Ina Garten also known as the Barefoot Contessa is one of the most beloved chefs and cookbook authors. She is known for her simple, approachable recipes that home cooks can easily recreate. Salmon is one of Ina’s favorite ingredients to cook with, and she has several fantastic salmon recipes that highlight her skill of combining simple ingredients to create elegant dishes.
In this article we’ll take a look at how Ina Garten cooks salmon by exploring some of her best salmon recipes. We’ll cover her techniques for preparing salmon fillets her go-to flavor combinations, and some tips she recommends for getting perfect results every time.
Ina’s Roasted Salmon with Green Herbs
One of Ina’s most popular salmon dishes is her Roasted Salmon with Green Herbs. This recipe, featured in her cookbook Barefoot Contessa How Easy Is That?, produces salmon with a beautifully caramelized exterior encasing tender, flaky flesh.
To make this roasted salmon, Ina takes a 2-2.5 pound skinless salmon fillet and seasons it generously with salt and pepper. She then drizzles the fillet with a mixture of olive oil and lemon juice and allows it to sit for 15 minutes. Next, she tops the salmon with a flavorful blend of minced scallions, dill, and parsley. White wine is poured around the fish before it’s roasted at a high temperature for 10-12 minutes.
The salmon gets a blast of heat that gives it a delicious crust while keeping the interior moist and rare. The herbed gremolata provides plenty of fresh flavor and aroma. Ina recommends basting the salmon halfway through cooking and covering it with foil toward the end to ensure even cooking. The result is a restaurant-quality salmon that looks and tastes incredible.
Salmon and Melting Cherry Tomatoes
Another popular salmon recipe from Ina is her Salmon and Melting Cherry Tomatoes from her cookbook Barefoot Contessa Foolproof. This 20-minute meal is one of Ina’s go-to weeknight dinners since it’s fast, easy, and full of flavor.
The recipe starts with sautéing aromatics like onion, garlic, and butter. Halved cherry tomatoes are added and cooked until they just start to break down and release their juices. Fresh basil and a splash of balsamic vinegar provide a bright, acidic contrast to the sweet tomatoes.
While the sauce simmers, Ina prepares the salmon fillets. She coats them with olive oil, salt, and pepper and cooks them skin-side down in a skillet for about 5 minutes. After flipping them over briefly, the salmon gets transferred to the oven for just a couple minutes to finish cooking.
Once done, the fillets are served atop the melted cherry tomato sauce. The sweet, acidic tomatoes make the perfect complement to the rich, tender salmon. With just a salad, you have a complete and satisfying meal.
Tips for Perfectly Cooked Salmon from Ina
Throughout her recipes, Ina Garten emphasizes a few key tips for cooking salmon flawlessly every time:
-
Buy high-quality salmon: Ina stresses buying fresh wild salmon over farmed for the best flavor, texture, and color.
-
Dry thoroughly: Pat salmon fillets dry before seasoning or cooking for the best sear.
-
Don’t overcook: Cook salmon just until medium rare or opaque in the center. It will continue cooking off heat.
-
Use a probe thermometer: This helps avoid overcooking. Ina pulls salmon off heat at 110°F for medium rare doneness.
-
Sear skin-side down: Get a crispy sear on the skin by starting skin-side down in an oiled hot skillet.
-
Finish in oven: After searing both sides, finish thick fillets in a 450°F oven for evenly cooked fish.
-
Rest before serving: Let salmon sit 5-10 minutes after cooking so juices redistribute evenly.
Ina Garten’s Salmon Philosophy
At its core, Ina Garten’s approach to cooking salmon focuses on enhancing the natural flavor of excellent fish rather than obscuring it. She uses fresh herbs, citrus, vinegar, garlic, shallots, and quality extra virgin olive oil to compliment, not overwhelm, the salmon.
Ina also emphasizes proper technique—dry brining, searing, and roasting or baking at high heat—to get a beautifully caramelized crust and moist interior. Sautéing aromatics builds deep flavor in accompanying sauces. Finally, Ina always uses restraint, balancing flavors and textures perfectly so neither overpowers.
Following Ina’s recipes and adopting her cooking philosophy at home makes preparing deliciously simple salmon dishes easy for home cooks. The next time you want an impressive yet fuss-free meal, turn to the Barefoot Contessa’s spectacular salmon recipes. With a few quality ingredients, careful technique, and Ina’s guidance, you’ll become a salmon superstar in no time.
Ina’s Genius Breadcrumb Tip
One of the steps that initially raised my eyebrow about Ina’s recipe was the covered rest time. “Wouldn’t covering the hot salmon make for soggy breadcrumbs?” I questioned. Ina’s clever instructions to toss the breadcrumbs with olive oil before they go onto the salmon protects them from sogginess in roasting or resting. As an added benefit, it also makes the breadcrumb coating taste almost fried after cooking, giving the most luxurious contrast of texture when combined with the moist salmon.
Since I already know that I’ll be making this salmon again and again, I’m also dreaming up all the ways to riff on the panko topping: Adding Parmesan and using thyme in place of parsley, swapping the lemon zest for orange zest and adding some warm spices like paprika and dried garlic.
you learn Ina’s technique for the easiest ever salmon, you’ll see how adaptable it is to every kind of weeknight dinner craving.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Simply-Recipes-Ina-Salmon-Recipe-LEAD-04-4c5cd92b74ef4f9ca54ecabafce8a8fd.jpg)
How to Make Ina’s Panko-Crusted Salmon
You begin Ina’s Panko-Crusted Salmon by cranking the oven to 425°F, though you’ll start the salmon on the stovetop. The panko is mixed with the usual salt and pepper but gets tons of fresh parsley and lemon zest. Then Ina has you mix the breadcrumb mixture with a generous amount of olive oil.
The salmon is seasoned and then brushed with a generous layer of Dijon mustard, which will act as the glue for the breadcrumb mixture. You really want to pack the breadcrumbs on top of the salmon—some will fall off when you move the salmon from your prep area to the pan.
Before it goes into the oven, you’ll put the salmon skin-side down in a hot oven-safe skillet. A fish spatula is the best tool for easily getting the salmon into the pan. The salmon cooks for just a few minutes on the stovetop—three to four minutes is enough to get the skin crisp—before it goes into the oven.
Its in the oven that the breadcrumbs will get browned and the salmon cooked through. The mustard and breadcrumbs help keep the salmon from drying out in such a hot oven. Ina says the salmon needs just five to seven minutes in the oven, but you will rest it in the pan, covered with foil, for an extra five to 10 minutes, and that’s when it will really finish cooking without overcooking.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Simply-Recipes-Ina-Salmon-Recipe-LEAD-02-94f1cbf044b940ccab8d98b1f1ad8f08.jpg)
Ina Garten’s 5-Star Grilled Salmon | Barefoot Contessa | Food Network
FAQ
What temperature do you cook Ina Garten salmon?
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the salmon fillet in a glass, ceramic, or stainless-steel roasting dish and season it generously with salt and pepper. Whisk together the olive oil and lemon juice and drizzle the mixture evenly over the salmon.
What is the best cooking method for salmon?
The “best” cooking method for salmon is subjective and depends on personal preferences, but baking and pan-searing are popular and highly recommended methods.