Best Salmon Recipe Ideas Ever (especially for Cooking Salmon for those who don't like it)

If you're like me, you may get overwhelmed with lists of hundreds of salmon recipe ideas and would like to distill them down into a few really, really good ones to choose from. Well, hopefully my list of salmon recipe ideas will do just that for you.

I have eaten a LOT of salmon in my life, as one might expect by not only living in the Pacific Northwest for decades, and being part of a family that sells salmon from Alaska really kicks that into high gear.

We literally have so much salmon sometimes that we feed it our dogs on occasion who absolutely love it of course.

Don't let those sad eyes fool you, Murphy is only temporarily sad because he's not eating that tasty that whole side of salmon fillet and is being forced wait to pose for the picture.

But I have a confession to make. I don't really like cooked salmon although I love salmon sashimi & sushi. Usually if there's another seafood choice available on the menu, I will choose that instead. 

I attribute this to preferring my fish very lightly cooked and find that most people and restaurants will substantially overcook it and with salmon that means it quickly becomes rubbery and loses it's fresh flavor. 

So when you're reading these salmon recipe ideas, remember to yourself that these recipes have to be really, really good for me to say that I like them. 

And, that I do. When I feel like making seafood, a few of these salmon recipe are ideas that pop up in my mind repeatedly. These recipe ideas are just that good, but the first 2 are my favorites. I'm not ready to give up my rockfish recipes or seared tuna steaks just yet, but I don't have a problem rotating these into the dinner plans on a regular basis.

My Favorite Salmon Recipe Ideas

1. Javanese Roasted Salmon

By far my hands-down favorite is this recipe for Javanese roasted salmon which I reluctantly first tried at Saucebox in Portland. It is not an easy recipe to recreate for most, but it is worth it when you finally are able to get it right consistently. My tip: make sure you don't overcook the salmon while trying to glaze it and I prefer the sauce thin vs thick. 

2. Finnish Salmon Soup aka Lohikeitto

Being a Finn, you might say I'm biased and while that may be a little true, I have served this Finnish Salmon Soup to others who I know don't like salmon as a test (with their consent of course) and the results have been extremely positive on all accounts.

The combination of heavy cream, potato, dill & onions help to balance the taste of salmon some don't like, and dare I say they get absorbed into the fish giving it a much milder flavor.

While this recipe works with almost any fish, I prefer significantly prefer it with salmon. 

3. Easy 5 Ingredient Baked Salmon

I really like this easy baked salmon recipe for days that you want something quick and easy. Basically you take salmon fillets (either portion sizes or whole side as pictured in the recipe) wrap it in foil with the other ingredients and bake until ready. It's super quick & simple and baking it wrapped in foil helps to keep it from drying out while cooking.

4. Garlic Butter Salmon Baked in Foil

Another bake-in-foil favorite is this garlic butter salmon recipe which shares the same super-easy process as above, but basically with just a little different flavor for those who don't like dill or just want something different. 

5. Dijon Baked Salmon

This baked salmon recipe uses dijon mustard as a barrier on the top to help reduce moisture loss while baking, but keep your eye on it and remember that the salmon will continue to cook when it is removed from the oven so be sure to give it time to rest just like you would with a nice steak.

6. Garlic Parmesan Crusted Salmon & Asparagus

Want something to taste great? Add fat! Add cheese! Add garlic! And that's exactly what this garlic parmesan crusted salmon recipe does. I also like that while cooking the salmon, I can cook the asparagus at the same time and makes cooking dinner one step easier. It works with zucchini and squash as well, but you have to play around to get the thickness of the slices right so you don't make them too mushy.

7. Honey Garlic Salmon 

When I'm in the mood for something with a hint of sweet flavor with my salmon (and don't feel like the effort for the Javanese roasted salmon which is by far my hands-down favorite) this honey garlic salmon recipe is one of my go-to's. It also uses only 5 ingredients which most people have at home and bakes quickly. I tend to go for around 17 minutes vs the 20 in the recipe. (Remember you can always cook something longer but you can't ever go back and cook something less.) I also like that it is pan-fried so I can enjoy some nice and crispy salmon skin.

8. Lemon Butter Salmon Pasta

Remember what I said about making something taste better? This awesome (and simple) lemon butter salmon pasta recipe uses garlic and butter. Plus I quite like dill and feel it adds a lot to salmon. Should you not like dill it is easy to omit in this recipe without it being radically different.

9. Blackened Salmon Fillets

I love blackened fish and the only reason this isn't higher on my list is that with salmon cooking this blackened fish recipe it gets much more technical quickly as it can dry out and become unappetizing quickly. However, when you get it right, it is incredibly delicious! Just watch your cook and remember it needs to rest as well - you can always add it back on.

10. Salmon Cakes (Patties)

Salmon cakes are wonderful by themselves as an entree or appetizer with dip or some times I'll make them in sliders as well. If someone doesn't like something, fry it! While it may not be the healthiest way to cook something, frying definitely adds a lot of flavor. What I like about making salmon cakes is that you can use up your leftover salmon and make something exceptionally delicious.

What are your favorite salmon recipe ideas?

Enough about me. Murphy and I would love to hear what your favorite salmon recipes are. Feel free to add a comment below and post a link to the recipe.