Easy, simple and healthy Instant Pot Salmon and Quinoa meal made with few ingredients and only two minutes under pressure.
Colorful bell peppers, fresh herbs and olive oil adds flavor to this Instant Pot Salmon and Quinoa meal.
If you own an instant pot (assuming that you do since you landed on this post), I am certain that this magic pot has impressed you with its ability to cook up a meal real fast.
This has certainly been the case for me, even though I grew up with pressure cookers (the old noisy ones). At that time we used it exclusively to cook beans and bone-y meats.
Today with the evolution of the old noisy stovetop pressure cookers to the electric multi-cooker we call Instant Pot, the sky is the limit!
For me instant pot salmon is the one thing that keeps me in awe every-single-time!
To those busy Moms and Dads out there, let me tell you something... keep salmon in your freezer at all times! Why?
- you come home after a long day of work, tired, only to realize you have not taken anything out of the freezer. It happens to the best of us
- your family is famished and they are all looking at you. Even the dog!
- fear not! take that solid frozen salmon out of the freezer and cook in the instant pot for 2 minutes and done!!
- better yet. Add quinoa to the bottom of the pot and make it a whole meal 🙂
Other instant pot salmon recipes and easy meals you might enjoy:
Instant pot Soy-Free Asian Salmon
Instant Pot Turkey Meatballs and Spaghetti Squash
Instant Pot Shrimp Scampi with Pasta
what you will need to make this Instant Pot Salmon and Quinoa recipe:
- an Instant Pot! I have this 6qt instant pot that I use for all my recipes.
- Instant pot trivet to hold the salmon above the quinoa. I also recommend this accessory bundle so you get the most out of your instant pot.
- 2 6oz Salmon filet. You can add more salmon if you like. To fit more salmon on the trivet simply cut the salmon filets in half. Cooking times will remain the same.
- 1 cup of white quinoa. This is one of the brands I use but any white quinoa will work.
- colorful bell peppers will make the dish pretty but you can use one color of bell pepper if it's easier.
- cilantro (or parsley) will brighten the dish and add flavor
- good high quality olive oil. Make sure you buy an olive oil that were bottled within 18 months for best flavor.
This instant pot salmon and quinoa recipe is perfect for meal prepping!
If you make this Instant Pot Salmon and Quinoa recipe, be sure to leave a comment and give this recipe a star rating! I love to hear from you and always do my best to respond to all your comments. Also, don’t forget to tag #gardeninthekitchen on Instagram for a special shutout and/or a chance of being featured in my newsletter!
Instant Pot Salmon and Quinoa
Equipment
- Instant pot
Ingredients
- (2) 6oz salmon*
- 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
- 1 ½ cups water
- ⅓ cups each, yellow, green, red bell pepper** chopped
- 1 pinch sea salt and pepper, to taste
- fresh cilantro
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Add quinoa, water and bell peppers to the instant pot. Season with salt and pepper to taste and give it a good stir.
- Place the trivet on top of the quinoa. Add seasoned salmon.
- Cook on high pressure (HP) for 2 minutes. Allow for 5-10 minutes of natural pressure release (NPR), then quick release remaining pressure (QPR)
- Remove salmon and trivet. Add a handful of fresh cilantro or parsley to the quinoa and stir.
- Serve the salmon over the quinoa and season well with olive oil and a fresh sprinkle of ground black pepper.
Notes
Linda says
Loved this recipe. Salmon was cooked perfectly.
Silvia Ribas says
That's great to hear Linda, thanks for your feedback!
Lindsey says
So easy and delicious! I didn’t know what to season the salmon with so I used salt, pepper, dill and garlic. I also added a little lemon juice to the water to give the quinoa a lemony flavor.
Molly Vander Valk says
I really wanted to like this recipe. The salmon was cooked very well but otherwise it was bland.
Silvia Ribas says
Sorry to hear you didn't love the recipe. This recipe is on the lighter side of flavor but nonetheless it's a good healthy and clean recipe. If you were to try it again, definitely add more seasoning to your taste. Thanks for letting me know your thoughts
Carol says
That was my concern. I just re-read the recipe before making it tomorrow. It says to add seasoned salmon to the trivet over the quinoa. It doesn't say what to season it with.
Silvia Ribas says
Hi Carol, the salmon is seasoned with the suggested seasoning (salt and pepper). However, you can add any additional seasoning of your liking. Hope this helps!
Richard Walker says
Had salmon last night. Got to try this "real soon now."
Oli says
Hi there! My Salmon is not frozen. Is the cooking time the same?
Silvia Ribas says
I usually cook for the same amount of time
Cathy says
I have made this recipe twice now. The first time I waited 8 minutes for the NPR and then quick released the remaining pressure and the salmon was overcooked (but the quinoa came out great!). Then last night I made this again and waited just 5 minutes for the NPR before quick releasing and the salmon was much better. Even with only 5 minutes NPR, the quinoa again came out perfect.
My salmon pieces were both only around 5 ounces each and were thin (added Mrs Dash salt free fiesta lime seasoning on the fish but any seasoning would probably work just as well.) I used 3 green bell peppers from my garden (undoubtedly far more than 1 cup total) but they really didn't overpower the quinoa at all.
I didn't even add the olive oil (or parsley or cilantro since I didn't have any) at the end to the quinoa and this recipe was still fantastic!
What I really love about this recipe is that it is so quick and easy and has such few ingredients, yet tastes like something you would eat a a restaurant. I also had fresh broccoli (cooked ahead of time in the instant pot also) and it was an excellent dinner.
Thanks so much for the recipe!
Silvia Ribas says
Hi Cathy! this is so wonderful to hear, I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe and I agree, this recipe is simple uses few ingredients but you get a meal that normally you'd get at a restaurant. I truly appreciate your feedback!
Jennifer says
Hi! Do you absolutely need to use a trivet with this recipe? I don’t have one.
Thanks!
Silvia Ribas says
I haven't tried without the trivet but I am certain that it will work without it. Let me know how you like it, if you think of it 🙂 xo
Margo says
I used Frozen salmon on a trivet, 4 to 5 oz each. Quite thick but since it was under weight I thought it would work. PR for 2 minutes and NP for 14 and it was raw. 😅
Silvia Ribas says
that is very strange... was the quinoa cooked okay? I've cooked salmon (this recipe and other salmon recipes) and they always come out falling apart. I am really sorry to hear tho I know it can be frustrating, hope you were able to save it by adding more time. Tho I don't think more time is needed (generally).