The Best Salmon Recipe for Salmon Haters
This salmon recipe is the best recipe to use when serving salmon to anyone that doesn’t like salmon. In fact, I specifically made this recipe because I could not tolerate the taste of plain salmon. Even after eating salmon a few times a month with this recipe, I STILL cannot eat salmon any other way. As long as you or your guest likes or at least can tolerate fish, this recipe is sure to be a hit!
Sourcing Your Salmon
The grocery store and the food industry can be very tricky to sort through. The fish options in stores are no exception! To source the absolute BEST options are to either catch it yourself where you know the environment or to research the source of where you’re purchasing.
If you don’t have the option to catch your own fish or do a thorough vetting of your source, the bare minimum would be to find a wild caught fish at your local grocery store. This option will likely be frozen & that’s okay. It is far better than ANY farmed fish that you could find anywhere. If you’re looking for more information, this article from Weston A. Price does a good job with exposing some of the farmed fish information.
Sides to Serve With Salmon
Salmon is a great protein that typically pairs well with almost any arrangement of side dishes. My family typically enjoys this seasoned salmon over rice and with a vegetable like green beans or brussels sprouts. However, you could also pair this delicious main with any kind of potato or other veggie.
Looking for more dinner recipes? You might also enjoy this Chicken Pot Pie or this Breakfast Casserole with Diced Potatoes.
Substitutions
Fresh Garlic vs Garlic Powder
Although fresh garlic is preferred for the best flavor, this recipe will surely turn out just as delicious if you only have garlic powder available. If you are using garlic powder instead, I would suggest using a minimum of a teaspoon of powder per clove of fresh garlic. In this recipe, that would mean using at least 2 teaspoons. For garlic lovers, measure with your heart!
Salmon vs Other Fish
While this recipe specifically calls to use a Salmon fillet, this recipe works well with almost any type of fish. Feel free to swap the kind of fish you want if you or your dinner guests prefer another species of fish.
Ingredients and Tools
1 salmon fillet (roughly 1.5-2 lbs)
1 pint jar (~12 oz) chicken bone broth or meat stock
¼ cup lemon juice
1-2 TBSP liquid oil of choice (I like avocado oil or olive oil)
2 tsp dried parsley
2 cloves strong Garlic minced (or 2-4 tsp garlic powder)
1 tbsp + ½ tbsp old bay seasoning, divided
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp Tallow, coconut oil or lard
Medium skillet, preferably stainless steel
Metal spatula
Optional sides: rice and lightly seasoned green beans or brussels sprouts
Directions
Begin by patting your salmon fillet dry with a paper towel.
Once the salmon is mostly dry, cover with 1-2 tablespoons of liquid oil and sprinkle ½ Tablespoon of old bay evenly over the meat side of the fillet. Cut the whole fillet into portions based on their size.
Tip: look for where the thickness of the meat changes. For example, I usually cut somewhere between 4-6 inches in from the tail, along the thinner side of the fillet and then one or two cuts in the main/thicker part of the fillet (see image in post for reference).
Preheat a medium sized skillet on medium heat.
When your skillet is hot, add a tablespoon of high heat cooking oil (such as tallow, lard or coconut oil) to the pan. After the cooking oil is melted and hot, add the salmon skin side down.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 3-5 minutes or until the salmon is about halfway cooked.
After 3-5 minutes, the skin should be relatively crisp and can easily pull away from the pan. Flip each piece and cook for another 3-5 minutes.
Once the salmon is fully cooked, remove the fish from the pan.
Add the butter to the pan until just melted. When the butter JUST finishes melting add in the minced garlic and saute until fragrant. Once the garlic is fragrant, add in the broth, parsley, lemon juice and the remainder of Old Bay seasoning. Be sure to use a spatula to scrape up any fond that was created in cooking the fish.
Cook the liquid mixture on medium heat until it begins to thicken, about 5-15 minutes. Once thickened, add in your fillets to warm up.
Once all of the fish has warmed, serve with your desired sides!
Salmon Recipe FAQ:
What Are Some Good Tips on Sourcing Salmon?
The grocery store and the food industry can be very tricky to sort through. The fish options in stores are no exception! To source the absolute BEST options are to either catch it yourself where you know the environment or to research the source of where you’re purchasing.
If you don’t have the option to catch your own fish or do a thorough vetting of your source, the bare minimum would be to find a wild caught fish at your local grocery store. This option will likely be frozen & that’s okay. It is far better than ANY farmed fish that you could find anywhere. If you’re looking for more information, this article from Weston A. Price does a good job with exposing some of the farmed fish information.
What Sides Are Good to Serve With Salmon?
Salmon is a great protein that typically pairs well with almost any arrangement of side dishes. My family typically enjoys this seasoned salmon over rice and with a vegetable like green beans or brussel sprouts. However, you could also pair this delicious main with any kind of potato or other veggie.
Can I use Garlic Powder Instead of Fresh Garlic?
Although fresh garlic is preferred for the best flavor, this recipe will surely turn out just as delicious if you only have garlic powder available. If you are using garlic powder instead, I would suggest using a minimum of a teaspoon of powder per clove of fresh garlic. In this recipe, that would mean using at least 2 teaspoons. For garlic lovers, measure with your heart!
Can I Use Another Kind of Fish in This Recipe?
While this recipe specifically calls to use a Salmon fillet, this recipe works well with almost any type of fish. Feel free to swap the kind of fish you want if you or your dinner guests prefer another species of fish.
Did you try this? Share your creations in the comments or by tagging @MissysHomestead on Instagram.
The Best Salmon Recipe for Salmon Haters
Equipment
- Medium skillet, preferably stainless steel
- Metal spatula
Ingredients
- 1 salmon fillet roughly 1.5-2 lbs
- 1 pint jar Chicken bone broth or meat stock ~12 oz
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 1-2 TBSP liquid oil of choice I like avocado oil or olive oil
- 2 tsp dried parsley
- 2 cloves strong Garlic minced or 2-4 tsp garlic powder
- 1+1/2 tbsp Old Bay seasoning divided
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp Tallow coconut oil or lard
- Optional sides: rice and lightly seasoned green beans or brussels sprouts
Instructions
- Begin by patting your salmon fillet dry with a paper towel.
- Once the salmon is mostly dry, cover with 1-2 tablespoons of liquid oil and sprinkle ½ Tablespoon of old bay evenly over the meat side of the fillet. Cut the whole fillet into portions based on their size.
- Tip: look for where the thickness of the meat changes. For example, I usually cut somewhere between 4-6 inches in from the tail, along the thinner side of the fillet and then one or two cuts in the main/thicker part of the fillet (see image in post for reference).
- Preheat a medium sized skillet on medium heat.
- When your skillet is hot, add a tablespoon of high heat cooking oil (such as tallow, lard or coconut oil) to the pan. After the cooking oil is melted and hot, add the salmon skin side down.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 3-5 minutes or until the salmon is about halfway cooked.
- After 3-5 minutes, the skin should be relatively crisp and can easily pull away from the pan. Flip each piece and cook for another 3-5 minutes.
- Once the salmon is fully cooked, remove the fish from the pan.
- Add the butter to the pan until just melted. When the butter JUST finishes melting add in the minced garlic and sauté until fragrant. Once the garlic is fragrant, add in the broth, parsley, lemon juice and the remainder of Old Bay seasoning. Be sure to use a spatula to scrape up any fond that was created in cooking the fish.
- Cook the liquid mixture on medium heat until it begins to thicken, about 5-15 minutes. Once thickened, add in your fillets to warm up.
- Once all of the fish has warmed, serve with your desired sides!
