21 Salmon Recipes For Any Meal

When you think about "salmon," you might envision an elaborately plated entrée at a nice restaurant. Maybe there's even a single burning candle? Here at Tasting Table, we invite you to skip the white tablecloth. Cooking salmon can be easy and accessible — and it totes some major health benefits. Just one 3.5-ounce serving of wild salmon packs roughly 25 grams of protein, per Healthline. The fish is also a good way to incorporate omega-3 fatty acids — which promote heart and neurological health – into your diet.

Salmon was the second most-popular seafood among American consumers after shrimp in 2018, according to IntraFish. While this ranking might seem impressive, it only represents less than 3 pounds of salmon consumed per person per year. This isn't surprising, given that people in the U.S. tend to eat less than the recommended amount of seafood set by health guidelines (via the USDA). 

Folks may be unfamiliar with preparation methods or options for it, but believe it or not, salmon is a truly versatile ingredient. It can be baked, grilled, smoked, fried, cured, or served raw. If you're looking to incorporate more salmon into your diet — or you're a foodie excited to cook with it for the first time — we've rounded up 21 salmon recipes sure to make fans out of even the pickiest eaters. 

When you're looking for a quick yet filling fix, there's probably a good chance you'll be pulling burgers out of the freezer. Enter: salmon patties. They're a lighter alternative to beef burgers and wickedly accessible for fledgling "seafoodies." As recipe developer Ting Dalton of Cook Simply notes, salmon burgers can be a great way to get kids and picky eaters to enjoy eating fish. All it takes is salmon, breadcrumbs, green onions, lemon juice, basil, an egg white, and a food processor.

Simply fry up those patties and serve them on a bun with lettuce and mayo or remoulade sauce. You can pair the burger with a complimentary side like a savory mustard-forward potato salad.

Recipe: Salmon Burgers

For an entrée that excites, look no further than this salmon filet with a honey-lime glaze. It's a "fancy dinner out" main course that's surprisingly easy to create at home — and it's ready in less than half an hour. The marinade, a playful take on the sweet-and-sour flavor combo, shines in this salmon recipe. As impressive as the dish appears, it features a deceptively simple ingredient lineup: soy sauce, garlic, lime juice, and honey over a salmon filet. For a presentation that wows, plate the salmon over a bed of rice pilaf. Or put together a quick salad as a refreshing side.

Recipe: Honey Lime Salmon

Salmon is characteristically mild, but this recipe spices things up in a big way. Plus, it takes only four ingredients and less than 20 minutes to put together. Simply rub that salmon filet down with salt, olive oil, and harissa paste. If you've never worked with it before, harissa is a combination of dried chiles, caraway seeds, garlic, and coriander. It's a staple in many North African cuisines, and you can even make it yourself. If you do opt for a homemade version, you can adjust the ingredients for a more or less spicy bite. Otherwise, it might be a good idea to incorporate that store-bought harissa paste a little at a time to avoid overdoing it on the spiciness.

Recipe developer Susan Olaynika of The Flexible Fridge suggests serving the baked filet with crusty bread or a simple green salad. A lightly dressed lemon-pepper Swiss chard might fit the bill as well.

Recipe: Harissa Baked Salmon

If you have a sous vide cooker lying around your kitchen, this one's for you. "Sous vide is the process in which you vacuum pack food and cook it at a precise temperature," Dalton explains. A plastic freezer bag will work just fine, if you don't have a sous vide bag. After the filet is cooked, finish it in a skillet with lemon juice and butter.

For this recipe, Dalton recommends using skin-on salmon filets. If you can't find them in your grocery store, this is a good excuse to visit your local fishmonger. (It's a lot of fun.) Serve with roasted baby potatoes and wilted spinach.

Recipe: Sous Vide Salmon

When you think about salmon, a "fix it and forget it meal" is probably one of the last things that come to mind. But, according to recipe developer Catherine Brookes of Blue Sky Eating, you can do all the prep work for this miso salmon in advance. The key to this dish is marination. Allow those salmon filets to soak up the sauce — a simple combination of brown miso paste, white rice vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, and red pepper flakes — in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. The miso adds a salty, fermented punch to the naturally umami flavor profile of salmon.

When you're ready to eat, pan fry, bake, or grill the filets — whatever you prefer. It's an easy and impressive make-ahead meal for dinner parties or artfully curated solo nights in. Garnish the fish with sesame seeds and serve it with sides like broccoli, steamed edamame, or rice.

Recipe: Miso Salmon

Bored with your go-to workday lunches? Enter: the sushi burrito. We're getting creative with this one. Sushi burritos are quick to assemble and easy to transport, recipe developer Kit Hondrum of Kit's Kitchen says, making them an ideal solution for a lunchtime rut. As the name implies, a large sheet of nori is filled with sushi rice and sliced salmon and ahi tuna. It's also packed with ribboned carrots, cucumbers, romaine lettuce, green onions, avocado, and pickled ginger — all complemented by sriracha mayo, which adds a hit of spicy richness.

