For many home chefs, throwing an icy frozen salmon fillet into a screaming hot skillet seems like a recipe for disaster rather than dinner. However, you can, indeed, pan-fry frozen salmon — it’s a quick way to prepare a fillet straight from the freezer. You can even achieve salmon with exquisitely crispy skin with the proper technique.
How to Cook Frozen Salmon on the Stove
To fry salmon from frozen, you must gently steam it in a covered pan on the stovetop. Then, you’ll turn up the heat and sear the skin-side of the fillet.
How Long to Pan Fry Frozen Salmon
The process will take about 15 minutes: 6 to 8 minutes to par-cook the fish, 2 to 3 minutes for searing, and 1 to 2 minutes of resting.
Simple Tips for Pan-Frying Salmon from Frozen
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Choose a thin fillet for more even heating.
- Use thin fillets, like salmon tail cuts when possible. These will heat more evenly in the pan than thicker center cuts. Tail cuts also have more skin surface area, which equals more delicious crispy bits.
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For the crispiest skin, pat the fillet dry with a paper towel before searing to finish
How to Pan-Fry Salmon from Frozen
Gather your materials and ingredients: Your fillet(s), skillet, tea towel or paper towels, parchment paper cut to size of fillet, high-heat cooking oil, salt and pepper, fish spatula
Heat a skillet over medium heat, then set the parchment paper in the skillet. Place the frozen salmon flesh side down on the paper.
Cover the skillet with a lid and steam until the salmon is no longer frozen in the center, about 6 to 8 minutes. If it’s a thick fillet, it will take longer.
Remove the fillet and parchment paper from the skillet, then increase the heat to medium-high. Cover the bottom of the skillet with a thin layer of oil and allow it to heat up. Meanwhile, pat the fillet dry with a clean tea or paper towel, then season with salt and pepper.
Once the oil is sizzling hot and shimmering, carefully return the fillet to the pan, this time, skin-side down. Press the salmon into the skillet with the spatula for 20 seconds, ensuring good skin-to-pan contact.
Cover the pan with a lid and leave the salmon undisturbed for about two to three minutes, or until the skin is crisp and the fillet easily releases from the pan with the fish spatula. Flip the fillet so it is skin-side up and remove the skillet from heat. Rest the salmon uncovered for a minute or two until it’s fully cooked through and flakes with a fork.
Remember, pan-frying is one of the best ways to cook salmon from frozen when you’re short on time, but it’s not the only way. Baked, steamed, air-fried — you can prepare Wild Alaskan Company’s sustainably-caught salmon from frozen using a variety of cooking methods.
Choose your fish subscription box today and get high-quality, wild-caught salmon delivered to your doorstep.
*Consuming raw or undercooked meats, poultry, seafood, shellfish, or eggs may increase your risk of foodborne illness, especially if you have a specific medical condition. The FDA recommends an internal temperature of 145°F for cooked fish.
