Cooking salmon

I wanna start trying to cook salmon. Like the individual ones u get frozen vacume sealed at the super market. I got these ones from m&m meat shop. Do I cook them in the oven. Or the pan with a little oil. From frozen? or thawed from the fridge? Thanks in advance.
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Replies

  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 17,956 Member
    I thaw them, then cook them in a non-stick pan, skin down, with a lid over it
  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,974 Member
    edited August 2017
    Pan fried, baked or poached as you prefer.

    Cook unfrozen. Too hard to judge cook times otherwise. I just toss them in water in the sink. Just takes 10-15 mins to defrost. Can defrost overnight in the frig or just a few mins in the micro.

    Poaching in water w/lemon slices only takes 3-5 mins. My prefered method. Quick and no fishy smell. Best if skinned.

    Pan frying is good w/skin on. Nice and crispy but messier and smellier than poaching. Prehest pan. Cook skin side down w/med heat. I oil & season the fish. No need to oil the pan.

    Don't touch the fish for at least 3-5 mins to get skin crisy. You can tell how well done the fish is by looking at the side. When it gets opaque 1/2 way up, it's ready to flip. Cook on other side until it reaches your desired doneness.

    You can determine this by touch (just like steaks or chops) but, if you haven't done this b4, it will require some trial and error to determine when it "feels" right for you.

    En papillote (w/parchment paper or foil) w/herbs & veggies is best for baking. Takes longer and requires more prep but comes out very moist and tasty. Skin on or off doesn't matter.

    The same applies to cooking any other type of fish BTW.
  • AnAbsoluteDiva
    AnAbsoluteDiva Posts: 166 Member
    Wrap them in parchment and cook on the grill with a sprig or rosemary, oregano, and lemon balm. The vacuum stuff is rather nasty but better than nothing. Buy fresh if you can.
  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
    Frozen salmon is never my first choice, but I eat it. I follow the instructions on the package which say bake from frozen at 400 for 15 mins.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,876 Member
    Thaw it...

    There are about a million ways you can cook it...my wife likes to do it in the oven...I prefer the grill...
  • gearhead426hemi
    gearhead426hemi Posts: 919 Member
    I prefer my salmon smoked. It keeps for longer and keeps the meat firmer. I hate mushy fish.
  • tcunbeliever
    tcunbeliever Posts: 8,219 Member
    I'm in love with the Alaskan dude - a guy who can cook fish is amazing!

    In any case, I usually don't buy frozen unless it's sushi grade - thaw, sear on a hot pan in a little sesame oil for 12 seconds each side, slice and eat - this will be very rare and I only recommend it if your salmon is actually labeled sushi grade.

    Otherwise grilled with hickory is amazing, as is baked with butter and old bay.
  • OliveGirl128
    OliveGirl128 Posts: 801 Member
    edited August 2017
    I eat frozen salmon a few times a week and I defrost it in the sink with cool water, (still in the vacuum sealed pkg), then oven bake in a Pyrex glass dish sprayed with non-stick spray, with lemon pepper seasoning, at 400 degrees for around 20 minutes, flipping half way through.
  • cmtigger
    cmtigger Posts: 1,450 Member
    I'm in love with the Alaskan dude - a guy who can cook fish is amazing!

    In any case, I usually don't buy frozen unless it's sushi grade - thaw, sear on a hot pan in a little sesame oil for 12 seconds each side, slice and eat - this will be very rare and I only recommend it if your salmon is actually labeled sushi grade.

    Otherwise grilled with hickory is amazing, as is baked with butter and old bay.

    Sushi grade isn't a standardized term.
  • rsclause
    rsclause Posts: 3,103 Member
    I like it in the cast Iron skillet and some wasabi on the plate.
  • HeidiCooksSupper
    HeidiCooksSupper Posts: 3,831 Member
    gatzke123 wrote: »
    I wanna start trying to cook salmon. Like the individual ones u get frozen vacume sealed at the super market. I got these ones from m&m meat shop. Do I cook them in the oven. Or the pan with a little oil. From frozen? or thawed from the fridge? Thanks in advance.

    The answer to your question is "Yes." In other words, you can do any of the methods you said either thawed or still frozen. You can cook it wet (e.g poached) or dry (e.g. roasted). You can marinate it or cook it plain.

    Arguably, the only thing you can't do with frozen spinach is expect it to be like high grade sushi or sashimi. You probably won't like it raw or very rare because the freezing changes the structure of it so that it is less firm. There's nothing wrong with frozen fish, in fact, it's likely to have been frozen just after being caught so it is very fresh.

    I like my salmon moist so am likely to cook it in a way that preserves the moisture. One of the easiest ways to do this is to marinate it and cook it in parchment or foil. Also, don't overcook it because then it tends to become dry even if you poach it.

    For lots of easy instructions, just google "how to cook frozen salmon."
  • Tried30UserNames
    Tried30UserNames Posts: 561 Member
    I usually cook it in my George Foreman grill. Sometimes, I wrap it in parchment and bake or poach. It's good plain with just salt or lemon. I also like it with some spicy whole grain mustard or pesto spread on top.

    I almost always thaw fish before cooking it, but if I didn't plan ahead, I prefer baking or poaching for frozen fish. Grilling it seems to dry it out before the middle even thaws.

