Instant Pot Lemon Butter Garlic Salmon with Homestyle Vegetables–flaky wild Alaska salmon is steamed on the top of red potatoes and carrots in your electric pressure cooker and drizzled with garlic, fresh lemon juice and butter. A one pot meal that is healthy and delicious!
Instant Pot Lemon Butter Garlic Salmon with Homestyle Vegetables
Each week in 2020 I’m sharing a recipe inspired by one of the 50 states. So far I’ve covered Alabama, Louisiana, Utah, Minnesota, Colorado, Idaho, Hawaii, South Carolina, Illinois and Iowa. Today’s recipe is inspired by the The Last Frontier–Alaska!
When I think of Alaska I think of “Seward’s Folly,” how large the state is (it is the largest state by area), the discovery of gold in 1898 and how it is rich in natural resources.
I think of how beautiful it is! My husband and I were able to cruise there several years ago and it was absolutely majestic. I still remember this little man on the ship with his fancy tripod and camera rushing from area to area on the deck trying to take all the pictures he could. I am definitely planning on returning to Alaska in the future.
I also think of wild Alaska salmon and how delicious it is! Seafood caught in Alaska accounts for 60 percent of the country’s output (and 90 percent of the wild salmon yield). My family absolutely loves salmon but we don’t eat it enough! It is our all time favorite thing to order when we go on cruises but for some reason I don’t make it at home very often. I guess I’ve been intimidated a bit.
I decided to try my hand at cooking salmon in the Instant Pot. I place some frozen salmon fillets into the cooker with some red potatoes and carrots and set the pressure cooking time to 4 minutes. I held my breath hoping that the salmon wouldn’t be overcooked/undercooked and the potatoes wouldn’t get mushy. When I opened the pot I was ecstatic that the fish was flaky and tender and the vegetables were perfectly cooked.
If you have frozen salmon fillets in your freezer I would totally recommend cooking them in this way. It’s so convenient to not have to thaw the fillets first. My fillets had skin on them so I just set them skin side down on top of the vegetables. My kids and husband all agreed that dinner was a complete success! I will definitely be making this recipe again and again.
Recommendations
More recipes you’ll love…
Fish Tacos (in the Instant Pot or Slow Cooker)
Instant Pot or Slow Cooker Maple Dijon Chicken and Sweet Potatoes
Instant Pot Homestyle Chicken and Vegetables
Instant Pot Lemon Butter Garlic Salmon with Homestyle Vegetables
- Total Time: 19 minutes
- Yield: 4 large servings 1x
Description
Flaky wild Alaska salmon is steamed on the top of red potatoes and carrots in your electric pressure cooker and topped with garlic, fresh lemon juice and butter. A one pot meal that is healthy and delicious!
Ingredients
- 1 cup chicken broth or water
- 1 1/2 to 2 pounds of red potatoes
- 5 peeled carrots
- 4 (6 oz) frozen fillets of wild Alaska salmon
- 3 Tbsp melted butter
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (plus more for serving)
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Pour water/broth into bottom of Instant Pot.
- If you have small red potatoes, add them into the pot whole. If you have large or medium red potatoes cut them into halves or quarters.
- Cut your carrots in half lengthwise and then in half in thickness. Add them to the pot.
- Place your frozen salmon fillets on top of the carrots.
- In a small bowl stir together the butter, garlic and lemon juice. Drizzle over the salmon and the vegetables. Salt and pepper the salmon.
- Cover the pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook time to 4 minutes (high pressure). Let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes and then move the valve to venting.
- Remove the lid. Test the salmon for doneness. The internal temperature* should be at least 145 degrees F. Scoop the salmon and vegetables onto plates. Squeeze extra lemon on top of fish and veggies. Salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
I used my 6 quart Instant Pot Duo 60 7 in 1*.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 minutes (plus 5 minute NPR)
- Category: Seafood
- Method: Instant Pot
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 of the recipe
- Calories: 518
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 184 mg
- Fat: 17 g
- Carbohydrates: 42 g
- Protein: 48 g
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Hi Karen,
I was very happy to see a really good Salmon recipe… the finished product is superior to the way I’ve been cooking Salmon for years, but very similar. I just never cooked the potatoes and veggies with the Salmon, and also always put onion slices on top of the filets, along with some brown sugar mixed with the butter and lemon juice, then wrapped the whole thing in loosely wrapped foil and basted the fillets about four times during the baking time (in the standard oven) with the sauce, which will somewhat carmelize during the process.
