How To Cook Frozen Salmon - The Typical Mom

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How to Cook Frozen Salmon

By Justine

5 from 5 votes

Updated Jan 31, 2026

Published Mar 07, 2025

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Jump to Recipe How to Cook Frozen Salmon

This is how to cook salmon from frozen in the oven, pressure cooker or air fryer frozen salmon instructions are here. Cooking frozen fish is easier than you think, gets fork tender without breading so it’s a healthy meal that everyone loves. Try it this week!

This is how to cook frozen salmon so it’s tender, flaky and moist without defrosting it first. Frozen fish in the oven recipe is shared down below but we will discuss other great methods too. Just one of our cooking frozen meat posts to help you when you’re forgetful. Try them all and see which is your fave.

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Cooking Frozen Salmon without Thawing

It’s a new year and you want to start eating healthier right, we have a lot of easy fish recipes?? Or maybe you’re just like us and are just seafood obsessed, either way you might need dinner help if it is still rock hard and everyone is starving. Eeeekkk. I have been there, don’t feel guilty we’ve all done it at least once (ok a lot) before.

No worries, I have done the experimenting for you when it comes to cooking frozen fish in the air fryer and whatnot. These tips aren’t just specific to this pretty pink variety, you can use them for other types too. The biggest difference is the thickness of the fillets thus a variance in cook times.

Let’s start with where you’re buying this shall we? Yes you can find this most often in the meat department or in the frozen section where seafood is kept. Another great resource too though is if you want to buy meat online. I have done this many times online before snow season happens to stock my freezer.

Then I am prepared when I do not want to leave the house to shop for anything. Pull a goodie like this out and decide how I want to make it. All of them are good, just different. Let’s start with my favorite small kitchen appliance here. Season with with salt and pepper and lay frozen salmon fillets in air fryer basket. Takes about 15 minutes to cook the salmon from frozen this way.

How to Season Frozen Salmon

If you use a small bowl to whisk together dill with butter you can drizzle on halfway thru the cook time and top when serving. OR when seasoning your salmon you make our salmon dry rub with brown sugar and a bit of spice you can just sprinkle on top about halfway thru with olive oil so it sticks really well.

With the salmon skin side down this gets the inside flaky but a bit of crisp on the edges. Test internal temperature at the thickest part of the salmon. If it isn’t quite right yet just close the basket and give it a few more minutes. A bit of crunch on the top is the best. Texture is everything y’all.

How to Cook Salmon From Frozen in Air Fryer

No matter which cooking method you choose there are a few things to remember. Just like we tell you in how to cook frozen scallops you want to keep a close eye on it because too long will dry it out horribly, and always keep in a single layer without overlapping pieces.

You can use a Foodi, AirWave or Cosori to make it this way. It will get the outsides a bit crispy which we love but keep that in mind. You would want to follow the link at the top of this post. You just season and air fry at 360 degrees F for 10-12 minutes or until fish easily flakes apart with a fork in the center.

Pressure Cooker Directions

Want it as tender as humanly possible with no crisp at all, no worries. I would use your pressure cooker of choice. Crockpot Express has one, IP of course, or use a Ninja Foodi. You will want a trivet to keep it out of the liquid below. That is necessary because you’re going to essentially steam it until it’s soft.

This only takes a few minutes since it is under very high pressure and you do not want it overdone. That is the absolute worst! There is nothing worse than an overcooked grayish piece of seafood. Don’t even get me started on that, let’s just say it is better a bit underdone in the center than dry. Period.

Just follow our easy Instant Pot frozen salmon recipe with just butter and a squeeze of lemon juice to the tee. You’ll see even though it was hard just minutes before that it still comes out incredible. You may even fool the rest of your family that it was a rock less than an hour beforehand.

Ok now let’s talk about using your oven if you don’t have any of these other appliances. I mean it is rare that I use this but occasionally it does happen. 😉 I like to wrap my baking sheet in non stick aluminum foil just because it makes cleanup a whole lot easier.

How to Cook Frozen Salmon in the Oven

The entire directions and ingredients used are in the printable recipe card below for Frozen Salmon in Oven. Other methods mentioned above you can find by clicking on the blue link you are interested in and that post will pop up for you to read and follow. This is how long to cook salmon at 400 if it is defrosted, timing for hard is below.

