10-Minute Instant Pot Salmon (From Frozen!)
The Instant Pot takes all the fuss out of frozen salmon for a healthy, super-quick family dinner. No defrosting required!
Getting into the habit of serving fish to my family once a week has been one of my new year’s resolutions for, um, a few years now. So yes, it’s taken me a little while to get to this point.
It’s not that my family doesn’t find fish tasty; miraculously, everyone seems to like it. For me, the devil is in the prep work. I usually buy fish frozen, so I don’t have to rush to cook it right away. But that means, of course, that I have to defrost it before I cook it.
And call me crazy, but on a regular weeknight, I just don’t love dealing with half-frozen pouches of raw fish floating in bowls of water on my kitchen table.
The first time I tried cooking salmon in my Instant Pot from frozen, I was way skeptical. I mean, I know the Instant Pot is amazing, and it can make quick work of all kinds of fabulous recipes. But putting completely iced-over blocks of fish into the cooker and pushing the button for five measly minutes had me imagining less-than edible results.
Lucky for me, I opened the pot to a happy surprise! The salmon turned out moist, flake-tender, and flavorful, cooked through and through and ready for a pat of butter, a fresh sprinkling of dill, and a squeeze of lemon.
Salmon for Picky Eaters
The salmon was a big win at the dinner table; the kids gobbled it up. And since it was so very easy to make, for the first time in years I found myself inspired to have a fish-for-dinner night two weeks in a row. Yes!
How to Make Instant Pot Salmon
This recipe is super easy and quick to make. Pour one cup of liquid (¾ cup water, ¼ cup lemon juice) into the bottom of the Instant Pot, then place the steamer insert above it.
Arrange three frozen salmon fillets on top of the steamer rack, topped with a handful of dill and a slice of lemon on top of each.
Next, Lock the lid, hit the “Manual” button, and set it for five minutes. As soon as the timer beeps, use the Quick Release method to let out the pressure. (Make sure you keep your hand out of the way of the steam… it comes out fast!) And that’s it!
Tips for Making Instant Pot Salmon
- Make sure your salmon fillets are uniform in size, so they cook evenly. We bought fillets from Costco that were 6 oz. each and roughly the same size.
- It’s perfectly OK to use “skin-on” fillets.
- Make sure the fillets aren’t overlapping each other, or you may get some under-cooked spots.
- If your salmon is especially large, add an extra minute or two onto the cook time (or even just wait a minute or two before you vent the steam.)
What to Serve with Instant Pot Salmon
We like to serve this salmon with a side of brown rice and a fresh green veggie. Green beans, asparagus, broccoli, or snow peas all pair well with salmon.
As for the salmon itself, some more fresh dill and lemon juice at the table is delicious! Enjoy.
10-Minute Instant Pot Salmon (From Frozen!)
Ingredients
- 3 medium lemon
- 3/4 cup water
- 4 fillet salmon
- 1 bunch dill weed, fresh
- 1 tablespoon butter, unsalted
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, ground
Optional
- 1 cup brown rice, raw
- 4 cup green beans
Instructions
- Place 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, plus 3/4 cup water in the bottom of the Instant Pot. Add the metal steamer insert.
- Place the (Sockeye) salmon fillets, frozen, on top of the steamer insert.
- Sprinkle fresh dill on top of the salmon, then place one slice of fresh lemon on top of each one.
- Lock the Instant Pot lid, then set the Manual timer for 5 minutes.
- When the timer beeps, press “Cancel” and carefully flip the Quick Release valve to let the pressure out.
- Serve immediately with butter, extra dill and lemon, and salt and pepper.
Nutrition
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Natalie Monson
I'm a registered dietitian, mom of 4, avid lover of food and strong promoter of healthy habits. Here you will find lots of delicious recipes full of fruits and veggies, tips for getting your kids to eat better and become intuitive eaters and lots of resources for feeding your family.
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Hi. I am just wondering if is is possible to cook the rice in the water while steaming the fish? I noticed you put “raw brown rice” so just curious and love anything that saves time. :). Thanks!
