Celebrity Chef Geoffrey Zakarian's Simple Trick for Perfectly Cooked Salmon

Salmon is a super versatile type of fish with incredible flavor that you can use as a building block for countless meals. But it can sometimes be hard to tell if salmon is cooked , so you end up with an overdone, dry, chalky piece of fish. Luckily, celebrity chef and Food Network star  Geoffrey Zakarian  is here to help.

In a recent TikTok posted by  Baked by Melissa , the Iron Chef winner drops by to show Melissa Ben-Ishay—and the world—how to know when salmon is almost fully cooked.

Related:  62 Sensational Salmon Recipes for Tonight's Dinner

Geoffrey Zakarian's Smart Trick for Cooking Salmon 

Try this easy trick from  Geoffrey Zakarian the next time you have salmon on the dinner menu. Grab a salmon filet, pat it dry, and make three vertical slits on the skin side of the filet. Turn the salmon over and season with salt and pepper.

Place a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, wait for it to heat up, then add some olive oil and add the salmon skin-side down. 

Here's where the magic will happen if you can practice patience . Watch and wait for the deep red salmon to turn an opaque, pale pink most of the way up the side of the fish , which will take anywhere from 8 to 10 minutes.

Flip the fish over and remove the salmon when it's pale pink on the sides. There you have it, perfectly cooked salmon!

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How Else to Use Geoffrey Zakarian's Salmon Trick

Salmon isn't the only fish where color matters. You can easily try this trick when cooking other types of fish. For example, you can tell when a white fish, such as tilapia or  cod , is ready to eat when it goes from a glossy milky white to a solid white color.

If you're hesitant to trust your eyes, you can check its flakiness. If a fish resists flaking when you lightly run a fork along the side, it needs to cook a few minutes longer.

Related:  This Is the #1 Change I Noticed When I Ate Salmon Every Day for a Week

More Tips and Tricks for Making Salmon

Looking for more ways to take your salmon to the next level? Here are two more great ideas to try:

• My Chef-Husband Taught Me the Easiest Way to Make the Best-Ever Grilled Salmon

• The Secret Ingredient for Making Salmon That Tastes Like It Came From a Restaurant

Related: We Asked Dietitians to Rank 10 Popular Canned Tunas and You Can Buy the Winner at Walmart

This story was originally published by Parade on Feb 18, 2026, where it first appeared in the Food & Drink section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.