If you can’t find non stick then just spray some olive oil spray on it and you’re good to go. You could use a coated porcelain baking dish too, that would work. The “sauce” used was just butter, lemon juice, dijon mustard and a bit of diced parsley.

It does need some sort of liquid to keep it nice and moist. Just a pat of cold butter in the middle with a sprinkle of salt and pepper would work too, I’ve done that when I am in a hurry. The biggest part to this is the temperature and timing. The latter will vary a bit though if you can imagine.

The thicker your pieces are the more or less time it will take to get just right in the center. If you buy a large fillet and cut it into 4 equal pieces (like I do) take note because the ends will cook faster than the center, thick, portion. That works great for us though because my husband likes the middle of his a whole lot more underdone than I do.

Frozen Salmon Cooked in Foil

You can make simple with just a few seasonings or with a salmon sauce like we did in our oven baked teriyaki salmon in foil recipe.

And then we have frozen salmon grill style. That is right, this is how to cook frozen salmon on a grill so it comes out tender and doesn’t fall thru the grates.

Microwave Directions

You will want to brush the top with a little olive oil, then season with salt and pepper and place in the portions in a microwave oven proof dish, wrapped with cling film so it can steam for 7 – 8 minutes or until flaky.

Pan Fried

You can use a cast iron skillet on your stovetop too if it is not rock solid. I don’t make it plain this way though, I add bacon to the outside as well to amp up those killer flavors. Follow our bacon wrapped salmon recipe to try that.

How do you know if frozen salmon is fully cooked?

Middle should reach an internal temperature of 145°F (63°C) at the thickest part. If you don’t have a thermometer you can cut in half and look at the color, it should no longer look translucent inside. Use a fork too, if it flakes away from the rest of the filet easily then it is done.

Do you have to cook salmon immediately after thawing?

No but it should be cooked relatively quickly thereafter. If you thaw frozen salmon in the refrigerator, it’s best to cook it within 1 to 2 days. This keeps it fresh, still a firm texture and safe to eat.

5 from 5 votes

Frozen Salmon Recipe

By Justine How to cook frozen salmon in the oven, pressure cooker or air fryer instructions are here. Cooking frozen fish is easier than you think! Prep: 5 minutes Cook: 16 minutes Servings: 4 Save RecipeSaved! Pin Recipe Comment Print Recipe

Equipment

1 baking sheet

Ingredients 1x2x3x

▢ 1 filet salmon, 4" filets are best vs. the whole thing that is thin on the ends and thick in the middle
▢ 1 tsp lemon juice
▢ 2 tsp dijon mustard
▢ 1 tbsp butter, melted
▢ 1 pinch parsley

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Instructions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line baking sheet with non stick foil or spray foil with olive oil.
Rinse fish with water and then pat dry. Lay on baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes.
Remove from oven and brush melted butter on the top. Sprinkle with some salt and pepper. Return to the oven for another 8 minutes or until it is as done as you'd like in the thickest portion.
Mix together the lemon juice and mustard in a dish, brush on the top with a sprinkle of parsley when served. Serve with a lemon wedge if desired.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1oz, Calories: 27kcal, Carbohydrates: 1g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 3g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 8mg, Sodium: 54mg, Potassium: 8mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 110IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 3mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Entree, Main CourseCuisine: American Tried this recipe?Mention @thetypical_mom or tag #thetypicalmom!

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About Justine

Justine is the creative mind behind The Typical Mom and The Typical Family on YouTube. She began blogging about easy recipes, budget friendly activities for kids, and fun family travel destinations in September 2012.

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5 from 5 votes (1 rating without comment)

4 Comments

I often have salmon in the freezer, so this post could not be more helpful! Thanks so much for sharing!
Reply
These tips on cooking frozen salmon are a game-changer! So glad to have a straightforward method. I often overcook salmon so I can’t wait to enjoy a delicious and hassle-free salmon dish.
Reply
So many great tips here and salmon is always so handy to have in the freezer.
Reply
Being able to cook from frozen is such a stress reliever. Thanks!
Reply

Hi, I'm Justine!

Welcome to The Typical Mom blog where we share easy Instant Pot recipes, use our Ninja Foodi, Crockpot and air fryer daily, and share fun family travel destinations!

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