Can you cook more than 4 fillets? We have a big family. I was thinking I could criss-cross stack them on top of one another. Do you think that would work?
Hi Amy! I haven’t tried that myself, so I’m not sure how it would work. The fillets MIGHT not cook evenly if they’re overlapping in parts. But I’m all about experimenting in the kitchen! If you try it, be sure to tell us how it turns out!
You might be able to grab another rack to have a second layer for another level of fish.
I tried layering filets because I also have a larger family. I put slightly thicker orange slices on top of the bottom filet and tried to criss cross to allow for more space. It worked well and I’d almost cook it a touch shorter because the salmon was a little overdone. I think you could do this with lemon slices or even another rack as well.
Was it at high or low pressure on manual?
Hi Melissa! It should be high pressure.
When/how do you cook the rice?
Hi Lauren! I usually cook brown rice in batches and freeze it in 2-cup portions. It defrosts pretty quickly in a bowl of warm water, to pair with quick dinners like this.
Salmon does not have 49 grams of carbs
!
Hi Lonna! That carb count includes all the ingredients for that meal – so the rice and green beans are definitely adding to that number.
I followed the recipe exactly but my fish was undercooked in the middle (it was cold to touch). Any advice?
Jeezy, I had the same problem. It was flakey and perfect on the edges but some parts were completely uncooked in the middle. I’m going to try using this method again and cook for 7 minutes next time and see how that goes. I bet that’ll do the trick. There wasn’t much left uncooked. If it’s too tough I’ll try 6. If still undercooked, I’ll try 8 or 9 next time. 5 minutes wasn’t quite enough for mine and I only used one filet. I’m also wondering if this recipe would work with the fish sitting on a piece of foil, because it was kind of a pain scrubbing salmon fat off the wire steamer rack. I’ll let you know if I find a combo that works for me.
Hi Lion! Sorry you ended up with under-cooked fish. See my comment below for suggestions for flaky filets next time.
Hi Jeezy! Sorry you ended up with under-cooked fish! My guess is that your filets were simply thicker than mine (I get mine at Costco, and they are fairly thin… probably about 3/4 inch thick in the middle.) Maybe try an extra minute under pressure if yours are thicker than that.
Hi. It sounds very simple. My only question is do we use “Steam” or “Pressure Mode.?”
I’m going to cook it tonight and will try steam.
Most kind of you to put up recipes but please consider we novices, who need comprehensive instructions.
Thanks.
Hi John! Sorry for the confusion. It should be high pressure. I added that to the recipe. 🙂 Thanks!
I wish you would have had more comprehensive instructions. Was it steam or pressure? Hi or low?
Mine was also uncooked at the thickest part, and there was only one filet.
Hi Emilie! Sorry for the confusion. I updated the instructions to include high pressure in the cooking instructions.
If your filets are still under-cooked, they might be thicker than the ones I get from Costco. Maybe try an extra minute under pressure… good luck!
Is this on high or low pressure??
Hi Sherstin! It should be high pressure.
If i use less salmon (2 instead of 4) should i alter the timing at all or should it still be fine?
Alter the timing. I cooked one filet and it was way over cooked. Next time I’ll try 3-4 minutes
Hi Emily! Even if you use fewer salmon fillets, you should still cook it for the same amount of time (as long as the fillets are not overlapping.)
I’d like to try this too but I’d like to see the answers to questions first. Since I’m new to Instant Pot, I’m a little nervous until I see other people’s experiences.
Didn’t work too well for me. One piece about 3″ wide/1″ thick. It was half-thawed but after 5 min it was raw inside. Gave it another 3 min and it was ok.
Hi Pressure (same as manual) used.
I was skeptical about cooking frozen salmon in the instant pot. This was delicious, quick, and my new favorite recipe for salmon. It was perfectly cooked from frozen in minutes!
5 minutes too long in intsa pot. My 2 pieces salmon were cooked frozen. 5 minutes too long. Very dry. Next time 3 minutes. I did the release when 5 minutes were up.
