18 Simple Salmon Recipes Quick Enough for Dinner Tonight

Honey-Soy-Glazed Salmon with Veggies and Oranges
Photo: Alison Miksch

These salmon recipes are full of fresh flavor that you won't be able to resist. Salmon is a protein-rich ingredient that serves as a flavorful, healthy alternative for chicken or beef-based meals. Whether you're serving salmon baked, broiled, grilled, or poached; as an appetizer, one-dish dinner, or accompaniment on your brunch table; you're bound to find a few new favorites in our collection of salmon recipes. While salmon isn't native to our warm Gulf waters, we have lots of Southern ways to cook up this cool-water dwelling fish.

Consider swapping in char, whitefish, or trout in almost any of these recipes if you're not a fan of salmon. Many of these salmon recipes make quick and easy dinner recipes when paired with one of our delicious side dishes and salads. Add a salmon recipe to your weekly meal plan, and we bet you'll soon be finding even more ways to cook with this healthy fish.

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Smoky-Sweet Baked Salmon in Parchment

Smoky-Sweet Baked Salmon in Parchment
Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Ruth Blackburn; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis

Recipe: Smoky-Sweet Baked Salmon in Parchment

You can enjoy every bite of this baked salmon without having to worry about the mess of a clean-up. Baking fish in parchment is a technique stemming from the French cooking technique called en papillote. It's a great healthy choice as this technique does not require much oil or fat to cook the salmon. The enclosed moisture turns into steam, gently cooking the fish to perfect doneness.

02 of 19

Salmon Patties

Salmon Patties
Sheri Castle

Recipe: Salmon Patties

These salmon patties call for jarred or canned salmon, not fresh, so if you keep a jar in the pantry, you can pull together this easy salmon recipe nearly any night of the week. Canned or jarred salmon is often more affordable, too, which is why Southerners have loved salmon patties for many generations.

03 of 19

Easy Grilled Salmon

Easy Grilled Salmon
Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Melissa Gray; Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford

Recipe: Easy Grilled Salmon

This entire salmon dish comes together in 15 minutes. The lemony-herby vinaigrette helps balance the richness of the salmon. Plus, the recipe makes enough vinaigrette to spare some as a side salad dressing.

04 of 19

Grilled Corn-and-Salmon Salad with Tomatoes

Grilled Corn-and-Salmon Salad with Tomatoes
Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners

Recipe: Grilled Corn-and-Salmon Salad with Tomatoes

Easy, breezy, and summery, this salmon salad combines peak season corn and tomatoes with salmon for a quick and light meal. While heirloom tomatoes are available year-round, purchase from a local farmers' market or grocer so you know you are getting the season's best.

05 of 19

Teriyaki Salmon Bowls with Crispy Brussels Sprouts

Teriyaki Salmon Bowls with Crispy Brussels Sprouts
Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke

Recipe: Teriyaki Salmon Bowls with Crispy Brussels Sprouts

This delicious bowl of teriyaki salmon is jam-packed with flavor and is sure to fulfill a hearty appetite. Most of the cook time is hands-off while the salmon slowly poaches in the slow cooker, for a tender, not dry fillet.

06 of 19

Salmon Burgers With Creamy Tartar Sauce

Salmon Burgers with Creamy Tartar Sauce
Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis

Recipe: Salmon Burgers With Creamy Tartar Sauce

Let's hear it for burger night! Swap out beef for salmon to give your family a fun and flavorful change. These salmon burgers are made with herbs, capers, and lemon and topped with tartar sauce to get the whole experience of a classic fish sandwich.

07 of 19

BBQ-Glazed Cedar-Plank Slamon

Charred Potato-Okra Salad
Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: BBQ-Glazed Cedar-Plank Salmon

Fire up the grill and throw salmon on this BBQ cedar plank for a nice change from the usual hamburgers and hotdogs. Cedar planks infuse grilled salmon with even more smoky flavor and after soaking the planks for an hour in water, the dish comes together in minutes.

08 of 19

Baked Sheet Pan Salmon With Potatoes and Tomatoes

Baked Sheet Pan Salmon with Potatoes and Tomatoes
Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner

Recipe: Baked Sheet Pan Salmon With Potatoes and Tomatoes

This garden-fresh weeknight dinner may look fancy, but it comes together in a single pan. The herbs de Provence on the potatoes and the Dijon on the salmon recipe bring a French spin to this sheet pan supper. Any leftovers make a delicious niçoise salad.