Salmon is salmon is salmon…. WRONG. Most people will buy salmon in the supermarkets, and it’s all good, but 90% of the salmon sold frozen is Chum (keta, silverbrite or dog Salmon, all the same fish) I am a very fortunate person, living in Oregon on the beautiful Umpqua River and also able to go to Alaska periodically and fish there. Salmon can be classified as follows for edibility and of course desirability.
1) Sockeye AKA Red, 2) Chinook AKA King, 3) Coho AKA Silver, 4) Chum AKA see above and lastly 5) Humpy AKA Pink.
If you are a real fan of Salmon, and I think most are, the huge Bristol bay Sockeye fishery ends in mid-June, the majority are canned in the various canneries on Bristol Bay, but a significant number are filleted, vacuum sealed and flash frozen, they aren’t “fresh”, but certainly the next best thing. You can find them as individual fillets of 1 to 1 1/2 lbs in supermarkets country-wide, from $5 to $15 per pound. Because they are shrink-wrapped air-tight, I will buy 20 to 30 lbs, usually in July when the supply is up and the price is down… they easily keep a year in the freezer.
I know this review goes way beyond what is normal, but I’ve had many people over for dinner and they, almost to a person will ask how I was able to get such a wonderful tasting Salmon, and the secret of course, is the salmon, it’s not a chunk of “Silverbright” or Pink(both marketing names) but rather a quicky processed fillet of either Sockeye or Chinook, or sometimes, in November, fresh Coho caught in my back yard… If I don’t see this published I will understand, but thought you as a foodie, might be interested
Thanks for the info! now I am in the mood for salmon!! I don’t live near the coast so I will have to buy mine flash frozen.
Yes…. flash-frozen Sockeye or Red is what you want. I have a friend that lives in S Illinois and she tells me she can get flash-frozen Sockeye for around $5 a lb at Krogers
Good! I will look next time I go
How about parsnips instead of potatoes?
Sure! that’d be great!
Hi, love the recipe but I changed up a bit! I used frozen cod with sliced baby red potatoes and rainbow carrots and shallots saute in butter then I mixed small can of tomato sauce with white wine, a little lemon juice and water with salt, pepper, gran. garlic and italian seasoning. Pressure cooker on high for 8 minutes and quick released after 5 mins. It was delicious, the broth with Italian bread dipped into it was restaurant quality! BIG hit in my home! You have some great recipes!
★★★★★
The italian bread is making my mouth water!
How would the time of this recipe changed if I’d rather use fresh (unfrozen) salmon filets? I can’t wait to try this tonight!
I’d use the same time, pot will come to pressure quicker
I was skeptical because of how simple this was, as in so easy and so few ingredients. But it has turned out FANTASTIC twice! Thank you for a delicious, healthy, go-to recipe for busy weeknights! I am wondering what to do with all that delicious sauce leftover in the pot…
★★★★★
You could serve it over rice. I’m so glad you liked it!
Hello Karen
Thanks for this delicious recipe. Made it last nite…so good!
I think I will try it for a minute less though to see if the veggies can keep a wee bit of a crunch, as they were a bit soft but tasty nonetheless. 🙂
Wondering how to re-heat it without over cooking it?
Cheers!
★★★★★
I would reheat by placing it covered pot in pot on a trivet and pressure cooking for 5 minutes.
This is the best instant pot recipe I’ve tried for salmon fillets so far. I found both the salmon and potatoes to be very well-flavored. I only did one salmon fillet since I have a 3 quart instant pot. I also didn’t use carrots since I don’t care for their taste. However, the salmon with red potatoes and sauce were really really good!
Thanks for such easy, quick instant pot recipes!
★★★★★
So glad you liked it Sabrina!
