Salmon is what goes on the table when there is no plan. It cooks in twenty minutes, it doesn’t need marinating unless you want it to, and it’s the one fish my kids have never once pushed around the plate.
These are the twelve we actually rotate through. Some are sheet pan, a few are foil packets on the grill, two end up in pasta, and three of them aren’t salmon at all. Every one has been made in this kitchen more than once, which is the only test that counts.
If fish is a hard sell in your house, start with the maple salmon or the parmesan crusted salmon. One is sweet and one is crunchy, and one of those two usually gets you past the first bite — which is the whole battle.
Salmon with a crust
The crust is the trick with kids. It changes the texture enough that the fish underneath stops being the point.
Baked and poached
These are the weeknight ones. Nothing to watch, nothing to flip, nothing that can go badly wrong while you’re dealing with homework.
On the grill, in foil
A foil packet steams the fish in whatever you put in there with it, which is why grilled salmon done this way never dries out. The Moroccan one cooks the vegetables in the same packet.
Salmon in pasta
Both of these stretch one pound of salmon into dinner for the whole table.
What to do with leftover salmon
Not salmon, still fish
Sole and tuna cook faster than salmon does — minutes rather than tens of minutes — so they’re worth knowing about when you’re genuinely out of time.