An American keyword that’s synonymous with healthy cuisine is salmon. A cut of fresh salmon helps make any dish delicious. Discussing healthy salmon recipes may be the most difficult task because the list is endless. But we’ve given you a small glimpse of it by talking about the 6 healthy salmon recipes never to miss!

There are five main types of salmon, and knowing about them can help you choose the salmon best suited for your healthy salmon recipes.

King Salmon: This salmon is high in healthy fats, super expensive, and deliciously textured.
Sockeye Salmon: This salmon is red and lower in fat than the other types.
Pink Salmon: This is a very small, pale fish mostly used in the canning process.
Coho Salmon: This salmon is milder in taste and is mostly seen in photos with fishermen.
Chum salmon: This is mostly known for its roe. Sushi rolls use this salmon.

Salmon is a great source of protein, omega-3s, vitamin B, calcium, potassium, and antioxidants. It is lower in calories and saturated fats and has zero carbs, fiber, and sugar.

1) 6 Healthy Salmon Recipes

Salmon is a healthy protein with a lot of health benefits. It has a lot of selenium involved in thyroid hormone metabolism and reproductive health. It also has a lot of Omega 3s, which help reduce inflammation and support the brain’s health. Here you go with the 6 healthy salmon recipes to treat your taste buds!

1.1) Honey Garlic Salmon

Honey garlic salmon has to come first because it’s a simple recipe with delicious flavor. It takes less than 15 minutes and requires easy-to-gain ingredients.

While there are various recipes to make this dish, the one discussed here is the simplest. It’s so simple that you don’t even require flipping. The recipe goes this way:

Cut salmon fillets to the preferred size.
Pat these fillets with spices.
Heat butter, oil, garlic, water, soy sauce, sriracha, honey, and lemon juice in a pan.
When the pan is hot, and the sauce seems colorful, add the fillets, and let it cook for 3 minutes.
Baste the fillets using a spoon.
Finally, broil till the salmon is sweet, slightly charred, and cooked.

As mentioned, honey garlic salmon is a standard recipe among healthy salmon recipes. If you feel like this dish is too simple for your taste and has simple flavors you want to enhance, you can add a few other elements. Add onions and lime juice, or pan-sear the salmon fillets.

1.2) Coho Salmon

Coho Salmon is a delicacy eaten in many places. It’s amongst the healthy salmon recipes thoroughly enjoyed by people in restaurants.

Coho salmon has less fat than sockeye but more fat than chum salmon. This is the reason Coho salmon fillets dry faster. Coho is a great source for smoked cooking, but it’s even better for cold-smoking processes. Here’s a simple dish for grilled Coho salmon.

This recipe takes less than ten minutes and delivers deliciousness and flavor like the other recipes. The ingredients are:

6-ounce salmon fillets with skin
Canola oil or vegetable oil (2 spoons)
Sea salt and pepper (1/2 spoon of each)
Lemon wedges (4) or lemon zest

Here’s the easy healthy salmon recipe:

Gather the ingredients, so you know exactly what you need to work with.
Clean your grill thoroughly, and rub the crate with oil. Heat the grill to medium heat.
While the grill heats, cut the fillets, clean them, and pat them dry.
Pull out the pin bones from the pink salmon fillets using tweezers.
Brush the grate with a teaspoon of oil, brush the fillets and sprinkle them with the seasoning.
Place the cut salmon fillets on the grill and cover. Cooking the salmon fillets without disturbing them is essential; this helps release the fat and increase the thickness of the fish.
Serve the grilled salmon with lemon wedges, or garnish of your preference.

1.3) Baked Salmon

Baked salmon is at the top of the list of healthy salmon recipes. It’s a healthy recipe filled with taste.

Here are the ingredients you’ll require:

Salmon fillets
Olive oil
Black pepper
Salt
Garlic (minced)
Italian herb seasoning
Lemon (as wedges or lemon juice)

After collecting your ingredients, go ahead and start cooking the salmon recipe.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, and grease a large baking pan with a baking sheet. Arrange the fillets on the baking sheet and season with salt and pepper.
Stir with olive oil, garlic, herbs, and lemon juice. Spoon this over the fillets, and make sure the tops and sides get a lot of attention. After this, place a lemon slice on each piece.
To get your baked salmon, place it in the oven for 15 minutes and broil if needed.
Finally, garnish with parsley or thyme.

1.4) Smoked Salmon

Smoked salmon gives you a lot of nutrition, calories, and taste and is one of the best healthy salmon recipes. Here are the ingredients for this easy, healthy salmon recipe:

Indian salmon steaks
A glass of cold water
A glass of sugar
Some salt and pepper
Coriander
Olive oil

And here are the steps to bring this great salmon dish to life.

Place the salmon, cold water, sugar, and salt in a plastic container.
Mix them thoroughly.
Refrigerate this mixture for 25 to 37 hours before smoking.
Rinse carefully, and dry the fillets with a clean cloth.
Refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours again.
Oil up the fish, and then smoke it in a pan.
Place the wood chips in a pan, and place the rack of salmon on the chips to get smoked salmon. On high heat, allow the wood chips to heat till they smoke. When they start to smoke, cover the pan with tight foil so the smoke can’t escape. Lower the heat, and allow the fish to smoke.
Turn off the stove after 30 minutes, and let the pan cool down with the foil intact. Remove the smoked salmon after cooling and serve with the preferred garnish.

