7 Ways to the Best Salmon of Your Life

Salmon is something to savor for many reasons: its buttery meat, quick cook times and nutritional benefits. So treat salmon with the care and specialness it deserves by upgrading it in one of these seven weeknight-simple ways. Playing up its silkiness with textural contrasts, switching up the cooking method and even varying the type of salmon you use can all make it feel new again.

Use Wild Salmon

Because of their active lives and varied diet, wild salmon can be more nuanced and robust than farmed fish. And as an added benefit, wild salmon can also be more sustainable.

Brine With Salt

For juicier fish and crispier skin, salt the fish for at least 15 minutes or up to two hours. You can dry-brine it for longer than two hours, but just know it will start to cure the fish and the texture will be noticeably firmer.

Add Anchovies

Anchovies are a sneaky secret ingredient, adding much-needed depth to certain dishes, but eaters might discern something fishy going on. In a fish dish, though, that fishiness isn’t as noticeable. The umami and flavor that the anchovies contribute simply make salmon taste like a deeper, more salmony salmon.

Give It a Crispy Coating

The tenderness of salmon is especially on display when the fish is coated with something crispy before searing or roasting. There are plenty of possibilities, such as panko bread crumbs.

Cube It

It’s easy to pick chicken nuggets over chicken fingers. They have more shattering coating in each bite. The same logic applies to salmon. If you cut the fillets into 1-inch cubes before cooking, there will be more surface area for seared crusts and saucy glazes.

Broil It

You could cook salmon in a skillet, but the broiler is a less splatter-prone, less smelly option. Place the fish on a sheet pan with the skin facing your broiler, where the intense direct heat will crisp the (delicious) skin and gingerly cook the meat beneath.

Pair It With Dairy

You already know from lox and bagels that salmon likes a tangy, soft dairy. So when you’re cooking up salmon for your next dinner, look to something like sour cream or Greek yogurt, which has more acidity than cream cheese and delivers a punch that’s similar to a squeeze of lemon.

Recipe: Wild Salmon With Green Sauce

Wild salmon, green beans, new potatoes and herbs: simple seasonal ingredients for an epic summer dining experience. The most important thing here is not to overcook the salmon. Whether baked or grilled, it is ready as soon as you see white juices rising to the surface, which means the fish will be succulent, not dry. It is better to err on the rare side.

By David Tanis

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Total time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds wild salmon fillet, such as king or sockeye, skin on

Salt and pepper

Olive oil

2 pounds new potatoes

1 pound haricots verts, or a mixture of small green and yellow beans

1 shallot, finely diced

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Zest and juice of 1 small Meyer lemon

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and roughly chopped

1/4 cup finely chopped parsley

1/4 cup finely chopped chervil, or a mixture of parsley and tarragon

Lettuce leaves

2 hard-cooked (9-minute) eggs, roughly chopped

Preparation:

1. Using pliers, remove pin bones from salmon (or have your fishmonger do it). Season on both sides with salt and pepper. Place on baking sheet skin side down and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Set aside at room temperature. Heat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Scrub potatoes and simmer in well-salted water until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and keep warm.

3. Top and tail the haricots verts and simmer in well-salted water until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Spread out on a platter to cool (or rinse briefly in cool water) and leave at room temperature.

4. Make the sauce verte: Put shallot in a small bowl with 1/2 teaspoon salt and cover with the red wine vinegar. Macerate 5 minutes, then stir in lemon zest and juice, mustard and capers. Whisk in 1/2 cup olive oil. Just before serving, add parsley, chervil and black pepper to taste.

5. Bake salmon, uncovered, until just done, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove and let cool slightly. Put beans in a medium bowl, season with salt and pepper, and dress with 2 tablespoons sauce verte. Line a platter with lettuce leaves, if using, then make a pile of beans. With a spatula, lift salmon from skin, then place on top of beans. Dab salmon with 2 more tablespoons sauce verte, garnish with chopped egg and serve. Pass potatoes and remaining sauce separately.Recipe: Greek Yogurt-Marinated Salmon

This weeknight-friendly recipe leans on Greek yogurt for a fish marinade that not only adds flavor, but also makes for salmon that’s even more tender than usual. The yogurt works on the salmon slowly, with less risk of “cooking” (or denaturing) the fish that citrus- or vinegar-based marinades pose, and acts as a protective crust, sealing in moisture as the salmon bakes. The marinade in this recipe calls for mostly pantry and fridge staples, along with grated fresh ginger and garlic, but feel free to use the yogurt as a starting point and add your own favorite spices and seasonings.

By Lidey Heuck

Yield: 4 servings

Total time: 1 1/2 hours

Ingredients:

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon light or dark brown sugar

2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

1 large or 2 small garlic cloves, grated or minced

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) and black pepper

4 (6-ounce) skinless salmon fillets

Chopped fresh dill, for serving

1 lemon, quartered, for serving

Preparation:

1. In a large bowl, combine the yogurt, olive oil, mustard, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, paprika, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and whisk until smooth.

2. Add the salmon fillets, tossing to coat them in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours. (Do not marinate for longer or the texture of the fish might become overly soft.)

3. Heat the oven to 375 degrees and place a rack in the upper third of the oven. Line a sheet pan with foil and arrange the salmon fillets, evenly spaced, on the pan. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets and whether they are cut from the center or end of a side of salmon. (The center should still be slightly undercooked; the salmon will finish cooking under the broiler.)

4. Adjust the oven temperature to broil and broil the salmon for 2 to 3 minutes, until the salmon is lightly browned at the edges.

5. Transfer the fillets to a serving dish and season lightly with salt and pepper. Top with chopped fresh dill and serve with the lemon quarters on the side.Recipe: Saffron Salmon Kababs

Buttery, saffron-stained and gently spiced, these Iranian kababs come together in no time and make for a beautiful, flavorful meal. The warming spice mix of oregano, coriander, black pepper and turmeric balances and lifts the sweet notes from the saffron and salmon. To keep the fish in place when turning the kababs on the grill, use 1/2-inch-wide flat skewers or two thin, round skewers. You can entertain with these skewers or enjoy them on a quiet weeknight, along with dill rice and a side of fresh herbs, or cucumber, tomato and onion salad.

By Naz Deravian

Yield: 4 servings

Total time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

About 1 1/2 teaspoons saffron threads (0.35 grams)

Pinch of granulated sugar

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, plus lime wedges for serving

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 large garlic cloves, finely grated

1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt (Diamond Crystal)

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed between your fingers

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 1/2 pounds skinless salmon (preferably center-cut), cut into 1-inch pieces

Fresh herbs, such as mint, cilantro and basil, for serving

Preparation:

1. Using a mortar and pestle or small bowl and the handle end of a wooden spoon, grind the saffron with a pinch of sugar to a fine powder (about 1/4 teaspoon). Transfer to a large bowl. Bring 2 tablespoons water to a boil in a saucepan, kettle or using the microwave, then let stand for 2 minutes to allow the water temperature to drop slightly. Add to the ground saffron powder, gently stir, cover and steep for 5 minutes.

2. To the saffron water, add the lime juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, oregano, coriander, pepper and turmeric. Stir to mix, add the salmon pieces and combine until the salmon is well coated. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

3. As the salmon marinates, prepare a charcoal grill until the coals are ashed over and slightly cooled to medium-hot or heat a gas grill to medium-high. Skewer the salmon and save any remaining marinade. Grill the skewers, brushing with the remaining marinade and turning every couple of minutes, until tender and buttery, about 10 minutes total. Serve with lime wedges for squeezing over the fish. Enjoy, with bites of fresh herbs between bites of salmon.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

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