Simple and Healthy Wild Alaskan Baked Salmon

Baked salmon is a great, healthy, go to dinner meal that is super easy to make.  We love to cook salmon, not only because it is healthy for us but because we love the taste.  Salmon is great to make on family dinner nights.  And if there are any leftovers the salmon can be crumbled and placed on a salad to take to work.  Salmon is delicious right out of the oven and even after it has been chilled in the refrigerator.  Salmon, when cooked looks fancy and makes a great presentation.  And the wonderful thing is, it takes little effort on your part.

Salmon has a mild flavor compared to other types of fish.  So if a person does not like fish with a strong flavor then salmon would be perfect for them.  We like to purchase Wild Alaskan Salmon that has been sustainably caught.  Salmon is in season from May through October.  Between these months are the best time to find fresh Wild Alaskan Salmon in the grocery stores.  However, salmon can also be purchased frozen.  Frozen salmon is great to have on hand when dinner needs to be made for guest or family on short notice.  

Frozen salmon takes about 30 minutes to thaw before it can be placed in the oven.  When thawing frozen salmon take the salmon and leaving it in it plastic wrap place the salmon in a bowl, filling the bowl with cold water.  Never fill the bowl with hot water.  The salmon needs to thaw at a slower rate.  

When buying fresh salmon the salmon should not smell fishy.  If it does, walk away, the salmon has gone bad.  As a good rule of thumb, fish should never smell fishy.  The color of the flesh of the salmon should look bright and without damage.  When buying fresh salmon at the grocery store, most places will ask if you would like them to remove the pin bones.  We usually allow them to remove them for us.  This saves us time.

If you purchase fresh salmon and the pin bones are still in the salmon then you will need to remove the bones before cooking the salmon.  Removing the bones is fairly simple all you need is a pair of clean tweezers.  With your finger take and rub your finger down the center of the fillet.  You will be able to feel the bones.  When you come to a bone take the tweezers and remove the bone from the salmon.  Continue feeling for bones and removing them all the way across the fillet.  Discard all the pin bones after they have been removed.  Note:  Do not eat the bones!  

Sometimes when we cook frozen salmon there will be one or two pin bones that have not been removed.  When they are packaging the salmon they package it in such a hurry that sometimes they overlook some of the bones.  So, in general when eating salmon make sure not to eat any of the bones.  Just keep an eye out for them.  Whether the salmon is fresh or frozen bones can still be a problem.

Salmon can be seasoned with an assortment of seasonings.  From fresh herbs like dill, oregano and parsley to basic salt and pepper.  The oils that are great to use on salmon are; ghee, olive oil and coconut oil.  Basically, whatever your tastebuds prefer. 

Salmon can be served with steamed or roasted broccoli, roasted carrots and cooked fennel.  Salmon, also, goes well with a mustard sauce and a side salad.  The salmon could also be plated over freshly cooked Cauliflower Rice.  Really, salmon is so versatile you could pair it with just about anything and it would be delicious.  

The two most used salmons are the Sockeye Salmon and the Coho Salmon.  Sockeye Salmon is more of a red salmon.  Therefore, the flesh of the salmon will be a brighter red than the Coho Salmon.   Both types of salmon are great; however, we usually cook the Coho Salmon when we are going to be making Salmon Croquettes or Salmon Salad.  We save the Sockeye Salmon and serve it with the roasted veggies. 

Instructions:

When cooking salmon the instructions are the same whether the salmon is frozen or fresh.  The prep work for the two, however, is different.  Feel free to use the step-by-step guide as a reference on how to cook frozen salmon and how to cook fresh salmon.  And we recommend buying Wild Alaskan Salmon that has been sustainably harvested.  

Instructions for Frozen Salmon

When the salmon is frozen take and place the salmon in a bowl with the salmon still wrapped in its plastic packaging and pour cold to room temperature water over the salmon.  Make sure that the water covers all of the salmon.  It can take between 20 to 30 minutes for the salmon to thaw.  After the salmon has thawed take and preheat the (electric) oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celsius).  Now take the baking pan and place unbleached parchment paper on it, which will make for a easy clean up afterwards.  Do not use a cookie sheet to cook the salmon on.  The juices will run off the sheet and make a mess in the oven.  And that is not what we want, at all.  

After the salmon has thawed take and pour the water out of the bowl into the sink leaving the salmon in the bowl.  Now take and using scissors or a knife take and open the plastic packaging and remove the salmon from the plastic and place on the baking pan that has been lined with unbleached parchment paper.  If the frozen salmon has the skin still left on it take and place the skin side down so that the skin touches the parchment paper.  If the salmon is purchased without the skin, still take and lay the salmon pieces with the flesh side up.  

Next take and drizzle the salmon with olive oil, melted ghee or melted coconut oil.  For our recipe we use olive oil.  Sprinkle pink Himalayan salt, black pepper (Tellicherry) and dried parsley.  If fresh herbs are available then by all means use them.  After the salmon has been seasoned take and place the salmon in the preheated 400 degree Fahrenheit oven for 20 minutes.  

When the salmon is done it should flake with a fork.  To do this take a fork and place the teeth in the center of the salmon and pull upward at a slight angle.  If the salmon has cooked long enough then the salmon should flake when the fork is removed. 

Instructions for Fresh Salmon

Fresh salmon is cooked the same way that the frozen salmon was cooked.  When we buy fresh salmon in the grocery store we like to leave the salmon fillet whole and after we have cooked the salmon we then like to cut it into portions.  However, the store where the fresh salmon is purchased will cut the salmon into the desired size needed.  Or the salmon can be cut at home by you before cooking.  

Before placing the salmon in the oven and cooking make sure the pin bones have been removed.  If the pin bones have not been removed, they need to be removed before the salmon is placed into the oven.  Some seafood departments will remove the pin bones when the salmon is purchased.  

Again take and line a baking pan with unbleached parchment paper and lay the salmon flesh side up on the baking pan.  Drizzle olive oil on the fresh salmon and use pink Himalayan salt, fresh cracked pepper (Tellicherry) and dried parsley.  Place the salmon in a preheated 400 degree Fahrenheit oven for 20 minutes until it is done.  

That is all it takes to make a delicious baked salmon meal that is sure to impress.