Fish is a food cooked mostly on special occasions. It is mainly because most of the fish meals require extensive attention due to the meat’s delicacy. Therefore, salmon is often cooked in a large quantity, and you are often stuck with leftover food.
However, the leftover salmon becomes dry, stinky, and even rubbery if not reheated properly. Therefore, I decided to take matters into my own hands and consulted some expert chefs about how to reheat salmon without drying it out.
Leftover fish, especially salmon, is quite different from other leftover food. It is not possible to just throw it in a microwave, heat it for a couple of minutes, and the meal is reheated. In order to keep the fish fresh, you need to respect its delicate nature and reheat it accordingly. Here are some of the methods that experts recommended for reheating cooked salmon.
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What is Salmon?
This is probably a silly question for most of us. However, some people who are just getting started with eating fish need to be acknowledged about how great the meat is. Salmon is a special kind of fish that doesn’t taste or smell anything like other kinds of fish.
Another interesting thing about salmon is that it is both freshwater and saltwater fish. Salmon is born in freshwater streams and spends the initial few months there before traveling to the seawater.
Finally, salmon has unique pinkish meat rather than the typical white fish meat. This feature makes this fish beloved even by chicken, mutton, and beef meat lovers.
The Best way to Reheat Salmon: Reheating Fish in the Oven
The fact that the oven cooks the food slowly makes it multifunctional. For instance, you can use the oven for baking stuff, cooking meat, or even reheat leftover food effectively. The main thing you should keep in mind when reheating fish or any other leftover food is to prevent it from drying out. This happens when the food is reheated at a high temperature.
Therefore, it would be best to remain patient and slowly reheat the salmon in any easily available kitchen gadget while maintaining the moisture level. Overall, the best way to reheat salmon is to either use a standard oven or a toaster oven and reheat the fish at a slow temperature.
Different Methods to Reheat Cooked Salmon Without Making it Dry
Like other leftover food, you can reheat cooked salmon in almost any available kitchen gadget, including oven, steamer, stovetop, etc. However, it is not recommended to reheat salmon in a microwave because it produces a large amount of heat which makes the food dry, rubbery, and in the case of salmon, even stinky. Apart from this, you can use almost anything to reheat cooked salmon.
How to Reheat Salmon in the Oven?
The first and the most effective way to reheat a salmon is to use an oven. For this purpose, you can use both the standard and toaster ovens because they use the same principle. However, you need to be sure of which salmon meal is being reheated because the temperature varies from dish to dish. To reheat a typically cooked salmon:
- Preheat your oven or toaster oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit or 135 degrees Celsius.
- Lightly splash a few drops of olive oil on the fish and wrap it in aluminum foil. You can also add a few drops of fresh lemon juice to add a fresh taste.
- Place the fish in the baking dish or baking plate and put it in the preheated oven.
- Cook the fish for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish.
- It would be best to use a food thermometer to check the internal temperature after 10 minutes and 15 minutes.
- The fish is considered appropriately reheated once the internal temperature reaches 125-130 degrees Fahrenheit.
You can use the same technique to reheat the salmon fillet in the oven without making it dry or stiff.
Reheating Smoked Salmon in the Oven:
To be honest, the most delicious way of cooking salmon is to smoke it. However, the same leftover smoked salmon tastes exactly the opposite if not reheated appropriately. Therefore, you should only use the oven method when reheating a smoker salmon.
- Preheat the oven all the way up to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Lightly spray the smoked fish with some oil, some lemon juice and wrap it in aluminum foil.
- Place this wrap in a deep baking dish to ensure equal cooking from each side.
- Cook for 5 to 7 minutes and keep checking with the food thermometer till the internal temperature reaches 140-145 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Take out the reheated fish and serve while it’s still sizzling.
Reheating Salmon on a Grill: How to Reheat Grilled Salmon?
According to the experts, fish should only be reheated the same way it was cooked the first time. For instance, a grilled salmon will only retain its taste after reheating on a grill. Otherwise, the fish may become dry and may even start to smell fishy.
