I’ve been reading (for years) that salmon is really good for you. On a scale of 1-10, I’d give salmon a 5 on how much I like it. I live in north Texas. The idea of fishy smelling or less than fresh fish turns my stomach. Much of the cooked salmon I’ve had a restaurants has been dry and drab. What to do?
What should I look for to find the freshest salmon (in my part of the country)? Can you suggest quick/easy/good recipes?
Super easy recipe: I usually buy salmon fillets and marinate it for a few hours in soy sauce & garlic (just enough soy sauce to cover it with lots of pressed or minced garlic), then put it under the broiler for 5-10 minutes, depending on how thick the fillets are and how many inches from the broiler you place it. The key is to not overcook it, so you have to keep a close key on it, and pull it out a few minutes after it starts to turn opaque. Use a fork to check if the fish flakes and put it back in for a min or two longer until it is barely cooked. I do not like my meat or fish overcooked, so it is better to err on the side of caution as it only takes a few minutes for fish to go from being moist to dry and drab. You could try lots of different marinades, but this one is quick and easy and only requires two ingredients!
LOVE Salmon and usually have it for dinner once per week.
I prefer to get salmon fillet over salmon steaks. Husband usually grills it or I’ll broil it indoors if the weather is bad, sometimes I’ll bake it. The key to avoid dryness is not overcooking. Usually we go pretty simple with a dry rub with an orange or lemon element to it. I’ll cook extra because I like it cold in a nicoise style salad. Once in awhile I’ll do something different like a teriyaki sauce brushed on before cooking. Or something that requires a little more prep like this recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/9336/alaska-salmon-bake-with-pecan-crunch-coating/
But usually, I keep it simple with a rub and squeeze some lemon on at the table. It’s an easy, quick, healthy dinner option.
I buy my salmon and other fish at my local grocery store since they have a decent fish counter. I haven’t tried it but I know that the frozen salmon at Trader Joe’s is popular.
I’ve tried a lot of different types of salmon and cooking techniques over the years. The easiest for me is to simply blacken it. Basically I get a fillet from Whole Foods, brine it for an hour (a mixture of salt, sugar, water, molasses). 30 minutes before you’re ready to cook remove from the brine and pat dry and let sit to come up to room temp. Then sprinkle with your favorite Cajun blackening seasoning - I use garlic and onion powder, paprika, and chili powder. Pan fry (flesh side down first) in a couple tablespoons of olive oil on medium heat, roughly 3 mins per side. Then stick in the toaster oven skin side down at 350 for another 4-6 minutes depending on the thickness. I’m usually working off a 1-pound fillet which I cut in half to manage more easily. Oh after frying but before the toaster I’ll glaze with some Thai chili sauce.
These days I sous-vide the salmon first, then just blacken the flesh side only for 1-2 mins and it’s ready to go. The sous vide method is absolutely the best for getting the fillet tender, moist, and flaky with 100% consistency every single time with no stress whatsoever.
I personally prefer farmed salmon. I’ve tried all types including Copper River, but I always come back to the farmed. If you go with farmed, be aware that Scottish farmed was the highest in mercury in one study. It was an older study though, not sure if the Scottish farming industry has made changes since. If you prefer wild salmon, then adjust my cooking times down as wild seems to cook faster and come out firmer than farmed.
@anomander I like the taste of farm raised more, too, but try to avoid it. Some of the things I’ve heard about the farms sound terrible.
The stores in my area are pretty good about indicating the source of farm raised fish. I buy stuff from Maine which seems to have a pretty good reputation. Many marine scientists recommend farm raised over wild for sustainability reasons although there are pros and cons on both sides. Same can be said for other food sources - poultry, beef, pork, eggs, etc.
