I’ve always had a problem with salmon. It just wants to be dry. However, I had some restaurant takeout salmon the other day that was soooo juicy and lovely I worried that it was somehow pumped full of oil (which would not be good because I like go to a lot of effort to eat low cal).
Does anyone know how to cook salmon so it is absolutely wonderful? 
I like to broil it, and sometimes spread a layer of olive oil on top, along with seasoning (MSG, salt, pepper, dill). It doesn’t seem to come out dry, but maybe that’s just my taste.
Cajun Salmon Rub
1 tsp cumin seed
2 tsp dried basil
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried thyme
2 TBSP chilli powder
Big pinch pepper
Big pinch salt
Should be enough for 1 lb salmon
Preheat the oven to 400ºF. You can use salmon filets, or you can cut the filets into 2-inch squares for appetisers. Press the flesh side and the skin side of the salmon into the rub. Heat olive oil in a cast-iron pan to just below the smoke point. Cook the fish for… Oh, I don’t know. Maybe four minutes, maximum. Depends on the thickness of the fish. Turn the fish, and cook for two minutes. Put into the hot oven and cook for a couple/few minutes. The trick is to not over-cook, which dries the fish out.
Serve with mac’n’cheese, and steamed broccoli.
Buy sashimi grade salmon and cook it to barely rare. Regular old salmon on the grill or broiled until halfway done, then wrapped in foil and allowed to stand five minutes is cheaper, and almost as good.
Alternatively, salmon cooked sous vide turns out great.(115 F for 30 - 45 minutes)
Be careful reheating salmon in the microwave. I had an incident this past week where part of it exploded, sending tiny salmon shards in multiple directions.
Still was tasty though.
Start with good quality, fresh wild salmon filets with skin on. Dry thoroughly, rub on olive oil, season with salt & pepper, sear skin side down on a hot cast iron pan, until skin releases from pan easily, then sear briefly on flesh side. Alton Brown uses a teflon pan and vegetable oil while seriouseats.com puts the oil in the pan and lets seasoned filets set for 45 minutes in fridge before cooking to retain moisture. I don’t do that and always get moist salmon. I think the key is starting with a hot pan and not cooking for too long.
I just did Salmon for the family tonight.
One of my typical methods is to make a marinade of grated ginger, garlic, chili oil, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, fish sauce and chuck that in a bowl with the salmon fillets for a while.
Pop it in a foil parcel with the marinade, put it on the top of the rice cooker while you cook the rice (they usually have a steam basket for that) or alternatively in a medium hot oven for 20 minutes.That’ll steam it just nicely and it won’t be dry.
When done, pour the fish juice out of the parcel into a frying pan and scrape the marinade debris in there too. Then add some sugar and reduce it down until it is syrupy (technical term) and pour it back over the salmon.
Off to Cafe Society
Smear some butter on a piece of foil, lay the salmon on it (skin down), sprinkle a little rosemary on top, fold up the foil, grill for a few minutes.
Foil keeps in all the juicy goodness, butter and rosemary give it a little zing.
Yes.
DON’T OVERCOOK IT!! This applies to any fish, really.
I brush salmon with butter, sprinkle on lemon pepper, and cook it on a charcoal grill in a pan I make of aluminum foil. Cook a few minutes, then flip it over and cook a few more. Time varies with heat of grill and thickness of salmon. If yours has always been dry, try cooking for half as long as you used to and see how it comes out. Adjust the cooking time as needed.
ETA: I’ve also done it in a skillet on the stove.
Keep in mind that the difference between cooked just enough and overcooked so as to be tough and dry is less than thirty seconds, and that it will continue to cook from residual internal heat after it’s taken off the grill or stove.
So, once again,
DON’T OVERCOOK IT!!
Salmon takes well the a wide variety of cooking styles and seasonings but cannot be over cooked and expected to taste good. Cook as you would a rare steak where the center of the meat just barely appears affected by the heat. I cook mine in a pan brushed with olive oil. I cook covered on a medium low flame.
Can’ t that be done on an outdoor propane grill as well as an oven?
If you can afford around $150 for a sous vide cooker, you will never ever over cook food again. It’s physically impossible. That’s a lot of money but it’s something you can use for lots of different foods.
Number 1 rule of seafood.
This is my new Number 2 rule: Dry Cure. Works wonders, but don’t season with store mixes after dry curing, unless you really like salty food. And, if cooking skin-on, no need to cure the skin side - the skin is a barrier.
After dry-curing, I use this recipe: Crispy Pan-Seared Salmon Fillets. Don’t use salt in step 1. Top with lightly toasted sesame seeds and homemade teriyaki sauce. I use dry vermouth instead of saki (rice wine) because it is cheaper, easier to find, and lasts nearly forever. Sometimes I add a teaspoon or two of fresh ginger, but it is good either way. Plus, you can preparing the teriyaki sauce in the time that the salmon is dry-curing.
This is what I do, although I leave the skin on and eat it. If you’re cooking it in oil right at the smoke point, the skin side will crisp up really nicely and is completely edible (and delicious). Don’t use too much oil, skillet SUPER hot, do not overcook (usually around two minutes total).
Shoot, I come in here to give the cardinal rule of cooking fish and** GaryT** beats me to the punch. Oh well, I guess I’ll just talk about car repair instead. Oops, I know bugger-all about car repair. Poop.
This is exactly what I do. (I don’t see anything in the post you quoted that says she gets rid of the skin, though. The crispy skin is my favorite part, but if you’re not a skin person, feel free to use skinless filets.) The only rule is don’t overcook. That’s it. That’s really it. All you need is salt and pepper and a bit of oil. Salmon has tons of flavor on its own. I mean, feel free to sex it up if you’d like, but delicious salmon awaits you even without getting fancy with the seasoning. Heck, even salt alone. It’s great.
The best way I’ve found to cook salmon is to nail it to a cedar plank. Then throw the plank in the fire and go eat real food.
Salmon is one of the few fishes I can’t stomach in any form. Horrible stuff.
Here’s how I cook salmon:
Buy sashimi grade salmon. Slice into thin strips. Dip in low sodium soy sauce. Eat.
Y’all are quite right about the cooking time. I shudder to think of biting into raw salmon for some reason so I don’t think I can walk that very thin line of getting it just right and not at all overcooked.
I think I will try steaming it. That’s a good idea.
Also, discussing it made me want to go get some more of that wonderful salmon takeout. I’m going to ask them how they prepared it if I can find someone whose English is good enough for me to understand. Thanks, everyone!