Salmon Recipes

Economy is a beautiful thing: mkgallery test kitchen deputy editor Justin Chapple’s tarragon vinaigrette flavors both earthy chard and buttery pan-seared salmon.

Rye berries have a wonderfully aromatic, tangy flavor that goes well with the caraway in this Scandinavian-style dish from chef Marco Canora. Plus, they are a terrific source of fiber.

mkgallery’s Marcia Kiesel coats fish with Dijon mustard amped up with dry mustard, then dips the fillets into mustard seeds and wheat germ to create a crust.

This simple salmon is a great crowd-pleaser. It also makes stellar leftovers.

A good choice for a dinner party, this dish looks as if you’ve gone to some trouble when in fact it’s really easy. And everybody likes salmon.

It’s worth a little bit of extra effort to toast and grind the spices for this salmon, because it adds so much additional flavor. The spice mix is also good on pork and beef.

Gently simmering salmon in a flavorful white-wine broth is a classic cooking method that gives the fish a delicious flavor and a delicate texture. Serve this hot or at room temperature. Raita, the cooling condiment served in India, makes a superb sauce.

In this clever take on the summertime classic, salmon replaces lobster and yogurt stands in for mayonnaise. Topping rolls with potato chips adds crunch and fun.

Marcia Kiesel used to crust salmon with bread crumbs, but she created this clever alternative as a way to use up leftover cooked couscous. She now prefers the couscous because it holds its shape and delivers a much more satisfying crunch.

Restaurants have the luxury of serving many components on a single plate. At Gotham Bar & Grill, for instance, Alfred Portale served a dish called Atlantic Salmon with Roasted Fennel, Confit Tomatoes, Spinach, Garlic and Lemon Oil. This is a pared-down version.

Quinn Hatfield stuffs pickled ginger into slits in the salmon to infuse it with flavor. To keep the sliced fish intact and the ginger in place, he cleverly skewers the fillets before cooking.

The great thing about this tasty pasta is that by combining marinated artichokes, olives and capers, you develop a dressing-like combination to flavor the dish.

After Paul Qui won the Top Chef Season 9 title, mkgallery decided to throw him one more challenge: Create a dish based on four ingredients, including salmon and pork rinds. The Top Chef winner used the pork rinds to make a brilliant crumble for salmon carpaccio.

Poaching fish in wine is an easy way to infuse it with subtle flavor. Since some of the seasoning washes off, Kristin Donnelly likes to serve it with a sprinkling of coarse salt.

Patrick Dunlea was booted off Top Chef Season 5’s first episode because his salmon and bok choy were lackluster and his black-rice noodles were mushy. Gail Simmons amps up the broth with soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ginger and garlic and uses white-rice noodles instead of black (they’re easier to find), cooked briefly to keep their texture firm.

Maria Hines of Tilth in Seattle turns salmon buttery-soft and rare in just 12 minutes. For more-well-done fish, up the water temperature.

Thomas Keller’s salmon cornets (tuiles shaped into tiny cones and topped with crème fraîche and fresh salmon) are a famous kickoff to his luxe and whimsical meals at the French Laundry in Napa Valley. Shaping the tuiles into cones is tricky; instead, leave the tuiles flat, like crackers. Top them with store-bought smoked salmon and crème fraîche.

mkgallery Best New Chef John Shields composed this dish from ingredients he picked up at his local supermarket. The magic is in the play of textures and flavors: The salmon skin and shallots—both potato-chip crisp—are wonderful with the tender, flaky fish and sweet pieces of melon.

Tim Cushman is a master at preparing raw fish. Here he dresses salmon with a little citrus-soy dressing, then tops it with fresh ginger and chives before bathing it in a hot sesame-oil mixture. The heat from the oil cooks the salmon just slightly, creating a luxurious texture and fragrance.

A copper pan works especially well here because the fennel is cooked until silky over long, low heat. mkgallery’s Marcia Kiesel serves it in a curry-laced wine sauce over salmon.

Rather than pan-roasting individual pieces of salmon, mkgallery’s Grace Parisi prefers to cook a large fillet to keep the fish moist.

“Everyone needs an easy, simple and elegant meal that provides great leftovers (think salmon salad, salmon cakes, salmon aspic). No one poaches fish anymore, but it’s the ultimate feed-a-crowd meal.”—Andrew Zimmern

Chef Alfred Portale serves salmon with a peppery riff on beurre rouge (a French butter sauce made with red wine).

This refreshingly crunchy, tangy salad makes for an excellent spring lunch or super quick dinner.

Chef Pete Evans uses green mango—which is firm and a little crunchy—for the fresh, bright salad that accompanies the salmon fillets here.

Hash is a such a great way to use leftovers, like the cooked salmon called for here. Any other cooked or smoked fish—or diced ham—could be used in place of the salmon.

Alternative-health experts like Dr. Andrew Weil are lauding the “anti-inflammatory” diet, claiming that vegetables like broccoli, spices like turmeric and oily fish like salmon can ward off disease. This dish by mkgallery’s Marcia Kiesel should make Dr. Weil very happy.

This barbecue sauce, made with ketchup, cider vinegar, Worcestershire and canned chipotles in adobo, comes together quickly in a blender. The chipotles give the sauce an appealing smokiness.

For Marcia Kiesel, salmon is an excellent low-maintenance ingredient for the grill because it doesn’t need careful testing for doneness—the fish is wonderful cooked anywhere from rare to medium. As soon as the fillets come off the grill, she tops them with a tangy pickle-studded butter.

A center-cut salmon fillet is best for roasting because it is uniform in shape and thickness and cooks more evenly than an end piece. Served on a bed of lentils that have been simmered with vegetables and bits of bacon, it’s to die for.

The magic combination of miso with lemon, garlic and butter creates a fast and fantastic glaze for roast fish, whether it's salmon, cod or hake.

This is a great tartare for people who aren’t sure if they like raw fish, since it combines both fresh and hot-smoked salmon, which, along with cucumber, cornichon and crème fraîche, give it an appealing range of textures.