I Made the Viral Salmon

If it’s readily available, could you share Ina’s marinade?

Ina’s marinade (yes, I have it memorized): 1 tablespoon each of soy sauce, Dijon mustard and finely chopped garlic. 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Mix it all up (it emulsifies nicely) and put it on the fish. Cook however you like — pan fry, bake, grill. I’ve made this about 50 million times and it is fantastic.

I understand your sentiment, and to be fair, us Millenial aunties are also guilty of making “viral” a thing. We consume, spread it, apply to things in our age bracket. I could write an essay on how the 35 yo + world and 16 yos are living the same life. Same music, clothes, same skincare, same workouts, the list goes on. If viral recipes mean young people are cooking… I’m here for it. Not that this recipe is viral because of young people… I know we’re talking about semantics. Also, I’m a high school tutor and the number of my clients that are obsessed with cooking, trying new recipes and preparing meals for their families is astounding. If we are thanking virality for it.. so be it!

It’s giving….6/7?!?!?!

I think you mean “WE millennial aunties…”

Too, if you do not live in the PNW, you may not know that our resident orca pods (who only eat salmon) are starving and miscarrying their babies. And while it’s not Only due to overfishing, this is One of the issues. Knowledge is power. For humans and all else.

Whoops. Here is one link of many. It’s complex, but not complicated. We all can make a difference. https://blog.nwf.org/2025/04/on-the-hunt-southern-resident-killer-whales-hunger-for-vanishing-salmon/

I’ve found arctic char to be a good (and environmentally friendlier) substitute option for most cooked salmon recipes.

Thank you for mentioning this, I don’t think most people realize. PNW born and we have seen our fishing restricted greatly due to the low numbers (a result of many factors) and my family has only eaten salmon once as a meal this whole year. A prized treat of smoked salmon has become an absolute delicacy. Even the migrating orcas know to leave the salmon for local pods because they will defend them to death. The large-scale farming practices are disgusting and harmful to native species. Don’t even get me started on Costco. This recipe would be absolute fire with a more sustainable protein or even with firm veg! Thanks for the recipe ideas and letting me vent xoxo

This is so important to consider, especially when salmon seems to be the go-to for people seeking to eat well. Salmon farming had impacted the environment terribly in Tasmania, Australia. It’s just criminal, really. Super vital for salmon eaters to consider the source of their ingredients if they’re keen to preserve the environment.

I make a similar dish with tofu, I add sambal oelek for spice and a bit of cornstarch to make ithe sauce sticky. Sautéed with broccoli or green beans.

Thank you Julie!

thank you, Elizabeth! this was a mistake on my part. Jenny originally wrote the recipe in her own newsletter in the spring. you’re right that I should have waited to share it until the spring. thank you so much for your thoughtful comment.

While I agree with elizabeth, I also want to say I really appreciate how gracefully Joanna takes feedback. I have two kids who often make me feel like I can’t do anything right despite trying so hard, and I imagine running a popular blog might feel similar some days, but I think she does a great job of saying “I heard you, you’re right, I could’ve done this better” without over correcting for every single opinion. I’m going to try and do that better with my kids. Sorry I feel like I hijacked that and made it about me, but I just had a lightbulb moment and wanted to share in case it resonated with anyone else :)

I totally agree, Joy! Thank you Joanna for your continued grace and openness to feedback — one of the things I love about this community :)

While I fully endorse trying to promote local and seasonal eating as much as possible, I’m in the Pacific Northwest, and I just harvested some garden cucumbers and lettuce for the salad, used salmon that just arrived from the fall salmon share I support, and then I skipped the avocado entirely and bulked up the salad. It was a very timely, and local, recipe for me!

It’s spring in Sydney.

Thank you, Joy!

So agree with this! People just want to complain or cancel everything these days. Dont like something or its not for you.. move on.

Haha!

oh my gosh, I forgot about that! haha sounds so gross but who knows

Exactly- the great majestic salmon, no longer roaming free up the rivers but caged and small so we can all have it cheap and on rotation.

