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How To Cook The Perfect Salmon In An Instant Pot

Salmon is an easy, healthy addition to your repertoire of weeknight dinners, but we're often loath to put it on our roster, worrying it will take too long and leave the kitchen messy and smelling of fish. Robert DiGregorio, director of seafood quality at Fulton Fish Market, exclusively offered Chowhound one easy way to get salmon tender and flaky and on your table quickly: an Instant Pot.

We already knew that an Instant Pot makes cooking dried beans a breeze and is the best way to cook frozen chicken breasts, but cooking salmon in the multifunction appliance is "convenient and quick," too, DiGregorio told us. For best results, he suggests adding a cup of water to your Instant Pot and then placing the salmon over the water on the metal rack inside the pot. Season the salmon with salt and pepper, and place a few lemon slices on top. "Next, seal the lid and cook for 3 minutes. For frozen portions or thick portions you should add 2-3 minutes. For very thin pieces reduce the cooking time," he advises. After the three minutes are up, turn the valve to release the pressure and serve.

Of course, you want to start out with a good piece of fish, so you need to make sure you know what to look for when buying salmon at the grocery store. To put DiGregorio's method to the test, you can purchase the Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 model for just under $100 on Amazon.

Fish is more tender with an Instant Pot

Robert DiGregorio has certainly earned his stripes as a fish expert. Over two million pounds of seafood arrive at the 400,000-square-foot Fulton Fish Market every day, making it the second largest fish market in the world after the one in Tokyo, according to its website. When it comes to cooking salmon, he likes using an Instant Pot over other methods for a few reasons: "[It's] fast, healthy, and helps retain moisture." He adds, "The pressurized environment helps to cook the fish evenly and gently, resulting in incredibly tender and flaky fish. Since we recommend using water it's healthier than cooking with methods that use oil."

For a complete meal, you can also place a few vegetables and/or potatoes at the bottom of the pot below the salmon on the rack. You'll still want to remove the fish after three minutes but allow the veggies and potatoes to cook a few minutes longer. Even with the added ingredients, it still makes dinner time a snap, plus you'll end up with a complete meal.

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