Salmon and smoked salmon recipes make up a good portion of what I eat in a given week. It’s affordable and accessible here in the Pacific Northwest, endlessly versatile, and after years of eating it in every form imaginable, I’ve landed on the methods and flavor combinations that keep me enjoying it year-round.

This collection of 12 personal favorites is split into fresh salmon and smoked salmon recipes. You’ll find everything from my go-to weeknight sheet pan dinners to a smoked salmon spread for brunch.

A full breakdown of how to bake salmon (great for beginners) is at the end of the post.

Salmon Recipes

These are my favorite ways to eat fresh salmon, including a mix of oven-baked weeknight dinners, grilled salmon recipes, and go-to techniques for when I want to add more protein to my meal plans.

Smoked Salmon Recipes

These recipes use hot-smoked salmon, not cold-smoked lox. Hot-smoked salmon is fully cooked and has a firmer, flakier texture. You’ll usually find it in vacuum-sealed packages or shelf-stable pouches. Lox, by contrast, comes thin-sliced, and most people eat it cold, like on a bagel.

How to Bake Salmon

If you’re new to cooking salmon, start with something simple like Salmon with Pesto Sauce or Lemon Salt Salmon. Both come together with just a few ingredients and don’t ask much of you in terms of prep or technique.

Oven baking is the easiest way to cook salmon well, especially for beginners. It’s far more forgiving than pan-searing, where a few extra seconds on the heat can mean the difference between perfectly cooked and dry.

Salmon is one of those proteins that seems intimidating until you’ve made it a handful of times. After that, it’s one of the easiest things in your dinner rotation.

What Temperature Should Salmon Be Cooked To?

Salmon is done at an internal temperature of 145 degrees F. Use a meat thermometer to measure at the thickest part of the fillet. I usually pull mine at about 140 degrees F and let it rest for a few minutes. The temperature keeps climbing as it rests, and you end up with a moister, flakier piece of fish.

Picking Your Oven Temperature

The right temperature depends on how much time you have and what texture you’re after.

• 275 degrees F — A slower bake, 20 to 25 minutes, for a tender, almost poached texture.
• 350 to 400 degrees F — My go-to. Flaky and juicy in 12 to 15 minutes, and forgiving enough for a weeknight.
• 450 degrees F — 8 to 10 minutes, with crisp edges and a caramelized top. This works well if you’ve added a glaze, pesto, or just want a simple sear. Watch closely, as it’s easy to overcook and dry out.

Fresh or Frozen?

Most salmon you find in grocery stores is flash-frozen from the point of being caught. This includes the thawed fillets you generally see at the seafood counter.

If you’re using frozen salmon, remove from packaging, thaw fully in the refrigerator, then pat dry with paper towels before cooking or seasoning. That’s the step people skip, and it’s the one that keeps your seasoning, or pesto, or glaze from sliding right off.

Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for more salmon recipes and everything else I’m cooking up in the kitchen.