The healthiest ways to cook salmon are methods that use little to no added fat and lower cooking temperatures, such as poaching, steaming, and baking. These methods help preserve salmon's healthy omega-3 fatty acids and nutrients while minimizing the formation of harmful compounds.
What's the healthiest way to cook salmon? Healthiest methods include baking, poaching, or air-frying because they use minimal added fat and help retain omega-3 fatty acids. Grilling and pan-searing are healthy too if you use small amounts of oil.
Baking Salmon: Baking wins for pure nutritional optimization, preserving about 10-15% more omega-3s and vitamin D. But grilling is still a very healthy choice when done properly, and the superior flavor might help you eat salmon more frequently—which is the real health goal.
Healthy salmon recipes
Best Methods for Cooking Salmon: The Pan-Roasting Technique. Pan-roasting stands out as the professional chef's go-to method among all salmon cooking techniques, and with good reason. This approach combines the best of two worlds: a perfectly crispy exterior from stovetop searing and gentle, even cooking from the oven.
Bake for easy, healthy, hands-off cooking with softer texture, ideal for larger fillets or when you want less mess/smell; pan-fry for restaurant-style crispy skin and a juicier, firmer texture, best for speed and flavor contrast, often finished in the oven for large pieces. The best choice depends on your priority: convenience/health (bake) or texture/flavor (pan-fry/sear).
Chefs and home cooks have a few different methods for seasoning salmon before cooking. These are some of the most popular methods. Our favorite spices to use with this type of fish are paprika, chile/chili powder, garlic powder/salt, cumin, onion, and ginger.
To kill germs, cook raw fish to an internal temp of 145°F or until the flesh is opaque and separates easily with a fork.
Some popular side dishes for salmon are greens and salads, veggies like sauteed asparagus and roasted green beans, cooked quinoa or cooked rice, and roasted potatoes or Parmesan crusted potatoes.
Overall, salmon offers higher levels of brain-boosting omega-3 fats, and much higher levels of bone-strengthening calcium. While tuna contains less of these, it's still a good source of omega-3 fats and an excellent source of hunger-busting protein.
It contains some healthy fats and Omega-3 (although you can also get these vital fatty acids from plants, which is also where fish get them). However, as the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) warns, salmon is 40 percent fat, and 70-80 percent of its fat content is “not good for us.”
The key to perfect pan-seared salmon lies in choosing the right size fillets, seasoning them well, and allowing them to cook undisturbed. This technique, especially leaving the salmon untouched in hot oil, ensures a beautiful, golden crust that elevates the dish to restaurant quality.
Oven-Baked Salmon
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Season salmon with salt and pepper. Place salmon, skin side down, on a non-stick baking sheet or in a non-stick pan with an oven-proof handle. Bake until salmon is cooked through, about 12 to 15 minutes.
Starting salmon skin-side down in a cold nonstick skillet was the winning method, yielding deeply crisp skin and consistently tender, juicy fish. Pan-searing came in second for producing ultra-crispy, restaurant-style skin, while grilling added smoky flavor but risked overcooked edges.
Pan seared salmon reigns supreme as the simplest, quickest, and debatably most delicious way to prepare salmon. In under 10 minutes and with only 3 ingredients (salt, pepper, and salmon), you'll enjoy a crispy, juicy, tender piece of salmon.
Sides for salmon
7 Easy Sauces for Salmon
You've got two options: cook it or cure it. Cooking at 63°C kills parasites instantly—perfect for grilled or baked salmon. The second method is curing with salt and sugar.
The USDA and FDA advise against rinsing salmon to prevent spreading bacteria. Other experts say rinsing salmon removes sand and grit, though it can also remove the fish's natural oils and flavor. If you rinse salmon, pat it dry and clean your work area. Cook salmon thoroughly to eliminate harmful bacteria.
The white worms we occasionally spot in salmon fillets are parasites called roundworms. Though these worms are more noticeable in salmon due to the contrast in color, they can be found in many white fish too — they're just camouflaged.
Cooking Salmon? Avoid these Mistakes
Instructions
Best Spices For Salmon