- Light up the grill, whether electric or coal-powered and preheat it to 300-330 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place the fish on aluminum foil and splash it with some water or olive oil. Add a few drops of lemon juice. It is because lemon juice prevents moisture loss and helps the salmon remain fresh and moist.
- Wrap the fish in an aluminum sheet and place it on the preheated grill.
- Cook for 5-7 minutes on each side and keep checking the internal temperature using a food thermometer.
- Grilled fish is considered reheated if the internal temperature reaches around 130-135 degrees Fahrenheit.
Reheating Salmon on the Stovetop: How to Steam Salmon?
The worst enemy of leftover food is the loss of moisture. No food tastes good after reheating if it has lost a considerable amount of moisture during the process. Therefore, the most effective way of reheating baked salmon or any other form of salmon is to steam it on a stovetop or steamer.
Most of the steaming apparatus utilizes the heat of a stovetop; still, some machines even have a built-in boiler for producing steam. In any case, you can reheat salmon in steamer using this method:
- Fill the pot of the apparatus quarterly with water. Add 1 tsp of water and bring the water to a boil.
- Take a steamer basket, place the salmon, and put the basket in the boiling pot.
- Cover the pot with the lid and cook according to the amount of food you put in the basket.
- A single pound of salmon takes 10 minutes to steam properly.
- Take out the steamed fish and squeeze some lemon juice to make it taste fresh.
Reheating Salmon using a Pan:
You can even reheat salmon in a frying pan to make it crisp on the outside and moist inside. However, this method is only recommended for experienced people because the fish tends to get browned quickly in the pan.
- Grease a cooking pan lightly with olive oil or spray some non-stick liquid on the pan.
- Preheat the pan lightly on medium flame or heat for 2 minutes.
- Place the fish in the pan and splash a few drops of water on it.
- Cover the pan with the lid and cook for 5 minutes on each side.
- However, keep checking for signs of overcooking and never let the fish become over browned.
- Take out the fish when it is evenly cooked on both sides, and the required crisp is achieved.
Microwave Method: The last resort!
Many people ask can you microwave cooked salmon? The answer is both yes and no. If you don’t have the time or the experience to use any of the above-stated methods. Your final option is to reheat salmon in the microwave. However, this method is not advisable and, in fact, prohibited by many chefs. To reheat leftover salmon in the microwave:
- Splash some water or olive oil on the leftover salmon and place it on the microwave plate.
- Turn on the microwave and set it to low settings or 35% power.
- Heat the fish for 30 seconds on one side and then flip it over using a thong.
- Again splash some water or oil and heat for 30 seconds.
- Flip the fish one final time and squeeze some lemon juice on it. Heat for 30 seconds at the same temperature or till your desired internal temperature is achieved.
Eat your Leftover Salmon Cold
Of course, it is healthy to eat your leftover salmon cold the next day if refrigerated appropriately. As a matter of fact, many dishes, including salads, require cold salmon, whether fresh or refrigerated.
The only thing you need to worry about is whether or not the salmon is cooked properly. Otherwise, a refrigerated salmon has the same calories as a hot salmon.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to reheat salmon without drying it out?
You can use an oven, steamer, or even a grill to reheat salmon. However, make sure to splash some water or oil before reheating to keep it moist inside.
How to reheat salmon patties?
Salmon patties that were frozen fresh can easily be reheated in the oven for 15 minutes at 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
Which nutrients do you get by eating salmon:
Salmon has pinkish meat with some traces of fats in it. Therefore, it has many nutrients and vitamins packed in it, such as:
1. omega-3
2. Fatty acids
3. Protein
4. Vitamin-B
5. Potassium
How to reheat salmon from BBQ?
You can use either an oven or a grill to reheat BBQ salmon. However, make sure to wrap it in aluminum foil and add some oil as well as lemon juice before heating.
How to reheat salmon steak?
Salmon steak is very delicate and quickly becomes dry. Therefore, you should only use an oven or steamer to reheat salmon steak.
Conclusion
According to the experts, I consulted, salmon meat is delicate and requires great attention when cooking or reheating. However, you can quickly reheat salmon without making it dry using any of the above methods.
I hope this article was informative and beneficial, whether you are trying these methods at home or saving a few bucks by properly reheating salmon on your business.
