Even people who barely eat fish love salmon. They love it raw. They love it roasted. They love it poached. They love it smoked. The like it in salads and on bagels, or pan-seared and slathered in all manner of sauces.

But, why?

It’s delicious. Somehow this flavorful, oil-rich fish manages to not be as fishy as its other fishy friends.

It’s healthy. Adding one or two portions of fresh salmon to your weekly menu can decrease your risk of heart disease, lower your blood pressure, and boost your immune system. Bless those heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids.

It’s easy to cook. While it’s possible to mess up any dish, salmon is exceptionally forgiving. It cooks quickly — and yet the high fat content keeps it moist even when you slip and overcook just a bit. That quick cook time also makes it a go-to protein for healthy weeknight dinners.

It’s versatile. You can eat it raw or cooked (or cured!), hot or cold, blackened or delicately poached. It’s as conversant in Asian dishes as it is in Italian or Indian. You can substitute salmon for chicken in plenty of recipes and never skip a beat.

It’s widely available. In the grocery aisle or in a restaurant, chances are you’ll find at least one type of salmon or a salmon dish. It’s everywhere.

For everything else you need to know about salmon, check out The Complete Guide to Salmon. And for some healthy salmon recipe inspiration, keep reading.

Honey Garlic Salmon

Hands down, this is the most popular salmon recipe on Yummly. And it couldn’t be simpler — just five ingredients (salmon fillets, garlic, honey, lemon juice, and oil — six, if you add some parsley to serve) and 20 minutes of your time. Kudos, Chef Savvy.

Honey Garlic Salmon by Chef Savvy

Honey Sriracha Salmon

It’s also worth checking out Chef Savvy’s spicier salmon version, which can be pan-fried or baked. “It's never too sweet and just enough hot,” says one avid reviewer. Just add some brown rice and veggies for a healthy dinner to remember.

Honey Sriracha Salmon by Chef Savvy

Balsamic Glazed Salmon

Rich, pan-seared salmon filets really stand up to the ooey-gooey, sweet-tart goodness of a balsamic glaze in this easy recipe from Cooking Classy.

Balsamic Glazed Salmon by Cooking Classy

Lemon Salmon Piccata

Move over, chicken! The The Recipe Critic prefers salmon for this lemony Italian-inspired dish.

Lemon Salmon Piccata by The Recipe Critic

Bobby Flay's Slow-Cooked Salmon with Broccolini, Capers & Serrano Pepper

Bake this large filet for 45 minutes at just 250 degrees, then top it with what is basically a spicy broccolini relish. Feel free to swap in jalapeños for the serrano peppers to make a dish with a little less heat.

Bobby Flay's Slow-Cooked Salmon with Broccolini, Capers & Serrano Pepper from People

Grilled Salmon With Strawberry Jalapeño Salsa

What’s amazing about salmon is how well it pairs with a surprising number of other foods — including strawberries. In this recipe from Recipe Runner, salmon and strawberries get a slightly Mexican treatment. “There isn’t much to this dish,” writes Danae Halliday, “but the ingredients combined together are bold ones that don’t need a lot done to them to make the meal shine.” Serve over a bed of baby kale and cilantro to mimic the stunning presentation in the photo.

Grilled Salmon With Strawberry Jalapeño Salsa by Recipe Runner

Lemon Garlic Butter Salmon With Zucchini Noodles

Eat Well 101 brings you an easy one-pan, low-carb, low-calorie salmon dinner — with a lot of flavor.

Lemon Garlic Butter Salmon With Zucchini Noodles by Eat Well 101

Super Food Baked Salmon

Salmon is already a superfood — and here, in this recipe from Cotter Crunch, it’s joined on the baking sheet by fellow nutritional superstars blueberries and Brussels sprouts. Not only is a straightforward sheet-pan meal, but it’s also Paleo and Whole 30-friendly to boot.

Super Food Baked Salmon by Cotter Crunch

Salmon Salad with Parsley and Capers

You can always trust Martha Stewart to bring the classics. Here, delicately poached salmon is tossed with a simple red wine vinaigrette, capers, red onion, and parsley.

Salmon Salad with Parsley and Capers by Martha Stewart

Tandoori Salmon

In this recipe from Food & Wine, salmon gets the tandoori treatment with a flavorful Indian-spiced yogurt marinade.

Tandoori Salmon by Food & Wine

Thai Salmon

This easy recipe from iFOODreal gets big flavors from five little ingredients — and can be baked or grilled as weather permits.

