As we approach the start of a new year, I’ve lined up five healthy, simple, and creative salmon recipes to make waves at the dinner table. These are the best easy salmon recipes!
I’m a mega fan of salmon for supper – it’s packed with omega-3 fatty acids, protein, and a host of essential nutrients, salmon not only will fuel your body but also provide a versatile canvas for your culinary imagination. Just a 3-oz portion of salmon boasts 22g protein and only 155 calories, and that’s a win for my training diet.
These salmon recipes offer something for everyone – and even the non-fish fans will fall in love (I hope)!
Garlic Butter Salmon & Mushrooms – Whip out your skillet and prepare this weeknight salmon recipe in just 15 minutes – it’s low-carb and delicious. I love how the mushrooms serve as sponges to sop up the buttery, garlic goodness. One of my all-time favorite salmon skillet dinners (because yee-haw, I’m a huge mushroom fan too).
Strawberry-Chipotle Salmon (with Quinoa Salad) – this quick and easy meal shines bright with a salmon glaze made jarred strawberry jam (I use a sugar-free variety), soy sauce, and canned chipotle peppers that have been chopped up! Sweet and spicy!
Creamy Coconut Lime Salmon Skillet – this low-carb, paleo-friendly skillet meal is rich and satisfying! Salmon poaches in coconut milk and is so tender and delicious – I like to serve it with cauliflower rice.
Cranberry-Orange Salmon Sheet Pan Dinner – This 30-minute salmon meal cooks up entirely on a standard rimmed baking sheet. Green beans, cranberries and citrus slices create a memorable medley of flavor – this salmon sheet pan dinner is elegant enough for a holiday celebration, yet easy-peasy for a busy night.
Grilled Salmon Zucchini Quinoa Burgers – a fresh and fit spin on a traditional patty – so juicy and tasty! Sandwich between the bun of your choosing and load up with toppings! This is a total mom win that sneaks in extra veggies and nutrients to “burger” night.
Does my life need yet another zucchini recipe? YES! Yes, in fact, it does! Even though this squash cultivates joke after joke in the summer about its seemingly inexhaustible, high-volume production (lock the door and turn off the porch lights), I personally can’t get enough of this good-for-me and versatile staple of the season.
Fun & Interesting Facts About Zucchini:
What’s to love about zucchini? Here are some reasons to add more zucchini to your life (along with a few fun facts).
A medium zucchini (about 200g) has just 33 calories, 6g carbs (2 of which are dietary fiber), 0g fat and 2g protein which make it a good choice for low-carb, keto and diabetic diets.
Zucchini is a culinary chameleon. It’s mild flavor allows it to take on the flavor profile of the dish it’s cook in.
Zucchini is actually a fruit, botanically speaking. That is harvested while immature from the flowering part of a zucchini plant.
In addition to being a great source of dietary fiber, zucchini is also rich in potassium and vitamin C.
The world’s largest zucchini was 69.5” long and weight 65 pounds!
But bigger isn’t better when it comes to zucchini squash. Zucchini experts say the best-tasting ones are small- to medium-sized. And, the darker the skin, the richer the zucchini is in nutrients.
