Slow Cooker Salmon With Olives, Tomatoes and Lemony Quinoa

This slow cooker salmon recipe is one of the easiest and tastiest fish recipes that you will ever make! Everything gets tossed into the slow cooker and left to cook for a few hours before the quinoa is added to soak up all of the lemony broth! It is SUPER healthy and a great recipe to try if you are trying to add more fish to your diet.

When I am looking for slow cooker recipes, the last thing I want to do is dirty up a bunch of dishes with pan searing the protein before adding it to the crockpot. While sometimes it is necessary to develop the flavor, this recipe does not need it.

The herby lemony broth that the salmon, olives, and tomatoes are cooked in gets fully absorbed by the quinoa, making this dish extra flavorful!

And it is extremely versatile with the ability to swap out the salmon for a variety of other proteins like cod, haddock, or even chicken! You will just need to adjust the cooking time accordingly.

The Health Benefits Of Salmon

Salmon is particularly high in selenium, an important nutrient that is involved in DNA synthesis. It is a great source of omega-3 fatty acids which are a heart-healthy fat that supports brain health, and it is rich in B12, which is necessary for producing red blood cells and maintaining a healthy central nervous system.

Wild Salmon Vs Farmed Salmon

There was recently an incredible documentary that came out on Netflix called “You Are What You Eat: A Twin Experiment“, where a group of multiple identical twins each changed their diets and lifestyles in a scientific experiment to see how food impacts the body.

In episode 3, the documentary takes a look at the drastic difference between wild-caught salmon and farm raised salmon.

• Wild Caught Salmon – Wild salmon has higher amounts of natural minerals like calcium and iron. The salmon live out their entire lives in the wild, and have less disease. Their flesh is naturally bright orange/red due to what it eats in the wild, and it has less visible white fat in comparison to farmed salmon.

• Farmed Salmon – Farmed salmon are given processed high fat, high protein diets that make them grow larger faster. Farmed salmon on average have 10 grams of fat more than wild salmon, and a lot less calcium. Since farmed salmon are more susceptible to illness in their close quarters, they are given large amounts of antibiotics in their fish feed. Color is also added to farmed salmon because it tends to be paler in comparison to wild salmon.

My biggest concern with this is the overuse of antibiotics in aquaculture. It is not well regulated, and the human ingestion of these antibiotics over the long term has been shown to cause people to become antibiotic-resistant. Large amounts of antibiotics have also been shown to disrupt the gut microbiome which is essential for good health.

So while both wild salmon and farmed salmon have many health benefits, it is my personal choice to try to purchase wild salmon when I can. It is slightly more expensive, but worth the investment, in my opinion.

The American Heart Association recommends that most adults eat two servings of fatty fish per week, and since both salmons contain high amounts of omega-3’s, protein, and nutrients, any type of salmon is still a nutritious choice for this salmon and quinoa recipe.

How To Make Slow Cooker Salmon

Salmon cooked in a slow cooker is a super easy way to make salmon! Make sure to scroll down to the recipe card for the full list of ingredients and instructions.

1. Season the salmon with a pinch of salt, a pinch of pepper, 1/8 tsp paprika, and 1/8 tsp cumin. Spread it around on the salmon with your hands to evenly coat. Slice the salmon into portion-sized pieces.

2. Drizzle 1 tbsp of olive oil in the bottom of a slow cooker and place the salmon on top, skin side down.

3. In a large mixing bowl add the remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil, cherry tomatoes, minced garlic, white wine, lemon juice, olives, Italian seasoning, 1/4 tsp salt, and broth. Pour the mixture over the salmon and place a lid on the slow cooker.

4. Cook on high for 2 hours. Pour in the quinoa, making sure not to pour it directly on the salmon. Use a wooden spoon to make sure that every piece of quinoa is submerged in the broth. Place the lid back on, turn the heat to low, and slow cook for 1 hour 15 minutes.

5. You will know it is done when all of the liquid is fully absorbed by the quinoa. Sprinkle with parsley, and transfer to plates. Serve with a healthy side for salmon like roasted broccoli and carrots and enjoy!

How To Store Leftovers

• Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. To reheat, microwave for two minutes, check the temperature, and continue to microwave in 30-second intervals until the desired temperature is achieved.

Expert Tips

• Make sure all of the quinoa is in the liquid – You want to make sure that you pour the quinoa into the liquid because it needs to be submerged to cook properly. You will also want to push any quinoa that sticks to the sides of the crockpot down into the broth.

• Use as much or as little salmon as you want – This recipe can be made with 1/2 a pound all the way up to 2 pounds of salmon. As long as you keep the amount of all of the other ingredients the same, it will work! Just don’t stack the salmon, obviously.

• Use a rectangular crockpot instead of a deep circle one – As you can tell from the photos, I use a shallow rectangular crockpot instead of an oval deeper one. I find that you can fit more food onto the larger surface area and it cooks more evenly. If you don’t have one, don’t worry about it. The recipe will still work with an oval one. If you are interested in purchasing one, this is the one I have! Crock-Pot Small 3.5 Quart Casserole Manual Slow Cooker and Food Warmer

More Healthy Fish Recipes You Will Love

Did you make this salmon crockpot slow cooker recipe? It would mean so much to me if you would give it a star rating inside the recipe card!