Farm raised salmon is a disaster area, they feed them all kinds of crap, they are kept in very crowded pens that bread disease and many farmers give them antibiotics in the meal they put in the water. They also generally dye farm raised salmon to give it the pink color, because the farmed environment doesn’t give them the nutrients they need. Tests of farm raised salmon also show diminished levels of the Omega 3 fatty acids that are healthy for you and have elevated levels of fats you don’t want. Some things that are farmed are okay (shellfish are likely, as long as they are produced in the US, to be as healthy or healthier than live caught), other things can be healthy (catfish) but some of the farming methods used are horrible (too many fish, often done in agricultural areas where pesticide runoff can get into where the fish are).
The secret to salmon is as others have said, not to cook it too long, that dry salmon you get in restaurants is because it has been cooked too long. Depending on how thick the piece is, whether it has a bone, at typical oven temperatures you shouldn’t need to cook it more than 15-20 minutes (if very thick, might be a bit more, or if at lower temperatures). I usually drizzle lemon juice and olive oil over it before cooking with a bit of paprika, but it is up to your taste.
Hands down THE best (and easiest) salmon recipe at our house comes from The Pioneer Woman. Super simple, tasty, and quick. A touch of olive oil, lemon juice and S&P (I recently subbed the Mexican Tajin seasoning and WOW was that good!) The cooking method (starting it in a cold oven) had me a bit concerned, but it comes out so stinkin’ moist. Yummmmm.
Farmed vs wild isn’t entirely cut and dried as @doschicos pointed out. Here’s Whole Foods policy:
http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/blog/truth-about-farmed-salmon-whole-foods-market
Reading up on the pros and cons of farmed vs wild is certainly worthwhile as it’s a more involved issue than can be covered in forum posts.
If you are a fan of sushi or sashimi try good wild salmon very rare, barely seared, lightly seasoned. It is a totally different experience, almost buttery. We get it from Wegmans here but Costco has some good salmon from time to time, too. For me it pays to get the more expensive fresh cuts. Finding a good fish monger is helpful and if the fresh fish smells don’t take it.
Bake the salmon, then top it with an easy pesto sauce -
Basil or cilantro, olive oil, white wine vinegar, freshly grated Parmesan cheese, pine nuts or almonds, salt and pepper.
The key is to not overcook. Not all salmon is good for baking - the low in oil, meaty wild varieties can become very dry in the oven. Those are usually best pan-fried or grilled.
When I lived in the Midwest, I only purchased fish from the same fish store that supplied local restaurants. Couldn’t stand “grocery store” fish, it was not fresh enough.
Another vote for Costco here. The farmed Atlantic salmon is my go to.
We grill also…I like blackened best, but sometimes I’ll just hit them with brown sugar and dijon glaze for salmon steaks. For fillets, I like them on the stove or in the oven with lemon, butter, tarragon, salt/pepper and alittle Parmesan rubbed into the fillet.
I like to cook mine in an aluminum foil tent (easy clean-up) for 20 minutes at 400 degrees. I drizzle a tablespoon of good olive oil on it and sprinkle about a teaspoon of Woodford Reserve seasoning on it after the olive oil. I squeeze some fresh lemon juice on it after cooking. I wish I could replicate the wonderful salmon I had in NYC this summer that was grilled with a lemon dill butter, but this way is really easy.
Just got back from the grocery store and per husband’s request it will be salmon for dinner tonight!
I dislike farmed salmon and won’t buy it anymore.
I cook sliced Vidalia onions, red, green, orange bell pepper strips and fresh pineapple chunks with chicken broth and jarred salsa in a pan and dump it over grilled wild salmon filets.
We usually get the salmon from Costco, preferably a wild vs. farmed salmon. We get the fillet with the skin on, and almost always grill it on the BBQ. Very simple, just some lemon pepper (no marinade), and brush some olive oil on the skin to make sure it doesn’t stick to the grill. Get the grill up to about 400 degrees, put it on the grill skin side down. After about 10 minutes, flip it over (the skin should not be sticking, use a spatula to scrapt it off the grid) and then another 5 minutes on the other side. The skin will be crispy (like the salmon skin in sushi restaurants), and the inside will be moist, not dry.
I get the fillet with skin on. I brush it with olive oil and broil it. Very simple and the kids love it.