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Did you know that salmon cooks fast and delicious, straight from the freezer? Even better, learning the correct techniques on how to cook frozen salmon is easy.
You may have a hard time imagining frozen salmon bricks turning into a hot, flaky fish dinner. Especially if you are used to buying fresh salmon fillets. But we promise it’s possible.
We’re sharing our favorite tips and some simple tutorials on how to cook frozen salmon. You’ll learn how you can use your oven, air fryer, or Instant Pot to create healthy salmon dinners straight from the freezer.
Read on for the full breakdown of how to cook frozen salmon perfectly.
5 tips for cooking frozen salmon
1. Work with smaller cuts.
For best results, use smaller frozen cuts of salmon (in the 6-ounce frozen fillet range). While it’s entirely possible to cook an entire side of frozen salmon, there’s less room for error.
It’s also true that cooking frozen salmon will often produce less beautiful results, so we’d save our really impressive fish cuts for proper thawing and a special meal. Use our frozen salmon cooking techniques for nights when you forgot to take something out and need dinner at the table, stat.
2. Do not rinse salmon.
You may read that you should rinse your frozen salmon with cold water to remove any ice crystals, but we would skip this step, based on the USDA’s final recommendations. If anything, you could leave your salmon a little waterlogged.
3. Try a tasty sauce for your salmon.
Salmon is an amazing blank canvas that fits well into so many flavor profiles, from a pesto sauce to a garlic and brown sugar glaze. Use a quick sauce to amplify the flavor of your frozen salmon. We’ve included instructions on how you can do this with different cooking methods below.
Barbecued salmon is a crowd favorite. A BBQ-style hot sauce (like our Gochujang glazed salmon) pairs nicely with this delicious fish and other fresh ingredients. Plus, with a shorter cooking time, frozen salmon is a perfect choice for dinner any night of the week.
4. Scrape off any unsightly pieces.
If there’s a trade-off for cooking frozen salmon instead of fresh, it’s that it’s rarely pretty. You’re likely to find more pieces of albumin, which is a white protein found in all salmon and tends to exude with more aggressive cooking methods. This is perfectly safe; Feel free to scrape it. Also, as the salmon thaws during the cooking process, it may begin to crumble. These pieces of flaky salmon are delicious.
Still, cooking frozen salmon can produce some really delicious results. Serve topped with a delicious sauce along with fresh vegetables, or perhaps flakes in some fried rice. We promise it’s just as good.
5. This is how you know frozen salmon is cooked.
If you’re new to cooking salmon, here are some things you’ll see when it’s cooked. The flesh will be opaque and will no longer be translucent. When pressed with a fork, salmon will easily shell into small pieces. You may also see albumin.
Salmon is a bit like steak in that everyone has a different preference for cooking. Some chefs even leave it slightly translucent pink in the middle, or half weird.
In terms of cooking, the official FDA recommendation is an internal temperature of 145°F measured by an instant-read thermometer, which will be a very firm piece of fish.
How to cook frozen salmon – 3 basic recipes
It is 100 percent safe to cook salmon straight from the freezer, as long as you cook it at properly high temperatures that keep it away from “the danger zone.” This is the temperature range of 40°F to 140°F, where bacteria grow most rapidly.
Therefore, slow-cooked frozen salmon in a slow cooker is out, but almost all other cooking methods are fair play. Be sure to cook the salmon thoroughly until the meat is opaque and easily shelled.
Ready to get started? Here are three simple tutorials that will teach you how to cook frozen salmon in the oven, an air fryer, and an instant pot.
How to cook frozen salmon in the oven To
cook
frozen salmon in the oven, you’ll want to accomplish two things: steam the fish and then roast it. Here’s the two-step method:
- Preheat your oven to 425°F. Place two 6-ounce frozen salmon fillets with the skin facing down on a baking sheet and lightly cover with cooking oil and your preferred seasonings or sauces. Cover the plate tightly with high-strength aluminum foil. Bake the salmon for 15 minutes. This is the first step, steaming.
- Uncover the salmon and roast for 10 minutes. This is the second part of the process, ensuring a crisp exterior.
How to cook frozen salmon in the air fryer The process for cooking
frozen salmon from the air fryer
is almost identical to cooking it when thawing. The only difference? You will cook it at a higher temperature for longer. Here’s a simple breakdown:
- preheat your air fryer to 390°F. Top your frozen salmon (6-ounce steaks) in your favorite seasonings.
- Cook your salmon in the air fryer basket for the first 7 minutes. Then, turn it over. If desired, add a sauce or icing here. You can also add a pat of butter to each piece of salmon for succulence.
- Fry the salmon in the air for another 7 to 9 minutes.
How to cook frozen salmon in the instant pot
The Instant Pot turns blocks of salmon ice into delicious, flaky, hot fish in minutes. You will need your steam trivet for this.
Add
- a mixture of lemon juice and water to the bottom in the instant pot (totaling about 1 cup). Add
- your steaming trivet
- Season your salmon. Place the frozen salmon fillets (6 ounces) in the trivet. You can place lemon slices and butter pats on top of each piece of salmon if desired.
- Lock the lid of the instant pot and set the instant cooker to pressure cook for 5 minutes.
.
We hope these techniques will help you easily cook
salmon straight from the freezer, without any problems
. Common salmon
seasonings
We hope these recipes help you start cooking your frozen salmon to perfection. Here are some common and suggested starter seasonings for any salmon recipe:
- Kosher salt or Sea salt
- red pepper Flakes
- Garlic
- Onion powder Olive
- oil
Black pepper or
powder
After cooking you can add a splash of soy sauce or maple syrup
.
Enjoy!
Visit our complete guide on how to cook frozen seafood and frozen fish. And check out
these salmon recipes from our blog:
- Glazed salmon with gochujang with quick pickled cucumbers
- green sauce Sesame sauce
- Soba Bowls Leaf
- broccolini and sweet potatoes
- Slow-roasted salmon with citrus and avocado
Salmon with winter vegetables and
Salmon
Pan salmon with
All of these recipes would work well with frozen salmon fillets instead of thawed fillets. Just make the necessary adjustments in the cooking time. You can even make extra and have leftover salmon for lunches for the next few days.
For more recipes and guidance on how to cook frozen salmon or other frozen meats, check out the JustCook blog.
Shop for
seafood ⍈
Try the seafood box today to sample our delicious wild-caught salmon, lobster, scallops and cod.
