FISH is the ultimate fast food! Whether you need dinner in a pinch or you’re just hungry NOW, a salmon filet can go from frozen to plated in under half an hour. Almost all of Alaska’s wild fish is harvested at the peak of its natural life cycle and immediately fresh-frozen for long term storage and easier transport to the consumer. Several years ago, the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute began a campaign to ‘Cook it Frozen’ offering consumers a variety of options and recipes for cooking frozen seafood.
Many of us now use an instant pot and/or an air fryer. Here are the quick methods to ‘Cook it Frozen’ utilizing your favorite cooking robot.
EASY INSTANT POT METHOD
- Remove salmon from vacuum sealed bag and rinse under cold water; pat dry with a paper towel.
- Add 1 3/4 cups water into the pot. Place salmon on steamer rack and lower into pot.
- Season.
- Turn pressure valve to ‘sealing.’ Cook 3 minutes on high pressure.
- Immediately turn pressure valve to ‘venting’ to release and remove lid once pin drops.
- When finished, salmon should be opaque throughout and flake easily with a fork.
QUICK AIR FRYER METHOD
- Remove salmon from vacuum sealed bag and rinse under cold water; pat dry with a paper towel.
- Brush both sides of filet with olive oil.
- Season top.
- Place on fryer rack and close.
- Cook 8-10 minutes on 390-400ºF.
- When finished, salmon should be opaque throughout and flake easily with a fork.
In case you’re not into newfangled fancy Dan kitchen gadgetry, you can always rely on a favorite cast iron skillet. K.I.S.S. Keep It Simple Salmon is the standard classic pan sear method we’ve been recommending for years.
KEEP IT SIMPLE SALMON METHOD
- Remove salmon from vacuum sealed bag and rinse under cold water; pat dry with a paper towel.
- Brush both sides of filet with olive oil.
- Heat a cast iron or stainless steel pan over medium-high heat.
- Place salmon in heated pan.
- Cook uncovered, 3-4 minutes, until bottom is lightly browned.
- Flip; season fish.
- Reduce heat to medium and cook covered, 5-6 minutes.
- When finished, salmon should be opaque throughout and flake easily with a fork.
Now dinner can be done in a snap even if you didn’t thaw anything for tonight.
Brenna & Kenny