Hello Karen
Thanks for this delicious recipe. Made it last nite…so good!
I think I will try it for a minute less though to see if the veggies can keep a wee bit of a crunch, as they were a bit soft but tasty nonetheless. 🙂
Wondering how to re-heat it without over cooking it?
Cheers!
★★★★★
This recipe is amazing
I have done it with the 24 oz and 12oz salmon quantities (frozen both times) using the same quantity of veggies, broth etc which we will eat it with another meal later and has comes out perfect.
I do use Fresh Crush Garlic instead of garlic powder.
I have serve it w fresh Pesto over the salmon (sooo good)
I also make a yogurt sauce that is very good as well that i have served over salmon for years.
I Cup Greek style plain yogurt (I used Almond Greek style plain yogurt as I dont like to do dairy)
1 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive oil (can add more if too thick)
1 TBSP freshly squeeze lemon juice
1 teaspoon (youi can use more if you like garlic) of crushed garlic
Salt to taste
Mix all together (I make this prior to starting to prep the recipe above so the garlic flavor seeps in..)
Left over sauce keep well in the fridge.
Again thanks for this great recipe.
★★★★★
Yum! I am going to try the yogurt idea. That sounds so tasty!
Super easy and quick! Perfect for the summer when it is too hot to turn on the stove or oven. I just added the butter and salt and pepper when cooking and was plenty flavorful.
★★★★★
This is a perfect summer recipe! I agree!
Easy to make but pretty bland and fish was overcooked. Not a repeat for us.
★★
Try less time and season as you like. Alaska salmon is leaner than farmed salmon so 140F is better. If your fillets are thin, it is better to do them on the stove and they will still be quick. HTH
PS – next time you visit Alaska, come to Fairbanks and skip the cruise
I’m editing my own comment –
120F for wild salmon, 125F for farmed. (Per America’s Test Kitchen).
As much as I love my IP, I would probably still opt to do salmon filets on the stove and just and the lemon garlic sauce. It might work in the IP if you fish is cut into steaks rather than filets, but I prefer mine in fairly small and thin filets.
HTH
This recipe looks delish! Can’t wait to try it. Have you used frozen carrots, rather than fresh?
I personally have not tried that but I bet it would work okay! They might get a little soft.
Made this for my husband but without the veggies for his keto diet. He loved it so I will be making this for him again. Thank you for sharing your fantastic recipes.
★★★★★
You are welcome Angie! Glad he liked it!
Hi Karen!
I’m not a fish eater, so I’m wondering how you would adapt this recipe for chicken instead of salmon?
Thanks!
Jen
Hi Jen, the easiest thing would be to use fresh chicken tenders in the place of salmon and keep the recipe the same otherwise. The chicken tenders will cook in four minutes. If you have larger pieces of chicken I would pound them thin before adding into the pot so they can cook at the same rate as the potatoes.
This sounds yummy! I have a family member who is allergic to citrus. What do you recommend as a substitute for the lemon juice?
Maybe a tablespoon of vinegar? Something with a bit of acidity.
I have a Crock.Pot. It cooks very slow. Do you think 2 minuts will be enough?
Hi, this recipe is for a pressure cooker, not a slow cooker. I’m assuming your crockpot is a slow cooker? If doing this in a slow cooker I would cook for 2 hours on high, add in the salmon and cook for another hour on high.
Sure glad I found this web page. When it comes to instant pot cooking, i’m the person doing all cooking. My wife and myself really love this recipe. I have also substituted for frozen rainbow trout fillets, frozen basa fillets. The meals come out perfect every time.
Thank you Karen!!!!
You’re welcome Al! Keep up the good work doing all that cooking!
Is there some reason why this page is locked? Cannot download the recipe into Paprika app. Do you not want to share?
Hi, I have no idea? I’m not familiar with the paprika app.
