Skip to main content

Here are the Best Methods to Reheat Salmon Leftovers

You pop last night’s leftovers into the microwave. You’re excited to immerse yourself in the flavors of the salmon dish you painstakingly prepared and enjoyed the day before. As you begin to smell the food from the microwave you begin to remember the tenderness of the flavorsome fish flesh from that prior dinner. The microwave beeps and you hungrily grab your sustenance, sit down, ready to repeat the experience. You take a bite … dry and rubbery fish.

Salmon is a incredibly unique fish, bursting with flavor and nutrients. One of the reasons for  our obsession with this tasty fish is its classification as an oily fish. Salmon is higher in omega-3 fatty acids than many other fish. Omega-3 fatty acids are incredibly important for brain function, memory, maintaining healthy blood fat levels (lowering triglycerides), and a host of other important functions. So important in fact that it’s recommended to eat a portion of oily fish at least twice a week.

Related Videos

If you’re into weekly meal prep or if you made too much salmon to eat in one sitting, you may have found yourself asking, what is the best way to reheat salmon? Let us help you out with some nifty ways to reheat your oceanic meal.

Related Guides

Best Way to Reheat Salmon in the Oven

While this method takes a little longer, it is the best way to ensure that you preserve the integrity of the salmon flesh when reheating. The secret here is using a low temperature and sticking to the cooking time.

  1. Preheat your oven to 275°F.
  2. Squeeze half a lemon or rub a tablespoon of olive oil overtop of your salmon.
  3. Fold a piece of baking foil loosely over the salmon.
  4. Place the salmon on a baking tray.
  5. Bake the salmon for 15 minutes.
  6. Check to see if the salmon has heated through to an internal temperature of 145°F. If not, cook for additional 5 minutes.
  7. Enjoy!

Best Way to Reheat Salmon in the Microwave

Microwave reheating is infamous for overcooking parts of a dish and undercooking others. It tends to be harsh on delicate meats like salmon; however, the convenience of a microwave cannot be beaten. It’s the most popular appliance for quick and easy reheating. Here lies the secret in reheating salmon in the microwave:

  1. Place salmon in a microwave safe dish or bowl.
  2. Use a paper towel or a lid to keep moisture in the container and distribute heat effectively.
  3. If your salmon does not have a sauce or if you are not reheating the salmon with other sides like vegetables and rice, you want to ensure that there is sufficient moisture in the container. For dry salmon or if reheating with rice dishes, add a tablespoon of water, lemon juice, sauce, or broth to the container to prevent drying out.
  4. Set microwave power to a low setting – 30% or so will do.
  5. Microwave for 30 seconds.
  6. Remove the salmon, flip, or move with a fork and stir sides like rice and vegetables.
  7. Place back in the microwave for an additional 30 seconds.

How to Reheat Smoked Salmon

Smoked salmon is a favorite for kitchens across the globe. Smoking the meat ensures that the salmon’s flavors are preserved while cooking. If you are looking to keep these flavors when reheating the salmon, then this method is the best of the bunch.

  1. Preheat your oven to 325°F.
  2. Place the salmon on a baking dish or sheet.
  3. Coat with a dash of olive oil or a teaspoon of butter.
  4. Warm the salmon for 5 minutes.
  5. Check to see if the salmon has warmed. The internal temperature should be around 145°F.
  6. Cook for 2-3 minutes extra if the salmon needs further heating.
  7. Tuck in right away to enjoy the freshly heated flavors!

Editors' Recommendations

Here’s how to make a margarita, according to top bartenders
The only margarita recipes you'll ever need
margarita tequila cocktail lime strainer

The best margaritas do not grow on trees, nor do they show up in a can (although there are some tasty canned drinks these days). No, the tastiest version of the tequila classic is made fresh, with love and care and some wisdom from a couple of top bartenders.

It's a balancing act, for sure, but when it's dialed-in, the margarita is one of the best and most refreshing cocktails ever devised. The classic mix of agave spirit, lime, salt, and a touch of sweetness is great alone or with any number of dishes, especially within Mexican cuisine (the nation where the drink was born).

Read more
Expert pitmasters reveal their top tips to make smoked brisket
Expert pitmasters shows us how to make smoked brisket
hill country barbecue market brisket 3

No one can argue that smoked meat is one of the great joys in life. If someone does, immediately unfriend them — they are not worthy of your time. Kidding, but only kind of. And while we love all pieces of smoked meat, from sausages to ribs and beyond, there’s something truly special about biting into a perfect piece of brisket, with its pink smoke ring, flavorful bark, and juicy meat that is just the right texture. While we’ve cooked many briskets in the oven in our day, smoked brisket is a much bigger undertaking, especially if you’re new to the backyard barbecue game.

New York City barbecue has been coming into its own during the past decade, which can be seen in the city’s many meaty festivals that take place every year. (Don't believe us? Check out this episode of Beards, Booze, and Bacon with Arrogant Swine's Tyson Ho.) One such event, Brisket King NYC, which has been going on for over ten years and draws pitmasters from near and far to compete for the best brisket in the city. This year, top pitmasters will be throwing down for the title on April 26, 2023, in what is sure to be a meat-tastic day.

Read more
Bubbly? Full-bodied and red? Zesty and white? Your favorite wine types, explained
All the primary types of wine (and everything you need to know about them)
Glasses of different kinds of wine

Trying to understand everything about wine all at once is an impossible endeavor. Wine is a beautifully complicated, ever-changing quiddity, and even the most decorated and prestigious wine experts in the world often find themselves confounded by its constant little surprises.
That isn't to say that, if you care to, you shouldn't become educated on the subject of wine. It's a hobby and a passion that's tremendously fun to pursue, and there's much to learn on the matter.
If you find yourself in the beginning stages of your wine education, just as in everything, you'll want to start with the basics. It's possible that up until now, you haven't put much thought into the several different kinds of wine there are, except for, say, red and white. But while there are obviously exceptions within every hard and fast rule, for the most part, wine can be broken down into roughly nine categories. Here we'll take a minute to break those categories down, explain what they mean, which wines fall into them, and, our favorite - how to drink those wines.

Sparkling wine

Read more