    I won't eat farmed salmon if I can help it. Walmart sells bags of individually frozen wild caught salmon at a reasonable price.
  • extra_medium
    extra_medium Posts: 1,525 Member
    edited August 2017
    Steamed, poached, grilled, pan fried, baked.. you can't go wrong. Look up some youtube videos, it's hard to mess up salmon unless you overcook it.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    edited August 2017
    I bake mine in the oven from fresh, i've never bought frozen, but would def thaw it before cooking.
    Place on parchment paper skin side down, make a few slits on the salmon and pour over lemon juice salt n pepper. When it's done, carefully pull off the skin and cook under the grill til crisp.

    I think you guys in America call the grill a broiler, is that right? And you call a barbeque a grill?
  • melissaulmen
    melissaulmen Posts: 123 Member
    slider728 wrote: »
    Sweet, something I can answer :) Sorry, I was from Alaska once upon a time. Cooked a lot of salmon in my time.

    Like any other food, there is a million ways you can cook salmon. Personally, I prefer dry heat cooking, but that is just me (some people like their salmon medium rare, I like mine in the firm, well done side). I also prefer dry spices over glazes, but that is just me. If you like salmon, I would highly recommend staying away from farmed raised salmon. If you don't really care for the taste of salmon, farm raised might be more up your alley (wild salmon has a more fishy, salmon flavor. Farm raised salmon tastes like nothing to me).

    I recommend seasoning lightly and let the flavor of the fish come through. I usually opt for either salt and pepper (and maybe a touch of dill) or a dusting of blackened Cajun seasoning.

    Given that, this is the 4 ways I cook salmon the most.

    1. Baked from frozen: When I would go up to Alaska, I would catch silver/coho salmon and filet them myself. I would cut the fish into individual sized pieces, season them, and freeze them (I would vacuum pack them, but plastic wrap and a plastic bag would be just fine as well). When I want to cook a piece, I preheat the oven to 350ish, put a frozen piece of salmon on a pan, and pop it in the oven for about 30 to 35 minutes. If I were to do this with a thinner sockeye fillet, I would probably cut 10 minutes off the time. The results are pretty good, but because the piece is frozen, it might get a little done on the outside while being a tad watery on the inside. I can deal with this due to the convenience :)

    2. Bake from thawed: Pretty much the same drill but take about 10 minutes off the cooking time.

    3. Grilling: A wonderful way to cook it. Lots of options here. If you grill it, remember to grill it skin side down and don't flip it. It can help to run the cooking grate with some olive oil or spray with Pam right before you put it on there. If you like it on the smokey side, you can add a few chunks of wet hardwood to the grill (I prefer Alder, bit that is hard to get outside of the Pacific NW. Hickory or Apple will do nicely). There is a method of placing the fish on a wood plank (cedar being a popular type of wood to use for this). This does give moist, tasty results, but I prefer using hardwood chunks. You can just put it straight on the grill as well.

    If you grill directly on the grate, your fish will likely be done in 10 to 15 min (depending on the thickness). If you use a wood plank to grill on, it will be closer to 30 minutes

    4. Pan Fry: This method does give a nice, tasty crust on the fish. Just heat the pan on medium to medium high heat (depending on the thickness once again) and add some olive oil. Season the fish and once the oil gets hot, cook the fish about 3 to 4 minutes per side. I think this works best with thinner fillets like sockeye.

    I could go on and on, but I don't want to bore you :)

    You are not boring us!!! We want more recipes/ideas!!!
  • OliveGirl128
    OliveGirl128 Posts: 801 Member
    I usually cook it in my George Foreman grill. Sometimes, I wrap it in parchment and bake or poach. It's good plain with just salt or lemon. I also like it with some spicy whole grain mustard or pesto spread on top.

    I almost always thaw fish before cooking it, but if I didn't plan ahead, I prefer baking or poaching for frozen fish. Grilling it seems to dry it out before the middle even thaws.

    I won't eat farmed salmon if I can help it. Walmart sells bags of individually frozen wild caught salmon at a reasonable price.

    Someone just gave me a gf grill-never thought to use it with salmon, thanks for the idea!
  • Speziface
    Speziface Posts: 1,687 Member
    I stick with the wild salmon, but can't always get fresh, so I'll buy frozen if necessary.

    I like to brush it lightly with olive oil and lemon juice then sprinkle generously with salt, pepper, and dill. After a rest it's ready to grill or broil, although I've had good results with a pan sear. But its flavor is strong enough to stand up to any type of spice mix you want to throw on it.
  • disasterman
    disasterman Posts: 746 Member
    I'm very picky about my seafood but can tell you that the frozen wild Alaskan salmon I get at Costco is far better than any farmed salmon I've ever had.
  • jessicagreen1828
    jessicagreen1828 Posts: 133 Member
    I usually cook it in my George Foreman grill. Sometimes, I wrap it in parchment and bake or poach. It's good plain with just salt or lemon. I also like it with some spicy whole grain mustard or pesto spread on top.

    I almost always thaw fish before cooking it, but if I didn't plan ahead, I prefer baking or poaching for frozen fish. Grilling it seems to dry it out before the middle even thaws.

    I won't eat farmed salmon if I can help it. Walmart sells bags of individually frozen wild caught salmon at a reasonable price.

    Yes. I George Foreman mine too. With lemon pepper. So simple. So good