The potatoes get a two-hour head start on High before the salmon is even unwrapped. They need it; the fish needs twenty-five to thirty-five minutes, and putting them in together would ruin one or the other.
Then everything comes out of the cooker and goes under a broiler for two to three minutes. That short blast is what browns the salmon surface and blisters the potatoes — the part of the finished plate a slow cooker cannot make.
Why This Recipe Works
- Two hours on High softens baby potatoes in only half a cup of broth, so they steam rather than boil.
- A compound butter spread over the fillets melts down into them as they cook rather than sitting on top.
- Salmon at 145 degrees Fahrenheit is opaque and flakes easily, which is a short window in a gentle cooker.
- The broiler does in three minutes what hours of covered heat cannot: colour.
Ingredient Notes
- Skinless salmon fillets
- Four, 5 to 6 ounces each. Skinless, because the finished plate shows a browned flesh surface rather than crisped skin.
- The garlic butter
- Three tablespoons of softened butter with garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice and parsley, spread on rather than melted over.
- Olive oil, divided
- Two tablespoons: one tosses the potatoes at the start, one brushes everything before the broiler.
How to Make It
Potatoes first
Toss potatoes with 1 tbsp oil, 1/2 tsp salt and pepper. Add to the slow cooker with broth and cook on High 2 hours.
Make the garlic butter
Mix butter, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, parsley and remaining salt.
Salmon on top, to 145F
Set salmon over the potatoes, spread with garlic butter, and top with lemon slices. Cook on High 25 to 35 minutes, until salmon reaches 145 degrees Fahrenheit.
Broil to colour
Transfer salmon and potatoes to a foil-lined pan, brush with remaining oil, and broil 2 to 3 minutes to brown the salmon surface and blister the potatoes.
Serve
Serve immediately with the cooking juices.
Two Hours, Half an Hour, Three Minutes
Three stages of wildly different lengths, each matched to what is actually in the pot at the time.
Stage 1 of 3
Two hours - the potatoes alone
Steps 1–1 of 5
1 1/2 lb of halved baby potatoes tossed with oil, salt and pepper, in the cooker with only 1/2 cup of broth on HIGH. That little liquid means they steam rather than boil, and they have the pot to themselves because the fish could not survive here.
- Potatoes firstToss potatoes with 1 tbsp oil, 1/2 tsp salt and pepper. Add to the slow cooker with broth and cook on High 2 hours.
Stage 2 of 3
25 to 35 minutes - the salmon joins
Steps 2–3 of 5
Four skinless fillets set over the softened potatoes, spread with a compound butter of 3 tbsp butter, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice and parsley, topped with lemon slices. Out at 145F, when the flesh is opaque and flakes.
- Make the garlic butterMix butter, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, parsley and remaining salt.
- Salmon on top, to 145FSet salmon over the potatoes, spread with garlic butter, and top with lemon slices. Cook on High 25 to 35 minutes, until salmon reaches 145 degrees Fahrenheit.
Stage 3 of 3
2 to 3 minutes - under the broiler
Steps 4–5 of 5
Everything onto a foil-lined pan, brushed with the remaining oil, under direct heat. This is the only stage that browns anything: a covered cooker brings salmon to temperature but leaves it pale, and the finished plate is not pale.
- Broil to colourTransfer salmon and potatoes to a foil-lined pan, brush with remaining oil, and broil 2 to 3 minutes to brown the salmon surface and blister the potatoes.
- ServeServe immediately with the cooking juices.
Success Tips
- Do not add the salmon early. Two hours would take it far past 145 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Line the pan with foil — garlic butter under a broiler is difficult to clean off.
- Stay at the oven. Two to three minutes is the whole window, and salmon goes from browned to dry quickly.
Serving Ideas
Four servings, each browned fillet plated with the blistered baby potatoes, a lemon slice and the cooking juices spooned over.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I skip the broiler step?
No. The browning on the salmon and the blistering on the potatoes only happen under direct heat.
Can the salmon and potatoes go in at the same time?
No. The potatoes need two hours; the salmon needs 25 to 35 minutes.
How do I know the salmon is done?
145 degrees Fahrenheit, or opaque and easily flaked, before it goes under the broiler.