Thank you for the reply. The Paprika Recipe Manager – paprikaapp.com – is a great app which stores recipes (with link directly back to recipe blog). Also includes other features such as a pantry list, grocery list, and meal planner. I have it on my Mac, iPad & iPhone and they sync really well and fast. They also have Windows and Android versions. All sync with each other. The website shows the different devices. Many just get the inexpensive iOS version for their iPhone and/or iPad, but I don’t mind paying more for also having it on my Mac desktop. None of the apps are subscription. You pay once and it is yours, with all the bells & whistles. Also, the app stays open so you don’t have to worry about it closing while you are using the app to cook from. You can also print the recipes in several other formats besides the letter-size format i.e. 3×5, 3.5×5, 4×6 and 5×7. Many other perks! Disclosure – I do not get paid for talking about this! I am just a very satisfied customer!
Interesting. I’ll have to find out how to get them to use my website 🙂
Karen, I got the Paprika app to work…just tried it a couple of times in a row and it finally worked. So, the problem may have been on my side. I’ve downloaded several of your recipes before. The only thing different I thought was the matter was that the recipe page/address shows the padlock next to the internet address. Haven’t tried the recipe yet, but finally got some salmon (darn virus!) so hope to try it soon.
Ohhh, good to know!
Hi Karen,
I’m not much of a fish eater, but this recipe looks so good. Can this recipe be made with tilapia or some other fish that is not fishy tasting? What would you recommend? Thanks!
Yes you can use tilapia or cod or halibut too. Enjoy 😊
So I figured it out and cooked this recipe and my partner loved it so much! He never used to like salmon and he couldn’t believe how good this came out. I will definitely be making this again. Thank you for the awesome recipe!
Oh I’m so happy you have converted him. Salmon is truly one of my favorite foods!
Is the salmon supposed to be 6 oz per fillet or 6 oz for all four of them combined?
per fillet 🙂
I have a salmon that is pretty thick, maybe two inches or more, should I cut it to make it thinner or just add more time? I’ve never cooked salmon before so any advice on this would be appreciated. 🙂
What did you end up doing?
I’m not a salmon lover but my husband is, and I made this tonight. The flavors were delicious. A problem was the salmon filets (frozen) overlapped each other in the pot and only one reached 165 at the end of the natural + quick release.
I took that one filet out for my hovering husband, spread out the other three and started to bring the IP back up to pressure, intentionally stopping it before it reached pressure – Just to the second pre-heat notification (on the Duo Evo Plus 6-quart). Then did a quick release and everything was fine.
★★★★★
Cool! Thanks for sharing your experience with the recipe 🙂
I used fresh salmon and russets… Turned out beautiful for our family. A winner for sure
Also was 4 min pressure and 4 min natural release. Beautiful base
Yum salmon to me is the best food ever!
First time using InstaPot. This recipe was really good. Easy to make. I was nervous about potatoes cooking so I put some in whole and cut some in half. It is fine to leave them whole. If using red potatoes. Only thing I would change would be to use 2-3 more carrots and only 6 potatoes. We like more veggies. I also worried because my salmon temp was 200…well above 145. It was a tat dry but not too bad. I did put it in frozen. Next time I will turn off warming and release pressure right away and wait 5 mins. I waited 5 mins and then released pressure. I may have misunderstood what to do there. If you like salmon, you’ll enjoy this recipe.
★★★★
This was excellent. I used russets, peeled and cut into six pieces. The salmon and veggies were cooked just right. Served it with coleslaw on the side to round out the meal.
★★★★★
Yum that sounds like a perfect meal!
If I use the same amount of vegetables but only half the salmon, do I make half a recipe of the lemon/garlic butter or a whole recipe? Thanks.
I used the whole amount of lemon/garlic butter and it turned out fine.
One of my salmon fillets was thicker than the other and it didn’t get done. I put the lid back on a set it to low sauté for a few minutes, but it still wasn’t done. I didn’t want my potatoes to get overdone, so I stuck it in the microwave for 30 seconds and that took care of it. I had asked for two fillets about the same size, but I guess the guy didn’t think about thickness. The fillet that got done was about a good inch thick. The other one was 1 3/8”. I’ll stick with the thinner fillets next time.
Overall it is a good recipe and I’ll add it to my Instant Pot recipe folder. Thanks.
that’s what I would do 🙂
What if I use fresh salmon
I think that will work well!