Grilled Salmon Zucchini Quinoa Burgersare totally off the hook with fresh flavor and will make a splash at your next backyard cookout, pool party or seaside soiree. Plus, they are a sneaky way to add a little veggie to the meal, thanks to grated zucchini – and we all know zucchini is prolific this time of year. GET RECIPE
Mushroom Pizza-stuffed Zucchini Boats are an easy, cheesy, vegetarian meal with a lower-carb profile. Plenty of protein to make this a balanced meal thanks to a satisfying cottage cheese filling. Feel free to customize the toppings if you don’t love mushrooms. GET RECIPE
Chipotle-Lime Code with Summer Veggie Saute is a delicious fish dinner you can make up in a single skillet, no sweat! Fresh and flavorful with a southwestern-inspired medley of veggies that includes corn and zucchini. Also a fast fix – in only 10 minutes you’ll be feasting. GET RECIPE:
Zoodles Marinara with Three-Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms is an easy zucchini noodle for your low-carb, gluten-free, vegetarian dinners and meal preps. So simple with steamed, spiralized zoodles and the bottled marinara of your choice (I like a no-sugar added sauce) – and the cheesy stuffed mushrooms on top make this zucchini pasta next level. GET RECIPE
12-Minute Zoodle AND Noodle Toss is for those who want both their veggies and their pasta! It’s a great compromise and the secret ingredient is salty preserved lemons which make this dish so vibrant and tasty. A perfect pairing for the chicken, seafood or meat paring of your choice! GET RECIPE
Green Glow Chilled Zucchini Salad with Lemon Gremolata Dressing is more than just another “zoodle” recipe, this salad made of spiralized zucchini also boast loads of other green goodness – like edamame beans, avocados, pistachios, and more. Plus, the lemon gremolata dressing adds lot of citrusy zing! GET RECIPE
Pork Verde Zucchini Enchiladas are missing just one thing – tortillas! But who needs tortillas anyway, when ribbon-cut strips of zucchini can substitute quite nicely! Creamy and cheesy, this low-carb enchiladas and filled with delicious morsels of shredded pork and mildly spicy green chiles. GET RECIPE
Salmon fillets are a mainstay on on my weekly dinner menu. Whether fresh or from frozen, salmon is a quality protein that makes the perfect blank canvas, ready to be “painted” with colorful vegetables and the seasonings that suit your mood of the moment!
When it comes to seasonings and flavor, garlic can’t be beat. It has a host of functional health benefits, is umami-friendly and maximizes the flavor of everything it’s paired with, from veggies, to proteins, to grains, pastas and bread . . ahh, garlic bread. Distinctively pungent, yet more mellow upon cooking, garlic is probably the “first reach” seasoning in my kitchen. If I could only pick one seasoning (other than salt and pepper) for a dish, it would be garlic — that’s how I keep life easy! Fresh minced or crushed garlic is the best, but when I’m making a quick dinner recipe, I rely on the convenience of minced garlic in a jar, garlic paste in a tube, or pre-portioned frozen crushed garlic.
Minced fresh garlic if you have the time, but purchased garlic in jar, tube or frozen portions is convenient!
I drooled earlier about buttery garlic bread, but buttery garlic MUSHROOMS – ohhhhyeah! Low-cal and low-carb, can be a little bland on their own — but with just a little butter and garlic, any mushroom side dish becomes heaven! You can use white button mushrooms or baby bellas (cremini) mushrooms in this low-carb salmon recipe — both act like little sponges that soak up all the rich flavor.
A quick little 15-second tutorial!
Pro-Tips:
1) Leave bottom skin on salmon, this makes a richer recipe and makes the cooking process easier (less sticking). You can remove it later . . . but remember, the brown/gray “gunk” between the skin and salmon flesh is salmon fat and where most of the beneficial Omega-3 fatty acids reside.
2) Salmon is cooked in 2 steps. First a sear with the skin side up. Then the par-cooked salmon rests on a plate while the veggies cook. Second, the fish is finished off by cooking skin side down among the vegetables, with a lid on top of the skilled to expedite the process. Make sure to have the lid nearby.
3) You can substitute peeled, de-veined jumpo shrimp. Those will cook for 3 to 4 minutes UNTIL DONE on the first step, and then you add back into the recipe when the vegetables are finished. Don’t add cooking time after this, or they will become rubbery.
4) For this garlic mushroom salmon skillet recipe, a non-stick skillet/fry pan with lid (10″) works well to keep the garlicked up salmon from sticking to the pan on the searing step. However, if you don’t have a non-stick or don’t want to use a non-stick, and end up with some bits burned onto the pan, there is a solution. After removing fish to rest on plate, add a splash of water to the hot skilled to sizzle and then quickly scrape off with spatula.
5) This mushroom salmon recipe scales up easily. To make 4 servings, just double the recipe (fine to be loosy-goosey on vegetables) and use a 12″ non-stick skillet/frypan with lid.