1.5) Honey Mustard Salmon

If you enjoy cooking salmon fillets and eating salmon, this is an excellent healthy salmon recipe for you to start on.

Honey mustard salmon is one of those healthy salmon recipes with the most versatile flavors. It’s an easy lean protein dish, and since it is mostly baked, it also has health benefits.

Here are the ingredients for this healthy, delicious, and easy-to-make recipe:

3 spoons of honey mustard
Fresh Salmon fillets (2 pounds)
Minced garlic cloves (3 teaspoons)
Extra virgin olive oil (3 tablespoons)
Lemon juice (according to taste)
Fresh dill (1 tablespoon)
Salt

After you’ve collected all these ingredients, go ahead and start working on this dish for your whole family with these steps:

The first thing to do is preheat the oven to 400F.
The second step is to make the honey mustard glaze: Whisk honey mustard, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and dill.
Now, you need to prepare the salmon: Line a pan with foil. Brush the salmon on both sides with oil, and place them skin-side down. Using a basting brush, coat the top of the fillets with the glaze.
The final step is to bake salmon. Place the salmon in the oven, and bake it for 10 minutes at 400F.

Make sure you don’t overcook the salmon, and always use fresh salmon.

1.6) Lemon and Spinach Salmon

This 20-minute salmon dish for two is served along with sweet potato and takes just a handful of ingredients. It’s amongst the healthy salmon recipes that make the best use of fresh spinach, baked salmon, and fresh garlic.

Here are the ingredients for this dish:

Lemon zest, juiced lemon, and sliced lemon
Sweet potatoes (2)
Olive oil (1 tablespoon)
2 fresh salmons without skin
2 fresh garlic cloves, sliced
170g of fresh spinach
75g mascarpone and
5 tbsp milk

After getting the ingredients for the recipe ready, follow these steps:

Heat the oven to 200C.
Microwave the potatoes till they’re soft. You can also bake them for 40 minutes.
Heat the oil, and brown the salmon on both sides.
Transfer this to a plate, and cook the fresh garlic for 30 seconds without letting it get brown. Add spinach, lemon zest and juice, and salt for seasoning.
Stir this with the mascarpone and 2 tablespoons of milk, and cook till the spinach has wilted.
In an ovenproof dish or a sheet pan, tip the spinach and top it with lemon slices and salmon fillets.
Bake for around 8 minutes until the salmon is ready.
While this is happening, revert to the potatoes in step, and scoop the flesh out of the potatoes. Mix them with milk and some seasoning.
Finally, serve the potato mash with salmon and spinach.

The list of healthy salmon recipes is endless, and discussing them brings out the variety of flavors and methods salmon can enhance. Deciding which dish to make might be a task for you. But remember, no matter how you cook this dish, this lean protein provides many health benefits.

If you’re a person who enjoys chicken and not eating salmon, here’s something you can check out: 3 Heavenly Tasty Chicken and Dumplings Recipes.

2) Cooking Tips for A Salmon Dish

Cooking salmon may seem easy, but certain things must be kept in mind while cooking salmon or any meat. Just like every meat has its temperature requirements and cooking methods to enhance the flavor, salmon has the same.

It’s important to remember certain cooking tips to ensure you don’t make any mistakes while cooking these healthy salmon recipes.

Remember to check the internal temperature of the fish: Salmon is best when it’s medium or rare. Using a meat thermometer ensures the interior is cooked the way you want.
Using the fat in the pan: Salmon, like any other lean protein, requires fat because fat needs flavor. Make sure the salmon fillet absorbs the fat to intensify the flavor. Fat also helps the meat not stick to the pan.
Be careful about pin bones: Salmon has small pin-like bones, which can be a choking hazard. Check for pin bones by running your hand on both sides of the fillet and feeling for them. These pin-like pones are very easy to remove; use a tweezer to pluck them out.
Be careful of high temperatures: You may want the skin to be crispy, but at times, you may use high temperatures while reaching for this. Cooking at high temperatures can also lead to a lack of protein. So, stick to using medium-low, or transfer the dish to a hot oven for a better sear on the stove.
Pick the perfect method: Broiling the salmon is probably the best and easiest way to cook salmon. Broiling with seasoned sauce can give you a delicious healthy salmon recipe. Baking is the most beneficial method to cook salmon since it doesn’t use much oil. Pan-fried salmon gives you great crusty and crispy skin. Poached salmon gives you moist and nice salmon. Finally, grilled salmon gives the healthy dish a great smoky flavor.

3) To Conclude

Salmon is almost synonymous with healthy eating. It is full of proteins and vitamins and doesn’t lack flavor. It’s rich in omega 3s, reduces inflammation, lowers blood pressure, improves the heart’s functioning, and supports a healthy lifestyle. It also helps boost muscle growth and antioxidants. Grilled salmon, baked salmon, pan-fried salmon – regardless of the method used, salmon always gives you a great mouthful of flavor.

Consuming two portions of salmon a week can help you live healthier. You will, of course, come across a wide variety of recipes to make using salmon. You may prefer a Cajun salmon recipe, salmon pasta, or miso salmon. There’s an endless variety of healthy salmon recipes, and choosing which one to start with can be an ordeal.

So, select one of those easy and healthy salmon recipes mentioned above and start exploring this fabulous protein.

Last Updated on August 3, 2024 by Sathi

Author

Sarah Fernandes (Author)

6 Healthy Salmon Recipes To Never Miss