The other day we were supposed to have salmon for dinner but I forgot to pull it out of the freezer and our dinner plans were shot. I was so bummed out! Then just this week, I did it again… I forgot to defrost the salmon!
Luckily, I remembered a friend telling me that you can cook frozen salmon in the Instant Pot. So I did some googling and not only was she was right but its FAST! I told Brian I was going to cook frozen salmon in the Instant Pot and he was shocked. At first he said, “You can’t do that!” But then I showed him my findings and we decided to give it a try.
OMG. This is game changing.
My frozen salmon filet went into the Instant Pot frozen solid and came out perfectly cooked. The best part is that the cook time in the Instant Pot is only 5 minutes!
When I took the cooked salmon out of the Instant Pot, I was a little skeptical. It looked cooked on the outside… but what about the inside? Would it be cooked al the way through?
OMG. When cut into my salmon and took the first bite, I think I actually moaned in joy out loud! It was so good! And the salmon was cooked all the way through — more so on the edges than the middle because my fillet was thick, which was perfect. It had the exact texture I wanted with a cooked but soft center. I couldn’t believe my salmon was cooked perfectly and only a little bit ago is was frozen solid!
Lemon And Dill Be Still My Heart
I’m not a dill pickle fan but boy do I love dill seasoning! It’s my favorite thing about potato salads and my favorite chicken salad and it’s sooooo good when paired with lemon. This Instant Pot salmon recipe uses lemon and dill to season the salmon AND to flavor the sensational mayo sauce that tops the cooked salmon fillets.
I use this homemade mayo recipe to make my own Whole30 compliant mayo. It doesn’t have a very strong flavor and is the perfect base for Whole30 sauces and dressings like this Lemon Dill Sauce. If using a regular mayo or olive oil mayo though, you may need to add an extra tablespoon of lemon juice.
I keep the The Pampered Chef All-Purpose Dill Mix in my pantry because it’s an elevated dill seasoning mix that makes every recipe that uses dill taste better! If you have a dill seasoning blend like the one from The Pampered Chef, you can omit the salt and garlic powder from this recipe and just use that seasoning.
Instant Pot Salmon With Lemon And Dill
Go from frozen salmon to a mouthwatering, flavor-packed meal in about 20 minutes.
Prep Time
Cook Time
Total Time
Ingredients
- 2 6 oz salmon filets or 1 12 oz filet
- 1 lemon, sliced
- 1/4 cup + 1 tbslp lemon juice
- 1 tblsp + 1 tsp dill
- 1/4 tsp + 1 pinch salt
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
Instructions
- Add 3/4 cup water and 1/4 cup lemon juice to the Instant Pot. Insert steamer tray.
- Place the frozen salmon filet on the steamer tray, top with lemon slices, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon dill and a pinch of salt.
- Seal the Instant Pot. Press the manual setting. Set the timer for 5 minutes.
- Add 1/3 cup mayo to a small bowl. Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 tablespoon dill, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and the garlic powder. Stir well and refrigerate until the salmon is ready to be served.
- Vent the salmon as soon as the Instant Pot timer beeps.
- To serve, plate the salmon and top with the Lemon Dill Mayo Sauce.
Notes:
I use this homemade mayo recipe to make my own Whole30 compliant mayo. If using a regular mayo or olive oil mayo, you may need to add an extra tablespoon of lemon juice.
If your salmon filets are extra thick or really big, you may need to add a minute or two to your cook time.
