breakfast, a weeknight where you need dinner ready in twenty minutes, or a dinner party where you want to look like you have it together. It’s reliably, consistently the answer, and I think you already knew that. Which is why you’re here! ♡
Whether you’re new at cooking salmon or you’re already a total rockstar at it, I think you’re going to love all of the options below. But, a few things first…
What You’ll Find Here
Table of Contents
Why Add Salmon to Your Diet?
There are many health benefits to enjoy.
- It’s a high-quality protein, offering around 20-25 grams per 3.5-ounce serving. That’s enough to build muscle, support bone density, and keep you full.
- Rich in omega-3s—EPA and DHA, the ones that actually matter. Good for your heart, your brain, your mood, and your overall inflammation levels.
- Lots of vitamins—Vitamin D, B12, and astaxanthin, an antioxidant most people haven’t heard of that’s quietly doing good things for your skin and eyes.
- It’s versatile—you can grill it, pan-sear it, bake it, and air-fry it, and you can choose any flavor profile you’re in the mood for, from Asian-leaning to Mediterranean.
Salmon Recipes for Dinner
Let’s start with dinner, because a lot of people are looking to incorporate more fish into their dinner rotation. These recipes are guaranteed to help with that!
Baked Miso Salmon
Curry Salmon With Coconut Milk
Teriyaki Sheet Pan Salmon
Salmon Burgers
Poached Salmon in Tomato Wine Sauce
Air Fryer Salmon Recipes
Cooking salmon in the air fryer is a great way to get a nice crisp on the outside while keeping things tender within. You can keep the salmon as fillets or cut them into salmon bites, which are excellent for bowl meals!
Sweet Chili Air Fryer Salmon Bites
Air Fryer Salmon With Orange Honey Glaze
Air Fryer Lemon Pepper Salmon Caesar Salad
Grilled Salmon Recipes
Grilling fish can be tricky, but it’s worth getting the hang of it. You get some great smoky flavor, the surface caramelizes, and the inside stays tender, giving you summer on a plate!
Salmon Kebabs With Chimichurri
Herb & Garlic Cedar Plank Salmon
Grilled Salmon With Cherry Tomato Bruschetta
Learn how to grill fish on a cedar plank here!
Salmon Bowl Recipes
Bowl Meals are gaining popularity because they just make sense, and salmon is a great way to enjoy them. Pick a grain, a flavor profile, and you’re set. Here are our favorites.
Amazing Bang Bang Salmon Bowls
Teriyaki Salmon Bowl
Rice Bowl With Salmon
Salmon Recipes for Breakfast
Salmon is one of the few fish that helps start the day off on the right foot. Whether you go for smoked salmon or just flake leftovers into your dish, these recipes are TASTY.
Smoked Salmon Avocado Toast
Cottage Cheese Toast With Salmon
Egg White Smoked Salmon Wrap
No-Crust Salmon Quiche
Tips When Shopping for Salmon
How to pick a good piece of salmon: color is your first tell
Look for a vivid, saturated orange or deep pink. Pale, washed-out flesh is usually a sign of age or poor handling. Check the package for pooled or cloudy liquid, which means the fish has been sitting too long, and look at the flesh itself. The muscle layers should be tight and intact.
Wild vs. farmed: what actually matters
Wild salmon runs deep red to dark pink, tastes like salmon, and has a firmer, leaner texture. Sockeye and King are the varieties worth seeking out if you’re going this route. Farmed is almost always Atlantic—lighter in color, fattier, milder, and more forgiving to cook because it’s harder to dry out. Neither is wrong. They’re just different fish for different moods.
Getting value at the fish counter
Buy a whole side or a large center-cut piece and portion it yourself. It’s almost always cheaper per pound than pre-cut fillets, and you get to decide the size. And don’t overlook flash-frozen: unless you’re buying during wild salmon season or from a fishmonger you trust, frozen is often better than the “fresh” fish sitting in the display case, which has usually just been thawed from frozen anyway. It keeps in your freezer for months and loses nothing in the process.
The Best Way to Store Leftover Salmon
In the Fridge
For up to four days…
- Always go airtight. Salmon picks up surrounding odors fast and dries out if left exposed, so an airtight container is the move, no exceptions.
- Deal with the liquid. If the salmon has released juice, put a paper towel at the bottom of the container to absorb it. Skipping this step leads to mushy fish, which helps no one.
- Back of the bottom shelf. It’s the coldest spot in your fridge. That’s where the salmon goes!
In the Freezer
For up to 3 months…
- Double wrap it. Plastic wrap first, then a freezer bag with the air pressed out. One layer isn’t enough, and you’ll taste the difference.
- It keeps for 2 to 3 months. After that, the quality starts to slide. It’s still safe, just not great.
- Thaw it in the fridge overnight. Not on the counter, not in the microwave. Low and slow keeps the texture intact.
Containers for Storing Salmon
For storage, glass is the right call. It’s non-porous, so it won’t absorb fish odors or oils the way standard plastic does, which means your container won’t smell like salmon forever and your salmon won’t taste like whatever you stored in there last week. If you’re using plastic, go for Tritan; it’s the only one that behaves like glass in this regard.
My recommendations:
- Leak-Proof Glass Storage Containers—tempered glass, non-porous, locking lids, and silicone sleeves to prevent chipping.
- Tritan Plastic Food Storage—BPA-free Tritan plastic, fully leakproof, odor-resistant. The right call if you want something lighter and cheaper than glass.
- ZWILLING Fresh & Save Vacuum Containers—removes all air, keeping salmon fresh up to 5 times longer than standard storage. More of a commitment, but worth it if you’re meal prepping regularly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Start it in a hot pan, finish it in the oven. The stovetop gives you the crust, and the oven keeps it from drying out. This is how restaurants do it, and it’s not complicated. Other great ways are simply baking it in the oven or a quick trip in the air fryer.
Albumin (the milky white gel that emits from salmon as it cooks) is a harmless protein. It’s flavorless, and the only thing it affects is how the salmon looks. It has no bearing on how it tastes or eats.
The first biggest mistake is overcooking it. The texture is dry, unpleasant, and the flavor is fishier than it should be. Another mistake is overmarinating. This can result in a mushy texture, especially if marinated in acids, such as citrus.
