Cold Oven Salmon
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The not-so-secret secret to perfect salmon each and every time? Start it in a cold oven! Turn on the heat, and 25 minutes later you will without fail have the most tender, moist, flavorful salmon you can imagine.
Perfect Salmon From a Cold Start
My friend Kelsey introduced me to this method of cooking salmon that starts with a cold oven, and I was an instant convert. It’s actually a signature trick of a Pioneer Woman recipe for perfect salmon, and it delivers on the name!
I don’t always use this method; it does require a few extra minutes of cooking time, as you’d expect, and sometimes I just don’t have those few moments to spare. When you can spare the extra five minutes, though, the basic method works with any recipe and is as close to fool-proof as it gets in the kitchen.
Why You’ll Love This Salmon Method
- Guaranteed flaky and tender fish, every time
- Truly fool-proof; there’s almost literally nothing to it
- Use simple seasonings to let the simple delicious flavor of salmon shine through, or use this method with your favorite herbs, sauce, or marinade
- 5 minutes prep and about 20 minutes hands-off cooking is manageable on even the most hectic days
Pro Tip
Meal prep salmon this way. In addition to serving as a delicious, easy, and healthy main dish, this is a wonderful method to prep salmon for use in salads, wraps, or bowls throughout the week. Some favorites that could be built this way include Greek salmon grain bowls, pesto salmon chickpea bowls, and salmon kale Caesar salads. If you’ve been wanting to incorporate more of this heart-healthy protein into your diet, this makes it easy!
Ingredient Notes
- Salmon. You can use either pre-cut filets, as shown here, or a whole side, which bakes in about the same amount of time and makes for an elegant presentation.
- Extra-virgin olive oil. Avocado or another neutral cooking oil also works well.
- Recommended seasonings: kosher salt, black pepper, and paprika. Simple and perfect! I like the taste of sweet paprika for this, but smoky paprika is also tasty and will give your salmon the tiniest hint of heat.
If you want to add a little something extra, you won’t go wrong with fresh lemon juice, fresh herbs, or 1-2 cloves of minced garlic sprinkled on top before baking.
Salmon: skin or no skin?
Given the choice, I always buy skin-on salmon. Salmon skin serves multiple purposes: it helps keep the salmon in one piece as it cooks, which is always helpful but even more so when pan-searing. Most cooks believe skin-on salmon is more flavorful, and it makes the filets a bit less sensitive to overcooking. When salmon is fully cooked, it’s extremely easy to flake off of the skin, but the crisp, cooked skin is edible if you want to try it!
How To Bake Salmon in an Cold Oven
This is truly so darn simple and fool-proof.
- Line a rimmed sheet pan with parchment or foil for easy clean-up.
- Season salmon lightly with a drizzle of olive oil, salt, pepper, and paprika.
- Place in a cold oven and shut the door.
- Turn oven on to 400°F. Set a timer for 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, check the salmon. When it flakes easily and nears 145°F in the thickest part, remove from the oven, let rest for 1-2 minutes, and enjoy!
That’s literally all there is to it. My understanding is that this method works because the relatively gentle increase in temperature helps to minimize the shock to the delicate flesh of the salmon.
No matter the reason, I can tell you authoritatively that this yields the most tender, juicy baked salmon ever—time after time, without fail.
Serving Suggestions
We love this cold oven salmon as a simple, stand-alone protein. Lemon slices and fresh herbs like the dill shown here make lovely garnishes. Fresh oregano, thyme, or parsley are all excellent ways to add a pop of color and freshness.
As for pairings, you really can’t go wrong. Serve up your favorite salad or steamed or roasted vegetables to one side, and a spoonful of pasta, potatoes, couscous, rice, or quinoa to the other.
I’ve served this most recently with a Greek chickpea salad and this pearl couscous salad with tomatoes and cucumbers. Perfect for a fresh, fast dinner!
More Easy Salmon Recipes
Salmon is one of my favorite healthy proteins, and bonus, at least one of my kids loves it, so we have lots of delicious ways to prepare it!
Try my Greek salmon salad, mustard-crusted panko salmon, baked lemon herb salmon, or salmon pesto pasta next. Craving Asian-inspired flavors? Thai sweet chili lime salmon or my daughter’s all-time favorite teriyaki salmon will hit the spot.
Remember: you can use this cold start method for any of these recipes, simply swapping out the seasonings. Delicious and fool-proof dinners ahead!
Cold Oven Salmon
Ingredients
- 3-4 medium-sized salmon filets
- 1-2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika sweet or smoked
- kosher salt and black pepper to taste
- lemon wedges and fresh herbs such as dill or parsley, optional garnish
Instructions
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil, and place salmon filets on top, skin-side down.3-4 medium-sized salmon filets
- Brush the tops lightly with olive oil, then sprinkle evenly with paprika, salt, and pepper.1-2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon paprika, kosher salt and black pepper
- Place the baking sheet in the cold oven. Close the door, then turn the oven on to 400°F. Set a timer for 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, check the salmon. If it is done, it will flake easily when pressed with a fork and have an internal temperature nearing 145°F in the thickest part. Leave it for a few minutes if needed, but remove promptly when done.
- Serve filets as desired. We like it as a main dish with a squeeze of lemon juice and sprinkle of fresh herbs (parsley and dill are my favorites). It’s also great over salads. Enjoy!lemon wedges and fresh herbs
Notes
- Internal Temperature of Baked Salmon: The official USDA recommendation is to cook salmon to an internal temperature of at least 145°F. Note, however, that salmon, like most all proteins, will continue to rise in temperature for several minutes after being removed from a heat source. Because of this, many cooks recommend pulling out your salmon when the internal temperature reaches 125°F to 135°F for safe yet tender filets. How to tell the internal temperature anyway? Grab an inexpensive instant read thermometer to make it easy and remove all the guesswork.
- How Else To Tell When Salmon Is Done: No thermometer? A few other ways to assess whether your salmon is cooked: most importantly, he color will change from translucent, raw red, to a more opaque pink. It will also pass the “flake test:” press gently on a filet with a fork or your finger. Fully cooked salmon will flake easily, meaning it separates along the embedded white lines, which are strips of fat.
- White Stuff on Salmon: If you see a lot of white coating rising to the top of your salmon, that substance is albumin. It is a protein that solidifies as the salmon cooks and is completely fine to eat. Seeing a lot of it, though, probably does mean that your salmon is fully cooked and should be removed from the heat source ASAP!
- Storage: Keep any leftover salmon in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. It’s even delicious to eat cold straight out of the fridge, on its own or in a salad.
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