How to Cook Sockeye Salmon

How to cook sockeye salmon in a pan, grilled, in air fryer, Instant Pot or baked dry rub salmon is here! Cook until flaky and tender or in a creamy sauce.

Need to know how to cook sockeye salmon? We will explain how to make it flaky several different ways here. Above has a creamy sauce but you can make a lightly seasoned low carb version too with no breading. Just one of many easy fish recipes on our site. (affiliate links present)

How Long to Cook Sockeye Salmon

If you need to know how long to cook frozen salmon recipe, the answers are here in this post. This time we are focusing on fresh or defrosted fillets. There isn’t a huge cook time difference actually but enough where I thought it was important to do two different posts explaining the best cooking methods.

We have a lot of air fryer fish recipes recently and shared them on our site. I was born in HI and ate a lot of it growing up. Now that I am older I cook it myself and since I do it so often now my girls love it too. It was time to talk ALL things salmon. Wild caught is amazing, healthy, and great for your heart.

How Long to Cook Salmon on Stove

Not long, it is delicate so don’t walk away for sure. It is better to have it a bit under than grey and dried out. If you want to use your oven, that is a great way to do it. This is how long to cook salmon at 400 so it is always fork tender.

If you wanted it as moist as humanly possible I would try boiled fish in a pot with broth instead. It won’t get crisped at all this way but very tender and great with a squeeze of lemon juice.

How to Cook Sockeye Salmon in a Pan

I will share below how to cook it using this method, and others will be in blue links. If you want to try the others just click on the one you want and it will take you to the instructions for that too. The recipe card at the bottom is pan fried and sauteed in a rich sauce we love.

Here is what you’re going to need, you can see all the ingredients below. Of course you can make substitutions if need be. We will discuss that too.

Get out a skillet or make it as bacon wrapped salmon (my personal favorite). Those pans remind me of my grandmother and they should already be well seasoned which will add flavor. You’ll want one with a lid to create steam inside.

If you can find great button mushrooms you could easily quarter those. Second best is canned and drained. Most of the time they are already cut into fourths. This will take a total of about 15 minutes from start to finish.

How to Pan Cook Salmon

• Rinse the salmon fillets and pat dry with paper towels. Remove any small bones you see with tweezers. Brush the top with 1 tbsp of your olive oil, the salt, add any spices or seasonings you want.
  • I think 2″ thick pieces is easier to handle than the whole filet
• Heat the remaining oil in a frying pan. Pan fry salmon skin side up and fry over medium high heat for about 2 minutes. Carefully flip the pieces over to the other side for another 3 minutes.
  • if you aren’t adding the sauce increase timing to 5 minutes with a lid on and remove when fish is flaky with a fork.
  • you can certainly cook plain and then drizzle mustard sauce with salmon over the top when done
• If cooking with the sauce which is recommended; Transfer the fried fish to a plate. Put the mushrooms and tomatoes into the pan. Fry for 3-4 minutes on medium heat, stirring occasionally.
• Pour the cream into the pan, stir and turn down the heat.
• Wait 2-3 minutes. If the cream is too thick, add some water.
  • Transfer the salmon pieces to the skillet and simmer in the creamy mushroom sauce for another 5-6 minutes with a lid on the top. 145 F is ideal internal temperature
• Ladle your sauce over the fish and turn off the heat. Cover with a lid and leave for 2-3 minutes.

Serve immediately with lemon slices for squeezing and salt and pepper. Add a drizzle of more sauce on top too (you just can’t have enough of it). If you need to make multiple batches preheat oven to 200 just to keep warm wrapped in foil.

How do you tell if sockeye salmon is fully cooked?

The flesh should have an opaque, vibrant pink or reddish color (depending on whether it’s wild or farmed). Gently press the fish with a fork or knife. Fully cooked will flake easily along the natural lines of the flesh too.

How to Cook Sockeye Salmon on a Grill

Ok so you can’t really add a lot of sauce like this if you are using a charcoal grill or Traeger. Instead you’re going to want to cook it inside aluminum foil packets like our teriyaki salmon in foil. You really could use any sauce you like with this method but not more than a few tablespoons.

Forgot to defrost your seafood? I’ve been there done that so I have a solution. Here is directions on how to make grilled frozen salmon instead. You may not have thought this was even possible but it totally is y’all.

How to Cook Sockeye Salmon in Air Fryer

Ok so let’s move on to using a Cosori or Ninja Foodi. This way you will get a nice light crisp on the outside and edges. If you are a no for any harder edges on fish then this would not be the way to go for you. I have instructions for sockeye salmon in air fryer and teriyaki salmon air fryer recipes here for you.

Once again, if you are forgetful we have you covered. Air fryer frozen salmon can totally be done too. You could easily make this sauce, listed below, and still serve that on top. You just couldn’t saute it together inside an air fryer basket unfortunately.

Instant Pot Sockeye Salmon

Last but not least before we get to the pan method below, you can certainly make frozen salmon in Instant Pot like this. OR if you are way more on top of it than me and did remember to thaw your piece, follow the recipe at the bottom of our Instant Pot fish recipes post for this.

For all of these the ideal internal temp should be 145 F, no more. Use an instant read thermometer in the thickest part to see where it’s at. It can dry out fast whether pan seared, steamed or baked so keep an eye on it often.

How to Cook Salmon in Microwave

You can actually do this if it is your only cooking method. Place into a shallow dish with a pat of butter and seasonings on top. Cover with plastic wrap and poke 4 holes in the top. Microwave for about 3.5 minutes, lift plastic and check in the middle if it is flaky and cooked thru.

Any of these can be saved if you have leftovers. Wait until it is room temperature and then wrap in plastic wrap. Keep in the fridge and reheat within 3 days in a pan on the stove.