5 Beautiful Ways To Plate Salmon

Salmon is a wonderful ingredient to use as the highlight of a dish. Beloved by many for its rich, buttery flavor, salmon is packed with healthy nutrients that are so good for your body. These include omega-3 fatty acids, which can help lower inflammation and blood pressure. Salmon also offers plenty of protein. In addition, this pink fish is high in vitamin B12, which supports the nervous system and the formation of red blood cells, as well as potassium and selenium.

There are so many delicious ways to cook salmon, such as searing, frying, grilling, roasting, poaching, and even preparing it as burgers. And its beautiful color (ranging from pale pinky-orange and light coral to a gorgeous deep blush) makes plating it creatively an absolute joy. After all, we eat with our eyes first, don't we — tempted by a dish through how it looks on our plates.

Chefs and home cooks have so many elements to play with when working on an attractive presentation for their salmon. But it's important to avoid overloading the plate and to let your salmon be the focal point. So, only add onto the plate what guests are going to eat with the salmon itself, and serve all other sides separately. Here are five ideas for plating salmon to get your artistic juices flowing.

One unique way to serve salmon is to display it in a glass bowl. This delicate presentation was created by chef Simon Higgins and shared on @thelearningchefgroup on Instagram to inspire salmon lovers everywhere. The dainty bowl is first balanced on its side so that a pea mousse can be scooped in at an angle. Smooth out your layer of pea mousse, then turn your bowl right-side up and carefully add in your marinated Irish smoked salmon. 

Next, place a ribbon of pickled cucumber on the salmon and a molded teaspoon of crème fraîche sorbet. Top with salmon roe and a pea mint salad. You can also play around with your elements and even the dish you're presenting them in to use items more readily available at home. For example, instead of the pea mousse, you can make a tasty herby spring pea dip. Grab a big pickle from your jar and use a peeler to slice a ribbon — or get fancy and cut spirals instead of a plain ribbon. Or, try a ribbon of thinly sliced zucchini, lightly salted. 

A good alternative to your sorbet, though the texture will be a little different and it won't be as cold, is a dollop of full-fat Greek yogurt. Or, try some chilled cream cheese, which pairs well with salmon. And you don't have to hunt for Irish smoked salmon, either. Plain-Jane smoked salmon from your local store will do just fine, cut into small cubes. It's also ridiculously easy to smoke your own salmon using these two pro tips. And for your serving dish, be creative. See what glassware is hiding in your cupboard that can show off your beautiful dish.

Who would've thought you could use an ice cream cone as a serving dish for your salmon? Well, @melodyeatstampa on Instagram discovered a restaurant that did, and it makes for an exquisite presentation! Longboat Key Florida restaurant, Mar Vista, was the brains behind this presentation, and we loved this as inspiration for your salmon plating adventures. In a waffle cone, add your salmon poke (which is seasoned in a very specific way), then drizzle it generously with seasoned chia seeds mixed into lemon oil. You can even make your own lemon-infused olive oil while you're doing the fancy-schmancy chef thing at home. Top with a few mint leaves to bring a bright green pop to the dish. It's one of many creative ways to use up extra ice cream cones.

We don't recommend using a standard ice cream cone or a sugar cone, as these have flat brims and are denser than your waffle cones (perfect for a ball of ice cream, but not so much for your salmon). The waffle cone is thinner and fluffier (for want of a better word), with that lovely conical shape that helps give this dish its look. But you can substitute your cone for something else for a different slant to your dish. Try making these easy crepes and rolling them into a cigar shapes, or wrapping them into wedges, and position them on the edge of your plate — crepes can get soggy if they're in contact with liquid.

This pretty little salmon cupcake was shared by @foodeatlove on Instagram, which she discovered at her local fishmonger. And we just loved that, because we're big advocates of supporting local. It's a tian of gin-cured salmon on a delicate avocado salad, topped with baby sprouts. Strange as it may sound, gin is a wonderful flavor pairing for salmon. 

Gin has herbal and floral flavors, called gin botanicals — brought in by the juniper berries, herbs, spices, fruit, and sometimes wood used to make it — and infused into the drink. These pair beautifully with the flavor profile of seafood, like salmon. But you don't have to be locked in by the gin-cured salmon. See what types of salmon your local fishmonger has available, then pair the spices — or even some of your ingredients — with them accordingly. 

Smoked salmon is always a winner, because it is thinly sliced and can be prettily arranged. Take a look at what wood type and/or ingredients were used in the smoked salmon to determine the main flavor profile. It can range from the apple and cherry wood used for smoking to infused ingredients like whiskey and maple syrup that give your smoked salmon its flavor. In cases like these, you can bring sweeter elements into your salmon cupcakes to carry those flavors through, with a good presence of spice or tang to balance them out, like lime or lemon juice.

Picture an exquisite mosaic glass window, the sun shining through it, dazzling in its beauty. That may very well have been what inspired this salmon presentation, shared by @hospitalityonlevel on Instagram. Superfine slices of salmon mosaic carpaccio are arranged on your plate, and enhanced with toppings of your choice. You can use toasted seaweed crisps or fried nori sheets to make crisp crackers. A tasty store-bought or homemade teriyaki sauce brings additional flavor, or try a wasabi mayo dip spooned on top. To make it, mix 1½ teaspoons of wasabi powder and 1 teaspoon of water to form a paste. Next, stir in 3 tablespoons of mayo, and season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Then, top your dish with delicate pea shoots to add a great final aesthetic. Making salmon carpaccio is a bit of a process. It involves slicing a beautiful piece of fresh, raw salmon into strips, sprinkling it with seaweed powder, rolling your salmon slices up tightly, and cooking it sous vide. But there's always a bit of a cheat-way to get around these more difficult foodie presentations. Instead of doing the whole rolling and slicing thing, get some thinly sliced smoked salmon from the store, then carefully sprinkle your mosaic patterns across the top. You can also use dried, ground shiitake mushrooms or kelp powder. 

We like to refer to these cuties as salmon cake pops because of the shape. But whatever they're called, @chefbond_ on Instagram created a really pretty salmon presentation — and they're super easy to prep. First, pop your cream cheese in the freezer for 15 minutes to harden slightly, then roll it into ¾ inch balls. Refrigerate them so they don't soften while you prep your other ingredients. Next, take your slices of thin smoked salmon and cut circles out of them — big enough to wrap around your cream cheese balls. 

Get the cream cheese balls out and wrap them in your salmon circles, taking a piece of plastic wrap and tightly wrapping each ball to make your rounded cake pop shape. Refrigerate to help them set. Then, get your thick slices of cucumber ready for your little cake pop bases. Decorate these with salmon roe (which is more affordable than caviar) and pea shoots, chopped chives, or other garnishes of your choosing, then drop a few spoonfuls of wasabi aioli around the plate for dipping. Finally, plug each salmon cake pop into the middle of a cucumber slice, and wait for that "wow" from your guests when you serve this dish.