Salmon

Salmon is the protein that humbled me on camera. The first time I tried to pan-sear a fillet for a video, I burnt the skin to the pan, ruined the fillet, and posted it anyway. That video went viral. I went back, cooked salmon every way I could think of, and figured it out. This post is what came out of that learning process.

I run salmon four ways for ramen now. Baked, flaked, pan-seared, and smoked. Each one earns a spot on a different kind of bowl, and I’ll tell you which is which.

Why Salmon Is Great for Instant Ramen

Salmon is one of the fattier fish, which is exactly why it works on ramen. The fat melts into the broth and the bowl tastes richer without any extra oil or butter. The flavor sits in the middle range. Rich enough to hold up against miso or kimchi broths. Clean enough to lay on a light shoyu without taking over.

It also turns the bowl from snack into dinner. Most toppings are seasoning. Salmon is the meal. A bowl with salmon on top reads like something you’d plate for someone, not something you’d eat over the sink at midnight.

Ways to Add Salmon to Instant Ramen

Baked Salmon

Baking is the most hands-off method and the most consistent. Season a salmon fillet, bake at 400°F for 12 to 15 minutes depending on thickness. The meat stays moist and the timing is the most forgiving of any method. I’ll bake a full side on a Sunday and pull pieces off it across three or four ramen bowls.

Flaked Salmon

Whether you bake it yourself or use leftover cooked salmon, flaking is the best way to get salmon into every bite of your bowl. Break it into pieces with a fork and lay it over the noodles just before serving. The heat of the broth warms it through without overcooking it.

Pan Seared Salmon

The texture method. Crispy skin, tender medium rare center, the piece stays whole on the bowl. This is also the method I burnt on video. The fix turned out to be three things. A pan hot enough that water flicks off it. Skin dried completely with paper towels. And patience. Don’t touch the fillet for the first two minutes after it hits the pan. Flip, another sixty seconds, done. Lay it skin side up o the bowl so the crust stays crispy.

Smoked Salmon

Two options. Buy a pack of cold smoked salmon at the store, or smoke a fillet yourself if you have a smoker. Cold smoked stays as delicate sheets you lay flat on top, and the broth heat softens them. Either way, smoked salmon works best on lighter broths. Shoyu, shio, plain chicken. The smoke gets lost in heavy spicy bowls, so I save it for clean ones.

How to Serve It

For baked or pan seared salmon, add it to the bowl just before serving so the skin stays textured and the fish doesn’t overcook in the hot broth. For flaked salmon, mix it gently through the noodles. For smoked salmon, lay it flat on top and serve immediately.

Salmon pairs particularly well with miso-based and shoyu broths. A squeeze of lemon or a drizzle of sesame oil alongside the salmon ties everything together. For a complete bowl setup, check out our guide on how to set up an instant ramen bar.

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My Instant Ramen Suggestions

Salmon works across a wide range of ramen styles. Here are a few from the site worth trying it with:

• Sapporo Ichiban Beef Flavored Soup
• Immi Creamy Chicken Ramen Soup
• Otoki Cooked Rice and Fish Rose with Kimchi
• Vifon Instant Bean Thread Chicken Flavor

Salmon on instant ramen, yes or no? If yes, which method? Drop it in the comments. I want to know how many of you have burnt yours on video.