When cooking, do you add the rack in the instant pot before putting in all the ingredients?
I didn’t 🙂
I made this last night. It turned out great! My husband and I enjoyed it. The carrots and potatoes came out so soft! The fish was tasty. It was great.
This was the first time I’ve naturally vented the Instant Pot. I now know it takes a bit for the Instant Pot to cool and start the natural venting. This is why there is the instruction book. 😀
Thanks for sharing this! We really enjoyed it!
★★★★
Rachel thank you so much for sharing your comments on this recipe! Glad you liked it 🙂
I don’t have a pressure cooker but I have a Crock-Pot how long should I keep it in there
Not sure exactly since I haven’t done this one in the crockpot but I would do the vegetables for 2 1/2 hours and then add in the salmon for 30 minutes. all on low.
Hi Karen. The frozen salmon I have is 4 ounces instead of 6. How should I adjust the time? Thank you!
Reduce the cooking time to 4 minutes.
my 2 salmon fillets were still a little raw in the middle.. followed everything. put them in the microwave. i did 4 minutes high pressure and 5 minute natural release.
In the recipe it states for 1/4 lemon juice. Is that in cups?
yes sorry that was a typo. It is supposed to be 1/4 cup.
What if I were to use frozen broccoli florets and new potatoes with the salmon?
I think potatoes would be fine. Broccoli would get too mushy if you pressure cooked it!
I made this tonight and it turned out perfect! I used chicken stock (instead of water) and had to season everything after it was cooked but wow. Love this recipe. I also sprinkled some chopped chives on top for some pretty color.
★★★★★
Chives = winning! Good call Lauren.
I have a 6qt lux not a duo, will it still work?
Yes it will work just fine!
This was sooo good! We love salmon, and I was very hesitant to try a new method of cooking it. I needn’t have worried. Mine wash fresh, not frozen, but I still did 4 minutes with 4 minutes NR. It was perfect. Will never cook it any other way. So moist, flavorful… Thanks for the encouragement to try something new!
★★★★★
So great to hear this! I love salmon as well it is the best 🙂
Loved the recipe. I added fresh green beans. If an old fart, single guy, new to cooking, can manage to prepare this great meal, anyone can.
Keep it up.
Ken
This comment made me laugh, Ken! I’m glad you liked it 🙂
Good to know! Now I’m not afraid to try it!
I made this a few days ago, and it was awesome! So happy to have a recipe where I don’t have to thaw the fish, since I tend to forget to take them out of the freezer in time! I was afraid the veggies would taste “fishy” but they did not! Everything cooked perfectly and I will be making this again and again! One question…is there a reason you don’t use fresh garlic? Would it not work as well as the powder? Thanks for sharing your recipes!
★★★★★
You can definitely use fresh garlic. Go ahead and try it next time! I bet it would be great.
Me too! Almost always forget. So this is one less thing on my mind to have to remember which,lately, is much needed. I’m making it tonight. Can’t wait.
Do you think I could use the little baby carrots instead of regular carrots?
Yes!
Can I get the slow cooker recipe for lemon garlic butter with salmon and healthy vegetables?
I haven’t tried this one yet in the slow cooker but once I do I will let you know!
If I cut this recipe in half ( there are only two of us) do I keep the same cooktime?
Yes if you are using frozen fillets. If they are thawed I would cut the cooking time down to 2 or 3 minutes.
Yay, frozen salmon recipe!! How long do I steam the fish alone (out of vegs).
Thanks
Hi Kris, I would set it on a trivet and put liquid in the bottom of the pot. I would cook on manual high pressure for 4 minutes. Let me know how it turns out!
Do you think i can make the same recipe using cod fish? Not a fan of salmon.
Yes I think it would work great!
How about tuna steaks, would that work as well?
I’ve never tried it! Sounds yummy though. Let me know how it goes.
Not a potato fan substitute suggestions?
Perhaps cauliflower florets?
Cooking time for not frozen salmon?
I would do 2 or 3 minutes. If cooking with the vegetables then do 2 minutes. Make sure veggies are cut into smaller pieces so they cook the same rate as the salmon.