Oh, how I love a Thanksgiving Salmon, probably because as a pescatarian, it’s the only thing I can really ever eat that counts as a protein (but don’t get me wrong, I love a plate of carbs). The thing is, most non-turkey eaters are happy to go sides-only on Thanksgiving, but I love to give another protein option on Thanksgiving, especially if I’m going to have a lot of dietary constraints at my table.
What’s nice about A Thanksgiving Salmon is it’s easy, it will only take 30 minutes of your precious Thanksgiving cooking time, and it comes out insanely delicious. Some have said it’s better than turkey – and I’ll just say I take that compliment.
Table of contents
First, what makes this Thanksgiving Salmon so good?
Thanksgiving Salmon is GOOD because it’s not just any old salmon that you slow roast. It has a few key elements going for it that make it just as good as a turkey:
- Slow roasting in olive oil makes it tender and rich – which gives the salmon a meaty, moist texture that you won’t always get with your traditional Thanksgiving turkey.
- The small addition of mustard on the salmon makes all the difference – it adds a subtle base of flavor that counters the rich bread crumbs, you’d miss it if it was gone.
- The bread crumb topping is crisp and filled with Thanksgiving-style herbs – rosemary, thyme and sage all join the party here, along with a hint of nutmeg. Fry all these up in butter and they’ll make the salmon feel festive, even though we usually doubt salmon as a festive-style food.
And you can make the bread crumb topping ahead of time
I love making a flavorful and quick bread crumb topping in a pan. It feels like my hack for making things taste breaded and fried, when they really aren’t breaded at all.
Making this topping in a pan does two things: it saves you time in the kitchen, plus it makes it so you can make the bread crumbs the day before.
If you do choose to make the breadcrumbs early:
- Store them at room temperature if you plan to use them within 48 hours. When you are ready to use them, either gently warm them on a pan over medium heat for 4-5 minutes, or scatter them on a sheet pan and bake at 350°F for 5-7 minutes.
- You can also store them in the fridge and they will keep up to a week. Just add 3 minutes to each of the reheating times.
What types of salmon are best for this recipe?
So there are five varieties of salmon, two of which I think are perfect for this recipe, and those two are: Sockeye and King.
While I recommend both sockeye and king, they are wildly different varieties.
Sockeye is lean, ruby red, and thinner. It’s high quality and very affordable, even if you go the wild-caught Alaskan route, which I proudly support. Sockeye is the version I used in these photos, and it has a rich flavor and flakes nicely, but it does get tougher more easily than King. So that brings us to King….
King is fattier and generally richer, and very expensive when you go the Alaskan-bought route, simply because sustainability is written into Alaska’s constitution and it’s hard to source King over Sockeye. While both would be delicious, King would require a longer roasting time, just due to its thicker meat and higher fat content.
Storage and serving suggestions
I suggest you serve this right as the salmon is done and the bread crumbs are added, but I know that can’t always be the case. A few tips might help any prep you plan on doing:
- If you are storing this for later, store the cooked salmon and the bread crumbs separately. Then gently reheat the salmon in the oven (for only a few minutes at 350°F), and reheat the bread crumbs on the stove. In five minutes you will be ready to serve!
- If you are storing individual portions, like leftovers, then they can be stored together. I suggest keeping them in an air-tight container and they will keep for up to 6 days in the fridge. You can reheat them either in the microwave or the oven.
Looking for similar recipes?
I have a few turkey-style-but-not-turkey recipes on the blog!
And that’s it for this Thanksgiving Salmon!
If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.
And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you <3
Thanksgiving Salmon
Equipment
- 1 large baking slab or pan preferably porcelain, but any will work
- 1 medium sauté pan
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pound slab of sockeye salmon preferably skin-on, but either will work
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 6 tablespoons salted butter 3 ounces / 85 grams
- 1/2 cup rosemary leaves
- 2 tablespoons thyme leaves
- 2 tablespoons chopped sage
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 1/4 cup bread crumbs 5.5 ounces / 155 grams
Instructions
- Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325°F.
- Place the salmon in one piece on a large baking tray. Spread the mustard all over the salmon, then season it liberally with salt and pepper. Cover with 3 tablespoons of olive oil.
- Roast the salmon in the oven for 15-18 minutes, or until its internal temperature is at least 135°F.
- While the salmon is roasting, add the 6 tablespoons of butter, 1/2 cup rosemary leaves, 2 tablespoons thyme, and 2 tablespoons sage to a medium pan.
- Place the pan over medium heat and cook, stirring often, until the sage is fried and the butter is sizzling, about 2-3 minutes. Season with 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg and freshly cracked black pepper, then stir in the breadcrumbs.
- Stirring often, toast the breadcrumbs for 4-5 minutes or until dark golden and crisp. Taste and season with salt. Set aside until the salmon is out of the oven.
- When the salmon is finished, scatter the breadcrumbs over the top. Serve with a big spoon so guests can flake the salmon away from the skin as they like.
I used almost 3 pounds of salmon and found even half the breadcrumbs were too much. Also were we really supposed to use 1/2 cup rosemary? I used whatever was left in my clamshell after I made the pumpkin frangipane pie (amazing btw) and felt like it was appropriately herbed but was nowhere near 1/2 cup. Good tasting salmon, holds its own being warmed before thanksgiving which makes it a good simple pescatarian protein dish, but the ratios feel a bit off.
I really liked this but agreed with the previous reviewer that the breadcrumb ratios seemed off. I had way too much breadcrumbs in the end and had to add more butter. I also used less herbs.