Pin this for later!Macros per serving: 469 cal, 34g fat, 6g net carb, 33g protein
What's better than garlic butter? Garlic butter all over salmon, mushrooms and delicious veggies! This easy one-dish salmon skillet is sure to become your favorite 15-minute meal.
Course:
dinner
Keyword:
garlic, mushrooms, one dish, salmon
Servings: 2
Calories: 469kcal
Ingredients
2 5-ouncesalmon filetsskin on
¼teaspooneach salt and black pepperplus more for seasoning at end, if desired
2tbsp.garlicdivided
1.5tbspssalted butter
8ouncewhite or cremini mushroomscleaned and halved ½ red onion, chopped coarsely
1/2cut coarsely chopped red onion
3cupsfresh spinachcoarsely chopped
Instructions
Season salmon with salt, pepper and 1 tbsp. of the garlic.
Heat olive oil in skillet over med-high heat.
Add filets skin side up; sear for 3 minutes or until crust forming on flesh. Set par-cooked fish aside on plate (will finish cooking later).
Melt butter in skillet over med-high, add mushrooms and onions and saute for about 3 minutes; add remainder of garlic and cook for another 30 seconds. Stir in spinach; set salmon back in skillet, skin side down this time. Cook on medium for about 3 to 5 more minutes (with lid on for several minutes to help speed process). Actual cook time will depend on thickness of salmon filets.
Season with additional salt and pepper, as desired.
Recipe Notes
2 servings. Each serving: 469 cal, 34g fat, 6g net carb, 33g protein
One Pot, Easy Cheesy Shrimp Quinoa-Rice Bake makes mid-week seem mighty fine! Enjoy a shrimp that is low mess and low stress, taking only 30 minutes prep to plate!
Succulent shrimp with mushrooms, onions, and spinach marry in a creamy sharp cheddar sauce with a brown rice-quinoa providing the whole grains you need. It’s at once comfort food AND yet a beautifully balanced meal.
Made over a bit from the heavy, calorie and fat laden traditional shrimp rice casseroles, this version uses smaller amounts of dairy, lots of veggies, plenty of shrimp –and some quinoa in lieu of the typical “all rice” shrimp casserole.
You get a whopping 29g protein for only 360 calories. Full nutrition details in this 6-serving shrimp recipe.
Check out this quick 15-second tutorial!
I use an oven-proof 10” skillet with lid for this recipe, but you can also use a Dutch oven or a 2-quart casserole dish (you’ll have an extra dish to wash with this last option thought).
I use frozen (thawed) peeled, tail-off, deveined shrimp to make this recipe extra easy and convenient. When cooking the shrimp, it’s a “par cook,” meaning you saute in the skilled for just a couple minutes until the grey is gone and they have barely just turned pink – the remainder of cooking is done in in the oven. Just a heads up so you don’t get rubbery shrimp.
Pin this for later!
After sauteing the shrimp, the veggies, and making the cheesy sauce, the shrimp and quinoa rice blend are mixed in – and then it bakes at 325F degrees for about 15 minutes. However, this can also be a make-ahead casserole recipe by doing all steps up until the last baking step. Just prepped dish in in the fridge until ready to bake, and add on 5 or so extra baking minutes to compensate for starting it cold.
Prep to plate in 30 minutes! You can also make ahead and store this shrimp casserole in the fridge until ready to bake. Loaded with protein, veggies and healthy whole grains in a comforting, cheddar cheese sauce.
Course:
dinner
Keyword:
one dish, quinoa, shrimp
Servings: 6servings
Calories: 360kcal
Ingredients
3TbspButter (divided)
1Tbsp.minced Garlic
24oz.large Shrimppeeled, tail-off, deveined
1cupchopped Onion
8oz.sliced Mushrooms
2tbspall-purpose flour
1 1/3cup2% milk
1tsp.Salt
1tsp.Italian Seasoning
6oz.shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheesedivided
3cupsBaby Spinach
2cupscooked Brown Rice
1cupcooked Quinoa
Instructions
Pre-heat oven to 325F.