Most recipes that I read with nutrition information do not include the optional ingredients in the counts.
Hi Terita,
What if the salmon is already defrosted? How long do I cook it then?
Thanks,
Hi Gina! This recipe is designed to work with frozen fillets, and I personally haven’t tried to replicate it with thawed ones. I did a quick search for you, though, and found that some people cook thawed fish for 3 minutes under high pressure in the IP. If you try it, come back and let us know how it turns out!
Would this recipe work for other fish such as frozen cod or flounder?
My 14 yr old son wanted a quick lunch and I had frozen salmon and told him to get my iPad so I could look up a recipe for instant pot frozen salmon, and yours looked awesome. It came out perfectly, i peeled some carrots and cut them up and placed around the frozen salmon on tin foil. We did not have lemon but he added dill weed and some Traeger salmon seasoning .
I have to tell you, I found this recipe about 3 weeks ago and have made it at least 5 times! It’s absolutely perfect salmon every single time. I like pesto on mine so I add a tsp. of the Costco pesto on one filet instead of lemon and it’s divine.
Thank you for this recipe, I’ve shared it a bunch of times as well.
Did you add the pesto before or after cooking?
Hii, I just bought the insta pot, and I threw a small frozen salmon in for 10 mins and it didn’t come out like yours, but instead full of white slimy stuff inside out… it was hard to eat it.. How can I get rid of that, and what is it? 🙂 thanks!
Hi Beatriz,
That white stuff is actually protein that solidifies around the fish as it cooks. It’s normal and safe, though not super appetizing!
I notice you said you cooked the fish for 10 minutes. If you meant 10 minutes under pressure, that’s actually too long. Next time try setting the Instant Pot to cook for 5 minutes under pressure. (It’ll take about 5 minutes to get to pressure, then it’ll cook for 5 minutes… hence “10-minute salmon”)
Avoiding overcooking can help reduce the amount of protein that solidifies. I hope this helps!
How do you cook the brown rice?
Can you make this in a crock pot too?
We haven’t tried, but I wonder if the fish would be a little more chewy since you would be cooking it longer.
How’s there 45g carbs in salmom
Is the manual button the pressure cook button. I don’t have a manual button on my instant pot. I also have a steam but my salmon is frozen.
Did you cook the rice at the same time? Are there instructions for that?
What an amazingly easy recipe. I added small red potatoes and in 5 minutes the frozen salmon and potatoes were done to perfection. Adding lemon to the water was a great suggestion. Thanks
I tried to make for my family of 4 but don’t understand how you got 4 fillets in the pot. The recipe calls for 4 but your pic only has 3. Dis you put one on top of the other?
Thank you from the bottom of my bachelor heart!
Ha ha! The Instant Pot is definitely a bachelor’s friend 🙂
Where do you purchase your salmon & how many ounces is each piece?
Would this work for tuna fillet? Can’t seem to find any recipes for tuna.
Just wanted to make a note since it happened to me…if you’re using a salmon fillet that still has the skin on and is thicker than these pre-packaged ones…it needs to go a bit longer than 5 minutes. My fish came out half cooked!
You mentioned a cup of rice. Do you put it in the intapot under the salmon? Just curious.
Hi Dann, for this recipe I cook the rice separately. If you’re interested in an Instant Pot meal that has rice and a protein all-in-one, try this one: https://www.superhealthykids.com/all-in-one-instant-pot-chicken-and-brown-rice/
1/2 cup water. One frozen filet on rack. 5 minutes on pressure cooker setting. Quick release. PERFECT! A bit of butter, lemon juice, salt and pepper. DELICIOUS!
How do you cook the rice and green beans? The recipe doesn’t say. Do you cook it with the fish?
Hi Ann, good question. The rice and green beans are sides that we cooked separately to round out the meal. The green beans are lightly steamed, and the rice is simmered in a separate pot.
When do I add the beans to this recipe.
Thanks
Hi Hank! We steamed the green beans on the side while the salmon cooked in the Instant Pot. It’s a good veggie to pair with this recipe because it cooks fast so everything’s ready at the same time. But you can really pair the salmon with any veggie you like. 🙂
Can this be done without the steamer insert?