09 of 19

Simple Salmon Croquettes

Basic Salmon Croquettes Recipes
William Dickey / Styling Buffy Hargett / Food Styling Angela Sellersc

Recipes: Simple Salmon Croquettes

This Southern classic is incredibly easy to make. Canned salmon makes this our quickest rendition yet, with crispy croquettes ready in less than 20 minutes. Plus, it's so delicious that it pretty much guarantees no leftovers.

10 of 19

Sweet-and-Spicy Salmon Rice Bowl

Sweet-and-Spicy Salmon Rice Bowl
Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Sweet-and-Spicy Salmon Rice Bowl

This recipe uses Sambal oelek, an Indonesian chile paste made from crushed raw red chiles, a little vinegar, and salt that can be found in most grocery stores in the Asian food section, right next to the sriracha. Mixed with honey and vinegar, it creates a delicious sweet and spicy glaze for this salmon.

11 of 19

Honey-Mustard Salmon with Vegetables

Honey-Mustard Salmon with Vegetables
Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos

Recipe: Honey-Mustard Salmon with Vegetables

A sheet pan supper with a tangy honey-mustard sauce gives this salmon recipe a flavorful kick, and a panko breadcrumb crust adds a nice crunch. Ready in 30 minutes, it's the perfect weeknight meal.

12 of 19

Molasses-Soy Glazed Salmon and Vegetables

Molasses-Soy Glazed Salmon and Vegetables
Alison Miksch; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl; Food styling: Karen Rankin

Recipe: Molasses-Soy Glazed Salmon and Vegetables

A savory salmon dish that is easy and ready to serve in just 35 minutes. Get creative and sub your favorite quick cooking grain for the brown rice.

13 of 19

Lemon Pepper-Salmon Kebabs

Lemon Pepper-Salmon Kebabs
Johnny Autry; Prop and Food Styling: Charlotte L. Autry

Recipe: Lemon Pepper-Salmon Kebabs

Salmon, sliced lemons, and summer squash make up these light and fresh skewers. Your family may get tired of salmon filets and a side of vegetables but serve it as a tasty kebab and it looks like an entirely different dish.

14 of 19

Creamy Salmon Fettuccini and Spring Vegetables

Creamy Salmon Fettuccini and Spring Vegetables
Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis

Recipe: Creamy Salmon Fettuccini and Spring Vegetables

This take on spring pasta primavera is creamy and light at the same time. Instead of heavy cream lending the sauce a richness, the decadence comes from Boursin cheese, which adds an instant infusion of creaminess and flavor to the pasta.

15 of 19

Salmon with Pineapple-Pepper Salsa and Coconut Cauliflower Rice

Salmon with Pineapple-Pepper Salsa and Coconut Cauliflower Rice
Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis

Recipe: Salmon with Pineapple-Pepper Salsa and Coconut Cauliflower Rice

Salmon gets a tropical transformation with this salsa and coconut rice recipe. The Pineapple-Pepper Salsa can also double as an excellent appetizer, served with tortilla chips, or as a topping for tacos or burrito bowls.

16 of 19

Fresh Salmon Cakes with Buttermilk Dressing

Fresh Salmon Cakes with Buttermilk Dressing
Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Fresh Salmon Cakes with Buttermilk Dressing

These salmon cakes are perfectly crispy and drizzled with the creamiest dressing, which comes together quickly, but can also be made ahead and kept in the refrigerator.

17 of 19

Lemony Slow-Cooked Salmon with Potatoes and Fennel

Lemony Slow-Cooked Salmon with Potatoes and Fennel
Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis

Recipe: Lemony Slow-Cooked Salmon with Potatoes and Fennel

Let your slow cooker do the work with this filling salmon dish. Lining your slow cooker in parchment makes the clean up for this recipe a breeze, but it also helps steam your salmon to perfection.

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Honey-Soy-Glazed Salmon with Veggies and Oranges

Honey-Soy-Glazed Salmon with Veggies and Oranges
Alison Miksch

Recipe: Honey-Soy-Glazed Salmon with Veggies and Oranges

Here's the delicious proof that you can serve a complete, no-mess fish dinner in less than 25 minutes. This recipe only uses one pan making cleanup a breeze. Just pile everything on your sheet pan and follow our instructions for perfectly broiled fish that will be on the table in no time.

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Get More Salmon Inspiration

Salmon Bagel Sandwiches
Photo: Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke
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