Add 1 tbsp butter to 10” deep skillet or Dutch oven. Melt, cook shrimp over medium-high heat for just 2 to 3 minutes until barely pink (don’t over cook).
Remove shrimp, set aside in bowl. Keep shrimp juices in pan, add 1 tbsp butter, onions, and mushrooms and saute for 2-3 more min until tender.
Add last 1 tbsp. butter,to mushrooms, melt and sprinkle flour over. Stir around for 30 sec, pour in milk in a slow steady stream while stirring to incorporate smooth with mushroom mixture. Let bubble for 1 minute until milk hot, then stir in 4-oz. of cheese, salt, seasoning, stir until melted.
Remove from heat, stir in baby spinach, cooked rice and quinoa, and the shrimp. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and bake for 15 minutes until heated through, sauce bubbling, cheese melted.
If needed, you can make up to the baking step and then keep covered in the fridge until ready. Then cook as directed adding about 5 to 7 more minutes to the baking time, bringing it to 20 to 22 minutes baking.
Maple Mustard Halibut with Pecan-Quinoa Topping (in the air fryer or conventional oven) is ridiculously easy and absolutely delicious weeknight meal or special occasion supper.
First, I started with wild hook-and-line-caught Alaskan halibut. This hearty white fish is a personal favorite with tender flakes, a delicate flavor yet meaty texture that holds its own in any recipe. However, other firm fish can be used such as cod or salmon.
Next up an easy smear of stone-ground mustard mixed with maple syrup, just enough to make a layer between the fish and halibut topping of ground pecans and quinoa that crusts up so nice and crunchy while baking.
For a time-saving convenience, I keep a bag of COOKED quinoa in my freezer for recipes like this or to sprinkle in salads or soups. See my quinoa meal prep post HERE.
As far as a quick fish dinner, this pecan-quinoa crusted halibut recipe wins taking only about 10 minutes on 400F degrees. I use a toaster-oven style air fryer (the Omni Plus XL Toaster Oven – Air Fryer from Instant) because I like the spacious interior and front-opening functionality (it’s like a smaller-version of my big oven) but a basket-style air-fryer will work too.
If you are cooking in a conventional oven, the temperature remains the same, but you’ll just cook up to 5 minutes longer (keep an eye on it because if the pecan quinoa topping for fish starts to get too brown, you’ll need to loosely cover with a swatch of foil.
Such an easy fish recipe using halibut and nutritious too, with 275 calories, 7.7g protein, 11.4g net carb, and 40.1g protein per serving.
Deliciously flakey and moist with a satisfyingly crunchy topping, this easy halibut recipe only takes 5 minutes to prep and 10 minutes to cook in an air-fryer.
Course:
dinner, dinner, entree
Keyword:
15 minutes, air fryer, fish, halibut
Servings: 2servings
Calories: 275kcal
Ingredients
10 to 12oz fresh halibutor other firm fish like cod or salmon
1 1/2tbsp.stone ground mustard
1 1/2tbsp.real maple syrup
¼cupfinely chopped raw pecans
½cupcooked quinoa
1/2tsp.salt
½tsp.ground pepper
2tbsp.minced fresh parsley
Olive oil spray
Instructions
Pat halibut dry with paper towel. In small bowl, mix together mustard and syrup.
Slather mustard mixture on top only portion of fish. In small bowl, mix together pecans, cooked quinoa, salt, pepper and parsley.
Spoon onto top of fish and use hands to pat down into a crust, extended as far out to the edges of fish as possible.
Lightly spray top of pecan-quinoa mixture on fish with olive oil.
Pre-heat air fryer to 400F degrees.*
Transfer fish by large spatula to air fryer basket.
Air fry for approximately 10 to 12 minutes, until fish flakes and coating on top is turning lightly brown.
Remove immediately from air fryer and serve. With optional prepared honey mustard sauce or other condiment of choice.
(=*for conventional oven, heat to 400F and bake for approx. 14 to 18 minutes).
