glazed salmon with homemade pickles

8 of Our Favorite Easy Salmon Recipes

Last Updated on March 18, 2024

Though salmon is one of the most popular fish, and our wild-caught fish from Alaska is prized for its abundance of healthy omega-3 fats, it can be intimidating to cook. Though it’s perfectly delicious cooked very simply with just a few pantry spices, you can whip up a super-flavorful restaurant-worthy salmon dish with less effort than you think.

Whether you feel like baking, grilling, poaching or pan-searing, and no matter what you’re in the mood for, you’ll find an easy, tasty meal here that’s sure to nourish and delight you.

Pan-Seared Salmon with Green Goddess Dressing and Radish Apple Salad

pan-seared salmon with salad and green goddess

Herby, creamy Green Goddess dressing is one of our favorites, and it pairs perfectly with a crisp and delicious pan-seared sockeye salmon and a crisp apple-radish salad. Bonus: This pan-seared salmon with Green Goddess dressing and radish apple salad is gluten free.

Cumin Baked Salmon with Pea Pesto

cumin salmon with pea pesto

Sprinkle some spices on the fish and bake, whip up a super-quick pesto while it’s in the oven… all in, this Latin-inspired cumin baked salmon with pea pesto is on the table in 15 minutes. If you have leftover pesto, toss it with pasta, serve it with grilled vegetables, or spoon it on top of avocado toast.

Potato Chip-Crusted Sockeye Salmon

This potato chip-crusted sockeye salmon is one weeknight dinner that ticks all the boxes: It’s a crowd pleaser (kids love it, too), it calls for just a few ingredients, it’s on the table in 20 minutes, and it’s fun. We used salt and vinegar potato chips for added zing, but you could also do this with sour cream and onion, or barbecue chips. This is a great way to use up the crushed chips at the bottom of the bag.

Gouchujang-Glazed Salmon with Quick-Pickled Cucumbers

If you love a mix of spicy, sweet, and savory flavors, this gouchujang-glazed salmon with quick-pickled cucumbers will be your jam. Brush the glaze — in which you combine the Korean chili paste with maple syrup and soy sauce — on the salmon and give it a few minutes under the broiler. In the meantime, rice wine vinegar-soaked pickles soften and take on the flavor of the tangy brine. You won’t believe how much flavor you can get into this dish in just 25 minutes.

Pan-Seared Salmon with Snow Pea and White Bean Salad

Perfectly pan-seared salmon has to have crisp skin, and it’s easier to achieve that than you might think. Follow the recipe for this pan-seared salmon with snow pea and white bean salad, and you’ll see what we mean. The quick peppery and crunchy side salad rounds out the meal.

Lemon Poached Salmon with Quick Pickle Sour Cream

lemon-poached salmon

Poaching is an elegant way to prepare salmon, and the end result is delicious hot or cold. With this lemon poached salmon with quick pickle sour cream, you poach the fish in a mixture of white wine, lemon, and herbs — and though it only needs 5 minutes to cook, it’s loaded with flavor. Pair the salmon with a quick pickle sour cream, the perfect cool and creamy complement to the light, delicious fish.

Grilled Sockeye Salmon with Peppadew Butter, Asparagus and Charred Tomatoes

Infusing butter with the liquid from jarred peppadew peppers is the secret to the flavor in this grilled sockeye salmon with peppadew butter, asparagus, and charred tomatoes. The butter flavors the vegetables as well as the fish, so you have a full meal on the table in 20 minutes with no hassle.

Slow-Roasted Salmon with Pickled Onions and Fennel

We love a recipe that’s easy enough for any weeknight, but elegant enough for company, and that’s just what this is. This slow-roasted salmon with pickled onions and fennel is fuss free, with just a few simple ingredients, and you can even make the pickled onions up to a week ahead. Slow roasting the salmon gives the fish a luscious texture, which goes perfectly with the piquant vegetables.

 

Courtney Hamilton is a writer and editor with over seven years' experience in journalism, blogging, communications, and other media. She has written for publications like PaleoHacks, PaleoPlan, The Center for American Progress, OC Weekly, and more. 
 
Check out more of her work at www.courtney-hamilton.com.