3 Easy Salmon Recipes

First up is Asian salmon patties seasoned with ginger, fresh herbs, and coated in a sweet and sticky glaze. Next up is pan-seared salmon with the most crispy skin ever, and finally broiled salmon with a brown sugar glaze.

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salmon recipes

The next installment of kitchen basics features 3 easy salmon recipes to cook at home. I feel like a lot of people are not very confident with cooking salmon in the oven or in the pan. These 3 techniques for cooking salmon are very different, but they are all incredibly easy and bring the flavor.

Once you feel confident about these salmon cooking methods, make sure to try out these salmon meal prep recipes like my low calorie salmon patty and noodle stir fry and glazed salmon with cauliflower salad for work and school.

Here are my favorite ways to cook salmon:

  • Salmon patties that are minced with fresh ginger and herbs and finished in the pan with a sweet and sticky chili sauce.
  • Pan-seared salmon cooked until the skin is crispy like a potato chip and the fish is perfectly cooked through.
  • Broiled salmon with a brown sugar and citrus glaze. Just season the fish and stick it under the broiler and your work is done.
salmon patties recipe
Asian salmon patties with chili sauce

How To Make Salmon Patties

Salmon is the perfect fish for making patties because it has a good amount of fat, and we can use that as the binder for the salmon patties instead of bread crumbs. You can toss the salmon and other ingredients in a food processor and blitz them up, but I prefer the old school way – with a knife. Make sure to have the fish guy remove the skin at the store. They will be happy to do this for you. Then chop the salmon into cubes and go to town and mince it up the best you can with a knife.

It’s really quite easy to do this with an 8 inch chefs knife. Just make sure to leave a little texture to the fish so the patties are not smooth and creamy. Once minced add the grated garlic, ginger, sliced green onions, salt, and pepper. Form the cakes by hand and get them in a hot non-stick pan. Since the salmon is fatty, you only need a 1/2 teaspoon of oil to cook them in – the salmon will render a good amount of fat.

During the last minute of cooking the salmon patties, squeeze some sweet chili sauce over them and allow them to get sticky and sweet.

Can I Make Salmon Patties With Canned Salmon?

To make salmon patties with canned salmon, just make sure to add 1 egg or 1.5 tablespoons of mayo to help bind the mixture together. You can even make the salmon patties with wild salmon which does not have as much fat, so just add mayo or eggs and you are good to go.

pan seared salmon recipe
pan seared salmon with crispy skin

Pan Seared Salmon Recipe With Crispy Skin

The key to making pan seared salmon is to allow the fish to sit skin side up in the fridge for 30 minutes. This will dry out the skin and allow it to become crispy like a potato chip when cooked in a hot non-stick pan. Make sure to preheat the pan over medium-high heat with 2 teaspoons of oil and wait for it to get hot. Season the salmon skin with a generous pinch of salt and place it skin side down for 4-5 minutes. Don’t touch the salmon at this point. Let it pan sear and allow that skin to get crispy. Season the top of the salmon with another pinch of salt.

The cool thing about pan seared salmon is that you know it is ready to flip when the top edges turn white in color. Once flipped, turn the heat down just below medium and allow to cook for 3-4 more minutes. If you want to cook the salmon all the way through, flip it on each side for 30 seconds and then remove it from the pan.

brown sugar glazed broiled salmon
broiled salmon recipe

Broiled Salmon With Brown Sugar Glaze

This could be the easiest way to make a salmon glaze. All you have to do is season the top of the salmon with salt, light brown sugar, lemon and orange zest, and allow to sit in the fridge for 30 minutes. The salt brings moisture to the surface, melts the sugar, and that forms the glaze. Preheat the broiler to high and make sure the oven rack is 8-10 inches away from the broiling element.

Broil for 7-9 minutes or until the top of the salon has a really nice color and the fish is cooked to your liking. You can pinch the sides of the salmon and if it feels firm, it’s done.

How Long Do I Cook Salmon For?

Most recipes will say to cook salmon to 145 degrees F, but that is overcooked in my opinion. The easiest way to know if salmon is done to your liking to to pinch the sides of the fish. If it feel soft, the fish needs to cook more, but if it feels firm with a slight give, it’s ready. It’s easy to over-cook salmon, so when in doubt, you can always cut into the salmon and take a peak.

Make sure to check out my other salmon recipes:

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salmon recipes

3 Easy Salmon Recipes

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, asian
Keyword: broiled salmon, salmon, salmon filet
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 2 people
Calories: 295 kcal
Author: Bobby Parrish

I've got 3 salmon recipes that are tasty and easy to make. Asian salmon patties with sticky glaze, pa seared salmon with crispy skin, and broiled salmon with a brown sugar and citrus glaze.

