Cod Vs Salmon: Which Is Easier To Cook As A Beginner?

Whether you're lucky enough to be serving a fresh catch or cooking frozen seafood, cod and salmon are two major players in the "fish dinner" category. If you're a novice at preparing fish, the process might sound intimidating. There are almost as many ways to cook fish as there are species of fish in the sea. While cod and salmon alike are widely regarded as fairly forgiving proteins in terms of cooking, we believe that salmon is the ultimate "easy" fish for beginners to master.

Our preference for salmon in terms of easy cooking is manifold in nature. First of all, salmon offers visual clues to doneness, with the flaky pink skin going opaque and beige with the application of heat. With other fish (like cod), you might have to rely on more subtle indicators like springiness or even temperature as measured with a thermometer. Salmon tells a story just by peeking through the oven door. 

Secondly, while cod is quite a versatile protein in terms of cooking styles, one can barely enumerate every single way to prepare salmon, which can even be enjoyed raw. If you skip the stove and broil salmon, it's a fast and easy dinner. Salmon is absolutely scrumptious when grilled, while cod's delicate flesh is generally too tender for grilling. If you want deep-fried fish, cod is a better choice, but salmon will shine in almost any other application — plus, its oiliness keeps it from drying out too quickly, which can be a real concern with cod.

Obviously, nothing in the kitchen is a hard-and-fast guarantee, but we can attest that the following methods of cooking salmon are just about as user-friendly as it gets, with minimal time or equipment needed. Pan-frying and baking salmon are both amenable to many different seasonings. If you're crunched on prep time and want a fast, delicious, healthy dinner, throw some lemon and garlic on a buttered salmon filet in the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes. Likewise, if you have a skillet and a spatula, pan-fry salmon seasoned with salt and pepper in olive oil, at medium-high heat, for about five minutes per side for juicy, flavorful fish that doesn't disappoint. 

Got an air fryer? Drop some seasoned salmon filets in your basket (well spaced or air flow), and your dinner is done in 7 to 9 minutes (based on a preheated 400-degree appliance)! Redditors have even coached a college student on how to cook salmon in a simple toaster oven, wrapped in tin foil with butter and lemon — reporting it takes about 15 minutes at 400 degrees.

While we savor a great piece of cod, we believe that, at the end of the day, salmon is just a bit easier to handle for beginning cooks. It's easy to tell when salmon is cooked just by looking at it, and the wide range of cooking methods mean that home chefs of all levels of resources can access great fish.