Salmon Made Simple

Having a hard time getting yourself to jump on the salmon bandwagon?  All it takes is a little exploration and effort to find out which variation you like - it's worth the search to take advantage of the health benefits this super-fish has to offer.  Let's start with a quick "how-to" on cooking salmon and follow it up with some tasty recipes to try.

How-To Bake, Broil, & Grill:
Bake - Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and bake the thawed salmon filet on a pan lined with foil for 15-20 minutes.  Make sure to check the filet at 15 minutes - it should still be juicy, yet easily flake off.  Salmon is easy to over cook and then becomes dry, so keep a close eye on it!


Broil - Preheat the oven on broil.  Place the salmon filet (on a foiled pan) about 4-5 inches from the heat and cook for about 10 minutes per inch of thickness (thinner filets will take less than ten minutes).


Grill - Preheat the grill to medium heat (300-325 degrees).  Place the prepared salmon directly on the cleaned grill and cook for about 4 minutes on each side (the idea is to only have to flip once!).


Tasty Tips:
Lemon and Dill Salmon - Brush the salmon filet with olive oil and sprinkle with fresh or dried dill (liberally), onion powder, garlic salt, and minced garlic (load it up if you love garlic!).  Cut a wedge of lemon and squeeze on top of the salmon.  Top with onion slices (optional).  Cook and top it off with another lemon squeeze when it's done!


Teriyaki Salmon - Marinate your filet in a low-sodium teriyaki sauce for at least an hour.  Brush with olive oil, sprinkle with onion powder, and top with minced garlic.  Bake, Broil, or Grill with fresh sliced pineapple and red onion on top.  


Cajun Salmon - Brush with olive oil and season with your favorite blackening seasoning.  Top with minced garlic and add crushed red pepper flakes for extra spice (optional).  


Sweet Citrus & Spice Salmon - Brush with olive oil and apply McCormick's Sweet Citrus & Spice Salmon Rub.  Cut a wedge of orange and sprinkle the salmon.  Top with thin orange slices and bake, broil, or grill.


Other salmon suggestions:  Buy fresh, wild-caught salmon (try Weyand's Fish Market).  If you buy a large filet and would rather not cook it all at once, cut it into single portions (4-6 ounce filets - 3 ounces is about the size of a deck of cards) and freeze them separately.  Leftover salmon is great on salad (try on top of a Super Salad).


You and I - Ingrid Michaelson