There’s nothing quite like a little bit of delicious salmon. Perhaps you had some salmon yesterday and didn’t get to finish it all because you were full, or someone has made some for you after a meal – the point is, you want to reheat it so you can enjoy that glorious Omega 3 again today.
There’s always a risk when cooking fish, so you must get it right. Not only can you end up experiencing issues such as food poisoning from fish that isn’t cooked properly, but you can also end up making your kitchen smell pretty bad by heating salmon incorrectly.
Thankfully, we’re here to help you. Read on to find out about some of the best ways to reheat salmon so that it maintains all of the goodness that it would have had when you first cooked it.
Before We Go On: How About Cold Salmon?
One of the greatest things about salmon is that it’s one of those foods that you can actually eat cold. Cold salmon will retain all of the nutritional goodness of freshly cooked salmon, and there’s also no need to worry about dealing with that horrible fishy smell in the air from incorrectly reheating it. It’s a delicious way to enjoy salmon!
Stay Clear of the Microwave!
We know, we’ve had it drilled into us that microwaves are ideal for reheating foods. But don’t, and we repeat – don’t! – reheat fish in a microwave. Not only will it dry out your delicious fish fillet, but it will also make that horrible fishy smell linger in the air. That’s the last thing you want!
To avoid this, you should ideally try to reheat your salmon in a good old fashioned oven – just make sure that you reheat the fish slowly at a lower temperature, so you don’t completely dry out the fish.
However, though it pains us to say this, it is possible to reheat salmon in a microwave if you do not have access to an oven by chance. To do so, put the microwave at around 35% power or set it onto a low heat setting. Place the salmon into a dish that’s safe to use in a microwave, and put the microwave on for around 30 seconds or so. You can use some tongs to flip the salmon over and then place it back into the microwave. You need to just heat it for 30 seconds from there until you get to the internal temperature you’re looking for. Then bon appetite!
Oven Cooking
If you do happen to have more time, we recommend using an oven for cooking your salmon. To reheat the salmon, simply use a rimmed baking sheet of a little foil to cover the salmon over. This will essentially help avoid any smells leaking out, and it can stop the edges from getting dry before you’ve warmed the fish thoroughly on the inside. Of course, there’s also the added benefit that with baking sheets or foil, there isn’t going to be as much mess to clean.
When you cook the salmon, you should make sure that you are warming it at a low temperature. You aren’t going to get a lot of flavors if the oven is on too high.
First, preheat the oven to around 275 degrees Fahrenheit, and cover the salmon with the foil or baking sheet. Once the oven has gotten to the temperature you need, bake the salmon for roughly 15 minutes. You can use a meat thermometer to check the temperature, which should be around 125 to 130 degrees inside. Then you can eat!
Steaming
If you don’t want to cook your salmon in the oven, you can also try steaming. This will help stop the fish from drying out while you are reheating as the fish is exposed to moisture. It also means that you can stay away from oil, which is ideal if you’re watching your weight. Simply lay the salmon onto the steaming basket, allowing it to steam for a couple of minutes until it’s cooked to your satisfaction.
Grilling
You can also reheat your salmon on the grill. All you need to do is wrap up the salmon in some aluminum foil, put a little bit of oil in for moisture, and put it onto the grill. By wrapping it in some aluminum foil, you ensure that the salmon doesn’t end up flaking off in the grates. You just need to cook it for around 15 minutes from there.
On the Stovetop
If you’re a big fan of using your stovetop for reheating foods, you will be pleased to know that it’s possible to reheat salmon on the stovetop. As with every other method, you should still remember that you should heat the fish at a lower temperature, as you don’t want to suck the moisture out of it.
First of all, heat a little bit of oil into the pan so that your salmon doesn’t end up sticking to it. Make sure that you’ve set it to a medium-low temperature, and simply use the pan’s lid to cover it. You should only need to heat the fish for around 6 minutes on either side, though this will largely depend on how thick the fish is. Then, simply remove the pan lid, turn the heat off, and you are ready to eat the salmon!
Quick Tip: Play Around With Seasoning
You’ll be pleased to know that when you are reheating salmon, you actually don’t have to follow the original recipe. You can do all sorts of different things with it, such as making the salmon part of a salad, or you could have it with crackers. There are endless possibilities!
Conclusion
So those are some of the best ways that you can reheat salmon. Of course, salmon is tasty meat that you can have in a variety of dishes – hopefully, with our guide, you can enjoy second day salmon both hot and cold for a delicious meal of leftovers!