A friend whose parents came here from China with whom I often share meals always eats his salad with chopsticks, even if we’ve been eating everything else with western cutlery.

Mellifluous – New vocab word unlocked – thank you!

This comment made me lol Kim :)

only in new england, tho. lol

1000% yes

I peel then freeze 2-inch sections of ginger. The freezing makes it easier to grate as well. Game changer and I think better tasting (and less expensive) than Dorot.

these have quite literally changed my cooking game. They make adding garlic and ginger SO SO SO easy and are well worth the price tag (reasonable) IMO. I have no fewer than 7 in my freezer at all times, god forbid I (or TJs, as happened last time) run out.

Ha ha! Yes, as someone who worked in a commercial kitchen with extremely stringent health standards, there’s always a second where “viral” transports me back to inspections with the provincial health department. {Never got less than a 99% evaluation! :)}

Same 😅. Viral and salmon are two words that are not happy together.

Haha yes! Or like “gastro pub” I’m like let’s NOT go there

We get the frozen bags from Walmart for $5/lb! It’s lower quality than the fancy, fresh salmon that we can’t afford right now, but cheaper than some meat like beef! Hope you can find some :)

I’m going to use tofu which is $3 for a block at my grocery store and I think will be equally delicious!

Thank you, Eden 🤲, but I don’t want to find any salmon. I’d rather eat what most people can eat. I can’t believe how luxurious living is being normalized through dissemination/ viral. If most of us eschewed what’s not available to many, so many people wouldn’t go to bed hungry. Thanks again

You’re right. People are barely scraping by with basic food, and it’s horrific. The world is burning and it’s deplorable. But at the same time, some people can afford salmon, and this is a lovely recipe. A lot of things that go viral are influencer coded, and influencers tend to be aspirational. Doesn’t make it okay, but speaks to the ‘how’. “If most of us eschewed what’s not available to many, so many people wouldn’t go to bed hungry.” I wish it were this simple, I truly do. <3

@Farhana – genuinely curious, what would you consider to be basic food that most people can eat?

Farhana, such interesting feedback! What was your intention here? Genuinely curious.

Farhana, I hope you get a satisfying meal, stay enjoyably hydrated, are met with love and understanding by those you cherish most, and experience restful sleep tonight. I hope you feel your power as a gift and your heart as a strengthening beacon of light. I hope your courage is bolstered in each moment, and peace finds you and holds you with gentle power.

Jen – I had this exact thought!

Farhana- I’m very curious about your comment, specifically this: “If most of us eschewed what’s not available to many, so many people wouldn’t go to bed hungry.” What do you mean by this? If I apply that thought to farmers market produce for example, because many can’t afford it, I’m not supporting local farmers. Can you explain? I wonder if I’m not thinking of my food purchases in the right way and somehow doing something unethical?

I think this is an important take but as someone who has family members who are fisherpeople I celebrate when people use their funds to purchase salmon. Buying fish can be done consciously and can support families thereby allowing them to also eat.

By this logic, should I not own a home because many others cannot? I understand the sentiment but I don’t agree. Plenty of people can afford to occasionally buy frozen salmon.

Ana Devine, your comment may be the kindest thing I’ve ever read on the internet. I’m sorry to say reread 3x because I kept thinking I was missing some subtle criticism. But no. Just kindness. My gosh. What a beautiful example. Farhana, I understood what you meant, I think. For those that didn’t, when wealthier people create demand for luxury items, it drives up the price of everything, and this hurts poorer people the most. Someone asked about simple living food, here’s the simple food my family eats. Tofu (from Costco, the 4 pack is very inexpensive, grown in America, supports soybean farmers, is very healthy and delicious, great protein), lentils and beans and rice. Garden grown tomatoes and cucumbers. Wild foraged berries. Backyard eggs. I don’t mean to imply I’m more virtuous than anyone else. We also eat ice cream, coffee, avocados, chocolate. I gave up seafood long ago for ethical reasons. I think we all have to follow our consciences, and I think Farhana is gently reminding us that some go hungry. Children. All over the world and increasingly in America. Perhaps thinking of this will lead us to donate to a food bank or volunteer there, waste less food and eat simply more often. I think eating simply inspires empathy for others whose only choice is eating simply. Surely this can’t be wrong?