Hi Jordan, I don’t recommend putting the salmon directly in the water, because I think the texture wouldn’t be as flaky and delicate. If you don’t have the steamer insert that came with the Instant Pot, you can use a different steel steamer basket and it should work just fine. I hope this helps!
followed to a T and the salmon was extremely raw. Not enough cook time.
Hi Dan, I’m sorry to hear this didn’t turn out for you! Sometimes if the salmon steaks are large or very thick, they need extra time in the Instant Pot. If this helps in the future, we tested this recipe with salmon fillets that were between 5-7 ounces.
I have to say this recipe has been a life saver, my husband and I both work 12 hour shifts and it’s hard to make a quick and healthy home cooked meal but we have made this at least two dozen times. It’s my go to quick and healthy meal!
I’m so glad to hear it, Shelley!
I hope I speak for all owners of newer IPs (no “manual” button) who are trying to stumble their way up the learning curve.
Could you write “Manual (or Pressure Cook) button” going forward?
Thanks
Hi Gary! Thanks for reaching out. This is something we haven’t taken into account yet, but now we will. 🙂
Love the dill added here! This looks delicious. Cannot wait to make this.
Delicious! I just made two batches and they turned out amazing. My filets were a bit on the thick side so I went with 6 minutes and it was perfect!
Thanks!
Hi, Terita! Thank you for sharing this recipe! How many calories are there?
Hi Joshua! If you eat one 6 ounce salmon fillet, there are 441 calories.
So, half of me is thrilled to find yet another ingenious way to use my beloved IP and the other half is pretty embarrassed that I have owned it for 2 years and only today thought to look up from-frozen fish filet recipes.
Rather than salmon, I cooked about 5 frozen cod filets (from TJ’s).
Having tried everything from poaching, 24 hour defrost-to-oven and grill I didn’t have much hope that a 5 minute pressure cook would work but I was, thankfully, wrong.
I basically followed the recipe, minus the dill and with a good squeeze of lemon juice into the water, and left them in for a minute or two after the 5 minutes and before quick release since I was cooking a lot of fish. They….were…..perfect. Flaky, tasty, cooked through and the perfect temp for butter.
Thanks for posting this! It totally saved my late evening dinner 🙂
So glad it solves dinner for you Jen!
I am an Instant Pot (IP) Newbie and i have a question . I tried this and i released pressure with the quick release and the salmon was dry and the inside was kinda raw … a video my hubby watched on youtube says that the quick release let out all the moisture… i am extremely confused and can’t readily get fresh fish so we rely on wild caught frozen varieties … HELP ME PLEASE
Hi Tina! I’m sorry to hear your salmon didn’t turn out. I know some readers have had to add an extra minute or two to the cook time for larger or thicker fillets. I’ve never experienced the dryness myself, although I would think laying a few lemon slices on top would help keep the outside moist. (As would a pat of butter after it comes out of the cooker. Yes, I’ve done this!) I hope you have better success next time!
I want to eat it !!!!!
This tasted so so good!!!! I’ve been craving salmon for months and this was perfect! I’m still in awe as to how quickly this was made from frozen fish!!!
I’m so glad you liked it Delilah!
nice recipe ,thanks
Hi. It sounds very simple.
My question is do we use “Steam” .
I’m going to cook it tonight .
Thanks.
Hi there, you should use the “Manual” button to cook the salmon under pressure. I hope this helps!
thanks natalie for this quick and easy method of your amazing recipe of salmon. it was so tasty and i like much more that it also has omega 3 in it. thanks again natalie.
Made this and it was delicious. But the times didn’t work out. I used one 16oz fillet about 3/4 in thick. (Saw in comments you recommend 3 or 4 6oz filets). It was still raw after cooking it 5 minutes twice. (First time I had my green beans in a steamer basket with the salmon. Also the salmon was exceptionally raw under the lemon slices.) I cooked it a third time at 10 minutes and it came out delicious. Looking to try and make the time correct so I don’t have to delay the meal trying to get it cooked.