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Ingredients

For the crispy skin salmon:

  • 2 salmon filets 5-6 ounces each
  • Kosher salt
  • Avocado oil or butter

For the salmon cakes:

  • 1 pound atlantic salmon skin removed
  • 2 cloves garlic finely grated
  • 1 teaspoon finely grated ginger
  • 2 tablespoons green onions sliced
  • 3 tablespoons sweet chili sauce homemade recipe below
  • 1 teaspoon sesame seed toasted if desired
  • Kosher salt & fresh pepper
  • Avocado or grapeseed oil

For the broiled salmon:

  • 2 salmon filets 5-6 ounces each
  • 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
  • Zest of 1 lemon & 1 orange
  • Kosher salt

Instructions

  1. For the crispy skin salmon, store the salmon filets in the fridge skin side up for 30-60 minutes. The goal is to dry out the skin which helps make it crispy. Pre-heat a non-stick pan over medium-high heat for 2 minutes, add 2 teaspoons of oil and wait 30 seconds. Season the skin side of the salmon with a generous amount of salt and place skin side down in the pan. If the oil is not sizzling, remove fish and wait another minute. Season the top side of the salmon with another pinch of salt and allow the salmon to cook undisturbed for 4-5 minutes. You know the fish is ready to flip when edges on the top turn white and opaque in color. Flip the salmon, turn the heat down just below medium, and allow to cook another 3-4 minutes. If you like your salmon cooked all the way thorough let it cook 4-5 minutes total on the second side. You can also flip the salmon on the side and cook for 30 seconds each side, watch the video to see how I do this. You can squeeze the sides of the fish, if it feels firm but still has a little softness, then it is done. Remove from pan, place it skin side up and enjoy!
  2. When buying salmon for the fish cakes, ask the fish person to remove the skin for you, they will be more than happy to do it. On a plastic cutting board, cut the salmon into large cubes and then chop until the texture is fine, but still has some small chunks of fish here and there(check video to see how I do this). Transfer the salmon to a large bowl and add the grated garlic, grated ginger, green onions, ½ teaspoon salt, and a couple cracks of pepper, mix well. You can also do this in a food processor, just make sure the mixture is not too smooth. Pre-heat a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat with ½ teaspoon oil for 2 minutes. Use your hands to form a large golf ball size shape of salmon mixture and place in the pan, use your hand to carefully pat the ball down into a patty. Place a total of 5 patties in the pan and use a flat spatula to press down and make the patties a little flatter. Cook for 4 minutes or until the first side is golden brown, flip and cook another 2 minutes and then add 1-2 tablespoons of sweet chili sauce to the pan only cook another 1 minute then remove from the pan and sprinkle over some sesame seeds. Repeat with the rest of the salmon mixture, should make 10 patties total. To make homemade sweet chili sauce, add 2 teaspoons of agave nectar, just under 1 teaspoon of sriracha or chili sauce, and a splash of rice wine vinegar to the pan instead of the store bought chili sauce, and follow the directions above.
  3. For the broiled and glazed salmon, season the top of each salmon filet with the 1 tablespoon of brown sugar, some lemon & orange zest, and a nice pinch of salt. Place in the fridge for 30-60 minutes. Pre-heat the broiler to high and make sure the oven rack is 8-10 inches away from the broiling element. Remove the salmon from the fridge and place them on a sheet tray lined with tin foil, making sure no excess glaze is on the foil otherwise it will burn and smoke. Broil the salmon for 6-8 minutes, until the top is well browned and the fish feels firm when pinched on the sides. It’s hard to know when salmon is ready, and the last thing you want to do is overcook it, so just cut one piece in half and see if it is done to your liking. Remove from oven and enjoy.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

Macros per filet of crispy skin salmon, recipe makes 2 filets:
295 calories
0 carbs
21.5 grams of fat
29 grams of protein
0 fiber

Macros per salmon cake, recipe makes 5 cakes:
200 calories
11 grams of fat
4.4 grams of carbs
Less than 1 gram of carbs if not using sweet chili sauce
18 grams of protein
Less than 1 gram of fiber

Macros per filet of glazed & broiled salmon:
337 calories
19 grams of fat
11 grams of carbs
6 grams of carbs if using Truvia brown sugar blend
11.6 grams of protein
0 fiber

Nutrition Facts
3 Easy Salmon Recipes
Amount Per Serving (5 ounces)
Calories 295 Calories from Fat 194
% Daily Value*
Fat 21.5g33%
Protein 29g58%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

4 thoughts on “3 Easy Salmon Recipes”

  1. I am in love with your citrus glazed salmon! Its a game changer! I even bought the same microplane you use so I can make this recipe. However, my orange and lemon zest always comes out clumpy. It still tastes good though. How do I get the zest more evenly spread like you do? I’d like better visual appeal and distribution of flavor. Thanks for revolutionizing salmon for me Bobby!

    1. First off, I absolutely LOVE that you’re found and are totally digging the salmon recipe!!! You can mix the salt and the zest in a separate bowl and it might help to keep the zest from clumping. That way you can sprinkle a combo of salt and zest onto the fish.

  2. I have gone back to these recipes several times. My husband loves your pan seared salmon, and I prefer the broiled one. These are so easy and so tasty. I enjoy your personality, your interaction with your wife and camera folks, and you have taught me a lot about cooking even though I’m 40 years old. Thank you, Bobby!

    1. Thanks so much for the kind words! Glad you both are loving the recipes! 40 means nothing – you NEVER stop learning! ? Thanks for watching, and keep on cookin’!

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