Hondrum suggests using a combo of salmon and ahi tuna, but salmon could do the heavy lifting on its own. (Side note: Since the salmon is staying raw in this recipe, be sure to use farmed salmon instead of the wild variety to avoid any potential parasites. Better to err on the side of caution.)

Recipe: Ginger Sushi Burrito

Sunday brunch has never looked so stylish. Introducing: this Danish-inspired smoked salmon sandwich — aka smørrebrød. If you've visited any restaurant that serves trendy breakfast items in the past year, then there's a good chance you've already become acquainted with this dish. Enjoying it while dining out might put a dent in your wallet, but a homemade version won't set you back — and it might just make your morning.

To create it, whip up a homemade herbed spread by incorporating lemon juice and chopped dill and parsley into some sour cream. Then, smear the mixture across a slab of rye bread and top with smoked salmon and crunchy radish slices. If you're feeling like a loose cannon, garnish the sandwich with a pinch of salty capers or pickled red onions, and enjoy it with a bright mimosa. (Or four).

Recipe: Open-Faced Smoked Salmon Sandwich

This dish sounds like it belongs on a plate at a Michelin-starred restaurant with "$$$$" on its Google Maps listing. But the only plate salmon Florentine belongs on is yours – and it can happen in your kitchen at home. To do it, salmon filets are baked in the oven and topped with a creamy spinach sauce. That's it. Recipe developer Christina Musgrave of Tasting with Tina suggests enjoying this deceptively simple meal with a glass of white wine. A chilled Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc might do the trick.

Recipe: Salmon Florentine

Smoked salmon: Meet the one-pot meal. (Yes, really.) This recipe does it all. Simply sauté chopped fresh chili pepper and garlic in olive oil. Boil spaghetti noodles (or any kind of long, thin pasta) and add them to the pan. Since smoked salmon doesn't need to be cooked before use, all you need to do is chunk it, incorporate it into the pasta with cherry tomatoes and a little lemon juice and zest, and heat everything together on the stove. It's an elevated take on the classic spaghetti that's ready in just 20 minutes. Serve it with a simple salad or veggies like asparagus or green beans.

Recipe: Smoked Salmon Pasta

Put the kids to bed for this recipe: The adults are talking. This bourbon glazed salmon is perfect for a weeknight dinner or your next party. Plus, you can make the glaze in advance, so it'll be ready whenever you are. (Hello, hosting made easy.) The glaze is a combination of maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, tomato paste, brown sugar, minced garlic, crushed red pepper, and (of course) bourbon. Recipe developer Molly Pisula of Vanilla Bean Cuisine recommends stirring a little tamari into the mix, but soy sauce will work too. To assemble, simply glaze the salmon filets and roast them in the oven. Pisula suggests serving the fish with steamed white rice and broccoli.

Recipe: Bourbon Glazed Salmon

L.E.O. is what we're talking about when we say "breakfast for dinner." Or breakfast at any time in the day. The point is: If you've been living without L.E.O., allow us to remedy that immediately. It's an effortlessly easy combination of chopped lox, scrambled eggs, and onions. For brunch, serve it with toast and red pepper jelly. For a heartier dinner, plate it with roasted potatoes. For an elevated midnight snack, consume it cross-legged on the kitchen floor.

Recipe: L.E.O. (Lox, Eggs, and Onions)

This Salmon Wellington is a reimagination of a U.K. classic, and after trying it, you may never go back to the original. Traditionally, English Beef Wellington is a beef tenderloin covered with layers of duxelles, pâté, Prosciutto di Parma, and puff pastry (via MasterClass). This version instead calls for a cream cheese mixture with spinach and dill. To assemble the Wellington, roll out a slab of puff pastry, coat it with the herbed cream cheese, and center the salmon filet. Then, top the whole thing with more puff pastry, seal up the edges, and bake it until it's golden brown. Olayinka compares the taste of this dish to that of a salmon and cream cheese bagel. (Sold.)

Recipe: Salmon Wellington

There's nothing like a recipe for an ingredient — as in, once you're done making this cured salmon, you can toss it into pretty much any dish and it'll knock you into another gastronomic dimension. Salmon crostini? Absolutely. Salmon chowder? With this recipe, sure! According to Musgrave, the result is "more like smoked salmon than sashimi" — no smoker necessary. The salmon simply gets salt-cured in the refrigerator for 24 hours and it's ready to use. The best part? After you're done, when you go into the office the next day and your coworker asks where you got that dreamy bagel with lox, you'll be able to shrug and say, "Oh, this? I made it."

Recipe: Homemade Cured Salmon

Delight guests with a tray of these yummy salmon burgers at your next Sunday football gathering or dinner party. The fish patties are breaded and pan-fried, then topped with iceberg lettuce. We championed salmon burgers earlier on in this recipe roundup, but the showstopper for this particular variation is the homemade sweet pickle relish. It's made with minced bread-and-butter pickles and smeared onto sweet King's Hawaiian rolls, which we're using as buns here. In fact, these smaller salmon burgers are more like sweet and savory sliders. For a complementary pairing, enjoy the bites with a Pilsner and wavy potato chips.

