18 Easy and Delicious Salmon Recipes for Busy Weeknights

Simple to prepare, salmon makes for a quick and easy weeknight meal or dinner with friends. Check out 18 of our favorite salmon recipes.

By
Rachel Knecht
Rachel Knecht
Rachel Knecht
Rachel began testing recipes for Simply Recipes in 2018. She started her food blog in 2017 and taught children's baking classes around Seattle.
Learn about Simply Recipes' Editorial Process
and
Robin Shreeves
Robin Shreeves
Robin Shreeves
Robin Shreeves is a food and beverage writer.
Learn about Simply Recipes' Editorial Process
Updated January 12, 2023
Top salmon recipes

Simply Recipes

Salmon is really easy to prepare at home. It’s quick enough for a weeknight dinner while also worthy of any special occasion and holiday. Salmon can be cooked in a skillet, roasted in the oven, poached, or grilled. Leftover salmon is easy to use up, too! Try using it in fried rice or hash. These 18 simple salmon recipes—that you can pair with a glass of wine if you'd like—are quick, easy, and delicious. Enjoy!

Robin Shreeves joins Rachel Knect in compiling this list.

  • Easy Grilled Salmon

    Grilled salmon with a forkful taken out alongside asparagus and lemon on the plate.
    Ciara Kehoe

    Choose from a teriyaki, soy sauce, or yakatori marinade, and grill these fillets for a couple of minutes per side. Oiling the grill grates helps ensure that the fillets don’t stick. Serve with Broccoli Stir Fry with Ginger and Sesame.

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  • Quick and Easy Jerk Salmon

    Side view of a fillet of broiled jerk salmon. The salmon has juices pooled at the bottom of it. A mixed green salad with citrus, two lime wedges and rice are visible on the plate behind the salmon. The plate is on a blue linen.
    Alison Bickel

    Pacific salmon works well in this recipe because of its firmer texture. Look for wild caught if at all possible. Mix up a spicy jerk seasoning and broil the salmon for a quick and flavorful meal. Broiling happens quickly so don’t walk away from the oven. The salmon is cooked once the seasoning is a little crusty and the fillet flakes when lightly touched. Serve with Coconut Rice and Beans.

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  • Easy Baked Salmon

    Honey Garlic Butter Roasted Salmon topped with herbs and set on foil.
    Kalisa Martin

    Instead of buying individual fillets, pick up a whole side of salmon from the fishmongers at the market or seafood counter. A flavorful honey lemon butter sauce is poured over the fish before wrapping it in foil and baking in the oven. The foil keeps the moisture in and helps ensure the salmon doesn’t dry out.

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  • Easy Salmon Foil Packets with Vegetables

    Roast salmon filet on foil with roast grape tomatoes, chopped cilantro and thinkly sliced lime on top.
    Sally Vargas | Banner Art Credit: Elena Resko

    For smaller gatherings, make individually wrapped foil packets and include quick cooking vegetables such as snap peas and tomatoes. Harissa paste amps up the flavor and keeps prep work to a minimum. These would be great cooked over a fire, too.

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    Continue to 5 of 18 below.

  • Poached Salmon

    Poached Salmon
    Elise Bauer

    When it's too hot to turn on the oven, make poached salmon instead. White wine, dill, and onions make a flavorful poaching liquid for the salmon to cook in. Plus, it’s on the table in 15 minutes!

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  • Grilled Salmon with Cucumber Mango Salsa

    Grilled Salmon Fillet with Mango Salsa - grilled salmon portions on a plate with fresh salsa
    Nick Evans

    Put a tropical twist on grilled salmon with this easy salsa. Make the salsa before grilling because it only takes 8 minutes for these to cook on the grill! Look for Pacific salmon such as King, Sockeye, or Coho for the best results.

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  • Panko-Crusted Baked Salmon

    Panko-crusted Salmon
    Elise Bauer

    A Panko topping adds a crunchy element to salmon and a seasoned honey mustard ties the dish together. Feel free to use Dijon mustard if that is all you have on hand. Serve alongside a Summer Vegetable Risotto.