@Sasha – but one could dissect and critique your simple eating. Not everyone can afford a house with land to grow their own vegetables and keep chickens. Soybean farming has significant environmental impacts like deforestation, soil erosion, water contamination. So does all industrial farming. My point in asking what is simple eating was just this – In today’s world there is no such thing. Individuals eating frozen (or wild) salmon is not the problem. The problem is billionaires and corporations acting with impunity and then pushing the blame on regular people just trying to make a weeknight dinner for their family.

Alex, I agree. For the most part, it’s not us. And us bickering over individual choices doesn’t move the ball very far forward either. At the same time, what we do as individuals isn’t meaningless. If all of us have up seafood, we’ll, that WOULD have a giant impact on the planet. And really, the only way we can force billionaires to behave differently is with our dollars (the individual choices we make). I won’t demonize anyone, esp for having a treat once in a while. But I won’t advocate for us to collectively throw our hands in the air and say “but it’s not our fault” and continue to make choices that have a more negative impact than others. I think we point fingers and dissect others choices in an effort to avoid reflecting on our own. And we do have to do everything at once. Simply moving salmon from “the rotation” to a special occasion only meal would have a very big impact if we all did it. And in doing so we regain a little of our power, and that getting is really important if we are ever going to do big things, and stop climate change or overthrow fascism. Anyways, I’m glad for the discussion. I’m learning a lot in these particular comments. Those links above about orcas are defintely worth a read for everyone.

she’s our most beloved contributor! but here and there, instead of every week xoxo

I make a “poke” bowl variety of this recipe regularly for my family: rice, salmon, chopped avocado, cucumber, tomato, mango, julienned carrots. Everyone eats it!

We do our salmon in the air fryer.

Caro chambers has a recipe where she cooks salmon “low and slow” so it doesn’t dry out. Cook at 275* for 20 to 30 minutes, or until an internal thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the salmon registers 125°F for medium-rare, 135°F for medium, or 145°F for well done.

This is our favorite super simple salmon recipe and it’s gobbled up by various aged children in this house! I could drink that sauce through a straw….The trick I’ve found is to use an instant read thermometer so you’re not overcooking the salmon. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PdqgZz5qnJc

My kid likes salmon pan-seared with a bit of butter, and how I cut it seems to matter to her. She likes a dainty little fillet. I fill out the meal with cucumbers, rice, soy-lemon green beans, maybe Bachan’s sauce to dip. We don’t often get nice avocados here.

I’d either try slow roasting (so cook at 275 or 300 for 20ish minutes. It obviously depends on the size of the fillet, but It won’t really change color and is nearly impossible to overcook) or cook skin side down starting in a cold pan brought up to medium heat until the fish is almost cooked then just finishing it flesh side down to get a bit of color. If you don’t like cooking salmon on the stove, definitely give slow roasting a try! Alison Roman has a great recipe, as does NYT cooking.

I also prefer restaurant salmon! I think the answer is wild amounts of salt and also sugar :)

I think it is the thick and delicious crust achieved on restaurant salmon that I can only assume comes from a sear in ungodly amount of butter because even when I have allowed for a level of splattering that risk forearms and is a miserable amount of clean up , I cannot replicate.

Try using a hot cast-iron skillet. I dry the top of the filet, which seems be key. Put, salt pepper and garlic salt on top. Sear for 2-3 minutes depending on thickness- don’t lift the filet. Then, turn to other side and cook for another 2-3 minutes until done as desired.

I’ve always over-cooked salmon but I’d followed a NYT cooking recipe that recommended cooking the salmon skin side up (oil, s&p, etc) on 425 for 8 to 10 mins. I always cooked my salmon with the skin on the bottom but this new method makes the flesh lovely

Same Cooper, same!

How long and at what temp do you air fry the salmon? Thanks!

I do the exact same thing- so so easy!