Thai Salmon by iFOODreal

Firecracker Salmon

In this sweet-spicy take on salmon from Jo Cooks, salty soy sauce and savory minced garlic team up with brown sugar and spicy ginger for a flavor-packed main course.

Firecracker Salmon by Jo Cooks

Grilled Salmon Kebabs

While I often think to grill salmon, I forget that you can put it on a stick as well. This Skinnytaste recipe cooks up in a flash and has a vaguely Mediterranean feel to it.

Grilled Salmon Kebabs by Skinnytaste

Grilled Salmon Collars

People buy filets and forget about the rest of the fish — much to their detriment. Salmon collars (the cut between the gills and the body) are perfect for grilling as they're full of fat and flavor. Consider them the BBQ ribs of the sea!

Grilled Salmon Collars by Bon Appetit

Teriyaki Salmon Rice Bowl with Spinach & Avocado

This dish pairs broiled salmon with rice, avocado, and sautéed spinach for a healthy, Japanese-inspired rice bowl. “It has the gestalt of sushi, but the salmon is cooked, the nori is toasted and sprinkled on top, and everything is drizzled with tasty homemade teriyaki sauce,” writes Lisa Goldfinger of Panning the Globe.

Teriyaki Salmon Rice Bowl with Spinach & Avocado by Panning the Globe

Salmon Roll Sushi Bowl

This rice bowl recipe from Savory Tooth is even simpler than the previous recipe — and you can make it anytime, as it’s built around canned salmon.

Salmon Roll Sushi Bowl by Savory Tooth

Salmon Poke Sushi Tacos

For those who like their salmon raw, there’s more to life than salmon-avocado hand rolls. Cravings in Amsterdam riffs on salmon poke, putting it in a rice and nori “taco.” Use tamari in place of the soy sauce to make a gluten-free version.

Salmon Poke Sushi Tacos by Cravings in Amsterdam

Salmon and Black Sesame Onigiri

Smoked salmon — instead of the traditional Japanese shiozake (salted salmon) — makes this onigiri recipe from The Kitchn quite simple.

Salmon and Black Sesame Onigiri by The Kitchn

Salmon Ceviche

Sushi isn’t the only way to eat raw salmon — just try this straightforward ceviche recipe. Julie Wampler from Table for Two likes it with crusty bread and wine, but it goes down just as easy with tortilla chips and a beer.

Salmon Ceviche by Table for Two

BBQ Salmon Burgers

This recipe from How Sweet It Is is a pretty easy and delicious riff on a crab cake recipe that garners rave reviews.

BBQ Salmon Burgers by How Sweet It Is

Old Bay Salmon Cakes

Recipes for canned salmon cakes are a dime a dozen. But this one, from Karyl's Kulinary Krusade, uses fresh salmon fillets.

Old Bay Salmon Cakes by Karyl's Kulinary Krusade

Salmon Cakes

This Paleo recipe from Primal Palate calls for canned salmon. But it makes up for that with duck fat! The crispy cakes have a mild, pleasing flavor that makes for a family-friendly dinner recipe.

Salmon Cakes by Primal Palate

Tomato and Smoked Salmon Pasta

If you say smoked salmon and cream cheese, I’m thinking one thing: bagels. But here, they take an everyday pasta-and-tomato sauce and transform it into something rich and a bit umami.

Tomato and Smoked Salmon Pasta by The Washington Post

Smoked Salmon Egg Stuffed Avocados

Rachel Ball of Fresh Planet Flavor calls this recipe #brunchgoals — and for good reason.

Smoked Salmon Egg Stuffed Avocados by Fresh Planet Flavor

Smoked Salmon Cucumber Bites

A Clean Bake brings us a great "non-recipe" recipe — that just happens to be gluten free, Paleo, low carb, and Whole30-friendly. A dollop of creme fraiche or cream cheese is optional.

Smoked Salmon Cucumber Bites by A Clean Bake

7-Minute Salmon Caviar Sushi Bites

Another underrated aspect of salmon? The roe. Here, salmon eggs take center stage on rice crackers dressed up with wasabi and nori.

7-Minute Salmon Caviar Sushi Bites by Food & Wine

Pasta with Salmon Caviar

Salmon caviar gives an unexpected, salty pop to a plate of creamy pasta in this recipe, also from Food & Wine.

Pasta with Salmon Caviar by Food & Wine

Looking for more inspiration? Try one of these related searches on Yummly:

• Asian ginger salmon
• Low fat salmon burgers
• Smoked salmon chowder
• Parmesan herb crusted salmon
• Lemon garlic salmon