Thank you! Your recipe worked perfectly for me. I used 2 of the flatter Costco fillets. They came out better than when I make them in the oven and it was really nice not to throw them in frozen.
I tried this recipe exactly and it also came out of the instant pot frozen in the middle. I also got Costco salmon. Not sure what happened – I cooked them for 2 more minutes and they were done.
Followed the recipe and the salmon turned out perfect. These turned out better than when I bake them. The family loved them!
Placed four pieces of frozen salmon in the instant pot; fresh dill and lemon. Put the time on for 6 minutes. Middles were completely raw. I would suggest increasing the cook time to 8 minutes minimally. Disappointing as they had you be finished on the stovetop wholes the sides got cold.
I’m sorry it didn’t work for you Amy! I have found this recipe takes a little trouble-shooting at times. It could be that your fillets were thicker than mine, or they were overlapping a bit. It does work consistently for many, so cross fingers you can get it to work! I’m glad you were able to finish on the stovetop!
Do you hold the quick release to let all the steam out asap, or turn the cooker off and allow a natural release, leaving the release in the off position but it releases slowly if you are not holding it. I wonder if the confusion on timing depends on the release method.
Hi Mary, thanks for reaching out! When we make this recipe we use the manual release (flip the valve to let the steam out all at once.) I think if you allowed it to release naturally all the way, the salmon would be very much overcooked. But maybe one minute or two could help fully cook the salmon in those cases where the fillets are a little thicker.
This looks delicious. Thank you
Thanks to you for providing amazing Information.
Will the costco Basa Fillets work too? They are the big individually wrapped fillets and come in a package of 2KG. So you season the side down once steamed and out of the IP?
Those should work also! You may need to adjust cook time if cooking from frozen. 🙂
This looks delicious. Thank you
It’s very misleading to include the rice in the recipe, even stating raw rice. A lot of IP recipes cook multiple things at one time and it should be explained that that is not the case here.
I apologize for the confusion- we include the sides for meal planning purposes.
thank you for sharing this wonderful post
thank you for sharing this great post
So easy and quick! I put mine into a small ‘dish’ I made out of foil, for easier clean up.
Hi. I am just wondering if is is possible to cook the rice in the water while steaming the fish? I noticed you put “raw brown rice” so just curious and love anything that saves time. :). Thanks!
Love the idea! The fish cooks faster than the brown rice will in the Instant Pot. You could play around with using instant brown rice, which has a shorter cook time. Let us know if you give it a try and how it works for you!
Very nice post. I just stumbled upon your blog and wanted to say that I’ve truly enjoyed surfing around your blog posts.
In any case I will be subscribing to your feed and I hope you write again soon!
5 minutes barely thawed the outside. What are you smoking? Now I have frozen fish and cooked veggies and I’m late. Thanks.
Hmm.. was it under pressure for 5 minutes? The 5 minutes needs to start once it reaches pressure. That’s the only thing I can think of that might have gone wrong here. I’m sorry about that!
The name says it all. This was my first time cooking salmon so I was a little nervous and it came out great. My husband who previously “didn’t like” salmon wants it again as soon as possible. I served it with a leafy salad with shredded carrots diced cucumbers
with what should i replace the fresh dill weed instead. I’m not a big lover of dill and i use dry herbs only so any suggestions ??? thank you !
You can just leave it out, or substitute your favorite dried herb!
The ingredients seem fine, the instructions seem fine. I’m using a regular sized frozen salmon filet from the grocery store. It was almost entirely raw. The suggested time is NOT enough time. I have no idea how much time is correct, but 5 minutes was definitely not enough.
The optional part of the recipe is missing. This is just a recipe for salmon. Please rename accordingly.
Very intimidated about fish! I’m going to try this recipe. Do I set the Instant Pot on low or high pressure?
High pressure! 🙂
The picture only shows 3 fillets. Will four fit into the 8qt. Instant Pot?
You should be able to fit 4 filets!
Amazing post thanks for sharing great site.