Cooking tips: Best ways to pan-fry, bake or poach salmon
Cooking salmon might seem difficult but it’s much easier than you though with these tips on how to properly prepare and cook the popular fish.
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Cooking salmon might seem difficult but it’s much easier than you think.
The popular fish is packed with healthy fats, plus lots of vitamins and minerals.
Fresh, tinned or smoked; poached, baked, barbecued or pan-fried; breakfast, lunch or dinner, it’s one of the most versatile – and healthy – additions to your shopping basket.
Here taste.com.au breaks down the best ways to prepare and cook salmon in different ways.
Preparation
Feel for bones. Remove any bones with fish tweezers.
How to cook salmon fillets (pan fry method)
1. Pat the skin side of the fish dry with a paper towel.
2. Season the skin with sea salt to add crispiness.
3. Place a fry pan on medium-high heat and add olive oil for cooking.
4. Place the fish onto the heated pan, skin side down. For crispy skin, hold down on the pan for 30 seconds.
5. Cook for 4-5 minutes.
6. Turn over and cook for a further 3-4 minutes.
7. Once cooked, rest for 3 minutes.
Tip: Salmon is best served pink in the middle
How to cook salmon in the oven
There are several ways to cook salmon in the oven. Popular methods include oven-baked whole fish, tray bakes, crusted fillets, or poaching in a parcel.
For ideas, see baked salmon on peperonata, or charred herb and fetta salmon with radish and onion pickle.
How to poach salmon
1. Place 1/2 cup dry white wine, 2 dried bay leaves, 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns, 1 thinly sliced lemon and 2 litres of cold water in a large, deep frying pan over medium heat.
2. Bring to a gentle simmer. Reduce heat to low.
3. Add 4 x 200g salmon fillets (with skin on). Cook, covered, for about 10 minutes or until just cooked through.
4. Using a spatula, remove salmon from liquid. Serve with potatoes and salad leaves on the side.
How long to cook salmon
The time required to cook salmon depends on the size of the whole fish, or the thickness of the fillet, as well as the cooking method.
However, as a guide, pan fried fillets will take approximately 7-9 minutes, whereas fillets cooked in the oven may take about 15 minutes.
For best results, check the cooking progress regularly, and serve when the salmon is still slightly pink in the middle.
Matching flavours
If you’re one of those wonderfully confident cooks who throws open the fridge and creates something marvellous from what’s inside, or you just want to stock up for your next meal, here is a cheat’s guide to the best flavour matches.
All salmon: Lemon, dill, parsley, salt, pepper, red onion, spring onions, celery, watercress, iceberg lettuce, baby spinach, new potatoes, mayonnaise, avocado, pasta, potatoes, rice, bread, asparagus and cucumber.
Fresh salmon: Teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, wasabi, white and black sesame seeds, red curry paste, coconut milk, pastry, ginger, lime juice, garlic, coriander, white beans, fennel.
Smoked salmon: Eggs (scrambled, poached and boiled), sour cream, creme fraiche, cream cheese, and all kinds of bread.
Best salmon recipes:
Barbecued salmon with lemon and herbs
For more recipe ideas, go to taste.com.au or check out the Taste Test Kitchen now.
Originally published as Cooking tips: Best ways to pan-fry, bake or poach salmon
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