How To Cook Salmon Delicious Tips and Hacks

Salmon is one of the favorite fish of the French. Rich in omega 3 and vitamins, its pink flesh is very fragrant and easy to prepare in all its forms: whole, in fillets, in cobblestones, in steaks. Rinse the salmon with clean water beforehand. Dry it in a clean cloth or with absorbent paper. Run your hand over the fish to spot any bones. Remove them with tweezers. You will then only have to prepare your fish according to the cooking method chosen: in the oven, in steam, in foil, poached, on the barbecue, in the pan, in a crust of salt or even on one side.

Cooking salmon in the oven

When you want to prepare whole salmon, baking is ideal. First preheat the oven to 210 ° C. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. Raise the salmon fillets (or ask your fishmonger to do it for you). Place them on the baking sheet. Salt little, pepper and pour a drizzle of olive oil. Add some aromatic herbs and chopped garlic. Bake the salmon fillet in the oven for 20 minutes before tasting. For grilling, cover a grid with oiled aluminum foil. Add the salted, peppery and fragrant fish fillets. When the oven is hot, bake for 5 minutes, turn the fish over and continue cooking for 5 minutes. Taste your grilled salmon immediately with a tartar sauce.

cooking salmon in the oven

How to cook salmon in foil

Do you want to cook salmon in the oven but are concerned that it will dry out? Opt for cooking in foil which will preserve the flavors of the fish while ensuring that it remains soft. On a large sheet of parchment paper or in silicone foil, place your filet or salmon steak, skin side down. Pour a drizzle of olive oil. Sprinkle with untreated lemon or orange juice and zest. Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley. Salt little and pepper according to your taste. Wrap the salmon papillote and bake it in an oven preheated to 180 ° C. Cook for 20 minutes before tasting. Do not use aluminum foil, which can become toxic on contact with acidic citrus juice when cooking.

Foil Baked Salmon

Cooking salmon in a salt crust

To impress your guests, prepare a delicious salt-crusted salmon with very tender, pink flesh. Preheat your oven to 210 ° C (th. 7). Rinse your whole salmon and wipe it off with paper towels. Distribute 1 kg of coarse salt in the bottom of a baking sheet and place the salmon in it. Pepper the belly of the fish and stuff it with aromatic herbs. Cover again with 1 kg of coarse salt to form a crust that will surround the fish. Lightly moisten the salt to solidify the crust. Bake the salmon for 40 minutes. Serve the fish in its crust to your guests, to break it in front of your guests. Serve with potatoes and white butter.

Cooking salmon in a pan

To quickly cook your salmon, prefer to cook in a pan. Heat a pan over high heat. Brown the fish on the skin side for 4 minutes then turn it over before continuing the cooking time of 3 minutes. Serve the salmon with grilled vegetables or rice. To add more flavor to your dish, you can marinate your salmon beforehand. In a bowl, combine olive oil, lemon juice, chopped dill, chopped shallots, salt and pepper. Mix well. Place the fish pieces in a deep dish and brush with the marinade. Cover with cling film and reserve in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before cooking.

salmon in a pan cooking steps

Smoked salmon

Thanks to gentle steaming, you will preserve the nutritional qualities of your salmon. Place the fresh salmon fillets on the skin side in the steam basket of your steamer or pressure cooker. You can use a court-bouillon or a fish stock that will add an extra scent to your fish. Make your own court-bouillon easily by brewing a sliced ​​onion and carrot, coarse salt, pepper, a bouquet garni and a little white wine in boiling water. For a fish stock, brown the fish bones and skins or shellfish carcasses beforehand, before covering with boiling water and adding the vegetables and herbs. Steam the salmon for 6 minutes and serve immediately.

steamed salmon

You can try Smoked salmon cheesecake.

Poached salmon

Cooking poached salmon offers you many possibilities. You can thus vary the pleasures according to the court-bouillon chosen. For a traditional version, prepare a broth with white wine, aromatic herbs, carrot, onion, salt and pepper. Opt for a more Asian version with nuoc nam sauce, lemongrass and chopped cilantro, zest and lime juice, a little fresh ginger. Bring your broth to a boil over high heat. At the first broths, lower the heat and poach your salmon fillet for 8 to 10 minutes, covered. When cooked, drain it before serving.

poached salmon

Cooking salmon unilaterally

One-sided cooking is very often used in large restaurants because it keeps a tender and very soft fish. It’s a real treat. However, we do not really dare to test this method of cooking at home for fear of overcooking the fish. By following a few rules, you can easily succeed in one-sided cooking! After marinating your salmon for at least 30 minutes in the marinade of your choice, based on olive oil, spices and herbs, place the skin side in a very hot pan. Sear it on high heat for 1 minute. Then lower to low heat before continuing cooking for 10 minutes. You will get a perfectly pearly fish at heart.

Cooking salmon on the barbecue

Take advantage of the warm summer weather to cook your salmon on the barbecue. Heat it until you get glowing embers. Generously oil the grill and heat it in the barbecue halfway up. Also oil the salmon steaks or kebabs. Season them with fleur de sel and aromatic herbs of your choice such as dill, parsley or coriander. When the barbecue is hot, place the salmon on the skin side against the grill. Close the barbecue and leave to grill for 12 to 15 minutes, turning halfway through cooking. Serve the fish with grilled vegetables also on the barbecue and a delicious homemade Bearnaise sauce.

Cooking frozen salmon

It is not always easy to find beautiful fresh salmon steaks on the stall of his fishmonger. We fall back on beautiful pieces of frozen salmon but nevertheless very tasty. You can prepare them still frozen, in the same way as a fresh fish, that is to say in the oven, in foil, in the pan or in steam or court-bouillon. For baking at 180 ° C, count 20 to 25 minutes depending on the size of the paving stones. If you opt for twists, the cooking time will be the same. To fry, fry the fish for 10 minutes. Finally, the frozen salmon will cook for 10 minutes in court-bouillon or steam.

Grill or barbecue cooking

To grill or barbecue salmon, brush your fish with a mixture of olive oil, lemon juice and spices to prevent the salmon from sticking to the oven rack.

When the embers are red and hot, put the salmon on the grill (high). Depending on the thickness of the salmon, the cooking time varies between 10 and 15 minutes.

What sauce should you use to accompany cooked salmon?

The sauce Hollandaise is a classic to accompany all types of fish including salmon! But also the dill sauce (made with heavy cream, lemon juice and dill) or a white butter sauce. And you can try red fish salad.