38 Salmon Recipes to Master

Food & Wine Culinary Director-at-Large 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.

This simple salmon recipe from Ben Towill is a great crowd-pleaser, and it also makes stellar leftovers.

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.

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

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.

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

Tim Cushman is a master at preparing raw fish. Here, he dresses salmon with a little citrus-soy dressing, and 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.

This luxe appetizer from Wolfgang Puck is perfect for dinner parties.

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

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 makes for a hearty meal.

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.

Curing raw salmon fillets in a combination of salt, sugar, dill, and lemon zest for 90 minutes, then soaking them in sake for an hour, gives the fish an exceptionally silky texture and delicate flavor. Depending on the size of your grill, you might need to cook the salmon in two batches.

Chef Ricardo Zarate coats salmon fillets with an extra-crunchy, slightly nutty crust of quinoa, a staple in his native Peru.

Here, Kay Chun pairs crisp salmon with a warm, smoky eggplant salad that's tossed with cubes of sesame bread.

Chef Akiko Moorman likes marinating salmon in a mix of mustard, vinegar, honey and miso, which adds a deep savoriness to the dish.

These delightful pintxos combine a lemony fresh crab salad with smoked salmon and salty pops of salmon roe. An optional drizzle of fragrant vanilla oil is a surprise complement to the seafood.

Chef Gerardo Valenzuela uses seafood in dishes that can pair beautifully with whites and reds.

In this playful riff on a bagel with cream cheese and lox, Food & Wine's Justin Chapple makes a custardy rye bread pudding with capers, then tops it with smoked salmon and red onion. It's warm, comforting, and a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.

In 2018, Food & Wine named this recipe one of our 40 best: No one will contest that Union Square Café was one of the defining restaurants of the early '90s. Critics and diners were delighted by Danny Meyer's devout attention to hospitality and couldn't get enough of chef Michael Romano's remarkable greenmarket-centric American-Italian food. Certain dishes defined the restaurant, including Romano's seared salmon, which was one of the most popular items on the menu and one of the best recipes we ever published. The myriad vegetables in the recipe—corn, spinach, shiitakes, and tomato—sing of late summer.

Food & Wine's Kelsey Youngman loves making these Spicy Chipotle Salmon Cakes for an easy weeknight dinner. Using pantry staples and some fresh lemon, the cakes come together quickly and get some bold spice from the chipotle in adobo. Feel free to use any citrus you have on hand; lime would work particularly well.

Jen Pelka makes super-crunchy and delicious waffles using tater tots. Here she tops the waffles with caviar and smoked salmon, creating a delicious and decadent dish that's ideal with Champagne.

"I get excited making this dinner because it's easy, full of flavor, and a good balance of sweet, sour, and spicy—depending on how much cayenne pepper you add," Klancy Miller writes. "Start with a small pinch to start, then add more if you prefer a spicy kick."

"Tart and just barely sweet, the pomegranate molasses cuts through the richness of the fish while creating a gorgeous, shimmering glaze; the olives balance the bright flavors of the salad with their soft salinity and luxe butteriness," Andrea Slonecker writes.

Homemade barbecue spice seasons both a dry brine and pineapple-based mop sauce for a double dose of flavor in this salmon recipe.

Originally served at Seattle's Hotel Sorrento by chef David Pisegna (and published in The Best of Food & Wine collection from 1988), this throwback salmon dish stands the test of time. We simplified the original recipe, but didn't change a thing about the velvety, wine-blushed beurre blanc; keep it warm and serve it immediately for the best results.

Grains of jasmine rice take on a toasty, crispy crust in this perfect pot of rice topped with salmon, bok choy, and corn.

Floral and lightly acidic salsa brings out the buttery, rich flavors of grilled King salmon. Salmon is meaty enough to stay intact on a grill and gets meltingly tender as it cooks. Serve leftover salsa with grilled lamb, chicken, or pork.

"With this recipe, you have just enough time to prep each step as ingredients each take their turn in the oven," Susan Spungen writes. "Get the radishes, carrots, and shallots going while you work on the mustard glaze (which takes less than a minute!) and season the salmon, and then prep the asparagus and snap peas while the fish cooks."

The narrow salmon tails are often overlooked at the fish counter because they are quite thin, which makes cooking them a bit tricky. Here, the tails remain intact, which results in evenly cooked meat that stays juicy because it's cooked on the bone. Plus, the fin gets delightfully crispy.

The collar of salmon—as well as other rich fish—is full of flavorful meat that's hidden among the bones and fins. When broiled, it stays succulent and stands up well to bold flavors like the soy-based sauce here.

Salmon steaks are essentially two fillets attached by the spine of the fish. Less expensive and easier to grill than a fillet, these steaks are quickly cured in a brown sugar-based dry cure that's also wonderful on fillets.

Once the centerpiece on the tables of czars, coulibiac has a storied past. The pastry-wrapped parcel of fish and various layered fillings started its life as kulebyaka, a Russian delicacy, before being commandeered by the French and rechristened coulibiac. This modern update on the classic swaps labor-intensive brioche with store-bought phyllo, which bakes into an ethereally crisp parcel that encases lemony rice, mustard-brushed salmon, pickled beets, and garlicky kale. Each slice reveals clean, vibrant layers, packed with bold flavors.

Chef Erick Williams recommends thick cuts of salmon for this recipe; they cook quickly while remaining juicy and tender and are well balanced by the sweet, gingery glaze. If delicata or acorn squash aren't available, substitute six cups of peeled and diced butternut squash.

Tender salmon, briny olives, crisp-tender green beans, and satisfying potatoes all soak up the zippy, perfectly balanced dressing in this variation on a classic tuna Niçoise. Don't skip the anchovy garnish—it provides pops of umami saltiness that take this salad over the top.

Shallow poaching under a cartouche, a circle of parchment paper, yields tender fish in minutes. This method works with any mild fish, such as flounder, rockfish, or grouper. If any fillets are of uneven thickness (such as tapered portions near the tail), fold the thin portion underneath to achieve an even 3/4-inch thickness.

A vinaigrette bolstered with chopped olives, toasted walnuts, and fresh parsley is a bold finishing touch for roasted salmon basted with smoked paprika and lemon. The combination of basting and slow roasting yields incredibly tender salmon; the walnut-olive vinaigrette adds a briny, buttery crunch.