Recipe: Salmon Burgers with Sweet Pickle Relish

Tacos are one of the most universal crowd-pleasers in the food world, so this fried salmon version is sure to wow. And its aesthetically pleasing rainbow color palette might just take your Instagram feed to the next level. Avocado, cherry tomatoes, red onions, lime juice, cilantro, and seasoned salmon are all wrapped up in a warm tortilla. Serve this dish like you'd serve any other taco: Drizzle hot sauce, squirt lime juice, or dollop sour cream on top. The salmon and the fillings will keep in the fridge for a few days too, so you can use this recipe for make-ahead meal prep or just enjoy the leftovers for dinner tomorrow.

Recipe: Fried Salmon Tacos

There's a good chance you already have everything you need to make this spicy honey glaze on hand: red chili flakes, sesame oil, honey, soy sauce, chopped garlic, and salt. Too easy, right? It gets even easier. To make the dish, simply cover both sides of the salmon filets with the glaze, bake, brush on a little more glaze, and then broil for a few minutes to char the tops. For a complete meal, Olayinka recommends pairing the fish with rice, salad, or fresh pasta. But this spicy honey-glazed salmon could also be a killer addition to a big batch of fried rice. Cube the salmon, scramble an egg, dice up some green onions, steam some carrots and sugar snap peas, make a batch of rice, and coat it all in the spicy honey glaze. Boom — luxurious salmon fried rice. (You can thank us later.)

Recipe: Spicy Honey-Glazed Salmon

Eggs Benedict is a sensory fantasia from plate to palate. The runny yolk of a poached egg spills down into the nooks and crannies of an English muffin. The whole thing is slathered in creamy hollandaise sauce, providing a golden background against sprinkles of bright red cayenne pepper and green chives. As if you needed another stimulus, we're throwing smoked salmon into the mix. Are you ready for it?

For a fresh element, you can slam a few slices of creamy avocado onto the English muffin too. Serve the dish with roasted cherry tomatoes and asparagus and enjoy with a classic brunch cocktail like a savory Bloody Mary. If you prefer an Aperol Spritz, you may want to make it with a dryer Prosecco.

Recipe: Eggs Benedict With Salmon

When you get home late from work and it's already dinnertime, look no further than this recipe. To make this Korean-style air fryer salmon, just glaze the salmon filet and pop it in your air fryer. Those are literally all the steps. But don't get it twisted: This simple recipe is anything but plain. The sticky gochujang glaze speaks for itself. It contains brown sugar, which caramelizes on the salmon, resulting in a crispy mouthfeel. While the sweetness from the sugar balances out the spiciness, you can customize your preferred spice level by adding more or less gochujang.

Recipe developer Joe Dillard of For Frying Out Loud recommends garnishing the fish with toasted sesame seeds and diagonal slices of green onions. Serve it with steamed rice, green beans, and julienned carrots.

Recipe: Korean-Style Air Fryer Salmon

Tonight, everybody is home at the same time for dinner. No evening work function or soccer practice means you've got a houseful — plus, a friend or two who dropped by after school. Rest assured: This maple-glazed sheet pan salmon serves six to eight people. Many recipes for this fish are designed for smaller, individually cooked filets, but this one calls for a big honking 3.5-pound slab. There's no need to prepare a side dish either because a slew of winter veggies are cooked in the same pan alongside the salmon. And the one-pan assembly spares you from the dreaded mountain of dirty dishes to scrub post-dinner.

This dish is packed with romanesco, Brussels sprouts, radicchio, and delicata squash — veggies that can otherwise be tough to incorporate into wintertime dishes. The sweet, tangy maple glaze coats the salmon and vegetables, convincing choosy kiddos to enjoy something they might normally turn their noses up at.

Recipe: Maple-Glazed Sheet Pan Salmon

When you think about preparing salmon at home, a simple bake seasoned with lemon and garlic is likely one of the first methods that comes to mind. Indeed, it's a classic for a reason. As Musgrave notes, this lemon-garlic baked salmon is a perfect recipe for novice home cooks or anybody trying to cook salmon for the first time. To do it, olive oil gets rubbed over a whole salmon filet. After a sprinkle of salt and pepper and the flavorful addition of minced garlic and lemon slices, it all gets slammed in the oven for 20 minutes.

You can enjoy it on its own, but the simplicity of this salmon makes it ideal to use in other recipes as well. Chop it up and toss it in a rice bowl with some fresh cucumbers and avocado. Shred it and sprinkle it over a salad with red onions, halved grape tomatoes, and feta cheese. Prepare a nutrient-rich lunch with salmon and roasted veggies like zucchini, asparagus, and squash.

Recipe: Lemon-Garlic Baked Salmon

Few things go together as well as grill marks and a salmon filet. But if there were an ideal third accoutrement, it would be Cajun seasoning. This recipe calls for the seasoning blend to be made with cumin, garlic powder, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, dried oregano, dried thyme, and sea salt. Aside from the salmon filet, you likely have everything you need for a quick and easy dinner living in your spice cabinet already. Dalton suggests serving the fish with roasted potatoes or couscous.

Recipe: Cajun Grilled Salmon