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  • Smoked Salmon Pasta Salad

    Smoked Salmon Pasta Salad
    Elise Bauer

    Smoked salmon is sold ready to eat and makes a tasty addition to this pasta salad. Look for hot smoked salmon instead of cold smoked (such as lox). Hot smoked salmon is flaky and comes in a variety of flavors. This pasta salad would also be a great way to use up any leftover salmon.

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    Continue to 9 of 18 below.

  • Fresh Salmon Cakes with Spicy Mayo

    Fresh Salmon Cakes with Spicy Mayo
    Sheryl Julian

    Fresh salmon makes light and tender fish cakes. It’s a great way to try salmon for those unsure if they like it or not. Salmon cakes are also a great way to use up leftover salmon. Sauteed in a skillet, these patties are on the table in about 30 minutes.

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  • Salmon With Fennel Baked in Parchment

    Salmon and Fennel Baked in Parchment
    Elise Bauer

    Salmon with fennel baked in parchment is a classic French dish—saumon au fenouil en papillotte. But just because it's French doesn't mean the recipe is complex. Simply add individual servings of salmon and sliced fennel to parchment with some butter, lemon, and seasonings, fold the parchments into packets, and bake.

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  • Salmon with Brown Sugar Glaze

    Plate of Salmon with Brown Sugar Glaze and a Side of Green Beans

    Simply Recipes / Ciara Kehoe

    With this quick and easy salmon recipe, dinner is ready in 25 minutes. A simple glaze of dijon, honey, and brown sugar with a slight kick from red pepper flakes tops salmon before it goes in the oven. The result is a simple, delicious, healthy main dish for dinner.

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  • Air Fryer Dijon Salmon with Charred Green Beans

    Air Fryer Dijon Salmon with Charred Green Beans and a Lemon Wedge

    Simply Recipes / Ross Yoder

    Need dinner for two quickly? This should be your go-to recipe. The garlicky green beans cook first in the air fryer, then the salmon goes in. Combined, the two take less than 30 minutes to cook.

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    Continue to 13 of 18 below.

  • Honey Mustard Baked Salmon

    Baked Honey Mustard Salmon on a white platter
    Elise Bauer

    Six ingredients and 20 minutes are all you need to make this delicious honey mustard baked salmon. While the salmon is cooking, throw together a salad, and dinner is done!

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  • Salmon With Lemon Cream Sauce

    Salmon with Lemon Cream Sauce
    Elise Bauer

    A fresh lemon cream sauce comes together in 10 minutes on the stovetop. It tops salmon that you've pan fried in 10 minutes or less. Easy, quick, and delicious.

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  • Sheet Pan Harissa Salmon

    harissa spiced salmon with green beans, bell pepper and tomatoes
    Sabrina Modelle

    The beauty of sheet pan cooking is that most of the meal is cooked on one pan, meaning easy cleanup. Here, you rub salmon with harissa spice and bake it with green beans and bell peppers. A quick tomato salad served on the side completes the meal.

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  • Angel Hair Pasta with Salmon, Arugula, and Creamy Lemon-Parmesan Sauce

    angel hair pasta in a sauce with arugula topped with salmon
    Marta Rivera

    While the pasta cooks, sear salmon on the stovetop. After the salmon cooks, make a simple lemon-Parmesan sauce in the same pan then add spicy arugula until it wilts. Combine the pasta, salmon, and sauce in one pot and serve.

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    Continue to 17 of 18 below.

  • Dukkah-Spiced Salmon with Lemony Couscous

    Salmon with dukkah and couscous on pink plate.

    Simply Recipes / Prerna Singh

    Salmon is a blank slate that you can prepare many ways. Here, it's seasoned with dukkah, an earthy and rich spice blend with nuts giving it a slightly crunchy crust. Cook couscous with a mint yogurt sauce simultaneously, and dinner is done in about 25 minutes.

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  • Pan Seared Salmon with Avocado Remoulade

    Salmon with Avocado Remoulade
    Elise Bauer

    Two easy steps get this salmon dish on the table quickly. First, make an avocado remoulade in the blender, no cooking required. Then, sear seasoned salmon in a pan on the stovetop. Place the salmon on top of the remoulade. Enjoy.

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