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Related Cooking Notes

Salmon

Salmon Sous Vide

Ingredients

  • salmon fillets
  • salt
  • sugar (optional)
  • olive oil
  • herbs (optional): fresh thyme, dill, parsley, thinly sliced shallots, citrus zest, etc.
  • flour
  • butter

Directions

  1. Season files with salt (required) and a little sugar (optional).
  2. Place in sous vide bag with olive oil (required) and herbs (optional).
  3. Cook.
  4. Heat butter on a frying pan.
  5. Pat fillets dry, flour skin side, and fry in hot butter.

Notes

  • Salt helps avoid the formation of white protein blobs.

Salmon Temperature vs Texture

Texture Temperature
Like firm sashimi 105 F / 41 C
Soft and buttery 110 F / 43 C
Translucent and starting to flake 115 F / 46 C
Very moist, tender, and flaky 120 F / 49 C
Firm, moist, and flaky 130 F / 54 C

Baked Salmon Skin

Directions

  1. Add salt, pepper, and a little sugar on both sides of salmon skin.
  2. Cook in the oven at 375 F, on parchment, until crispy.

Lox (Cured Salmon)

Ingredients

  • boness side salmon (see notes below)
  • rub
    • salt: 2.5 % by weight of salmon
    • sugar: 1.25 % by weight of salmon
    • hickory smoke powder: 0.25% by weight of salmon

Directions

  1. Remove skin
  2. Cut along belly line (between loin, top, and belly).
  3. Remove and discard darker brown meat with a different grain.
  4. Coat the salmon with the rub.
  5. Put into a ziplock and remove the air.
  6. Refregirate for 3 days, flip every day.
  7. Rinse. Put on a cooling rack and dry in the fridge for 4 hours.
  8. Slice thinly.

Notes

  • Choose the firmest and thickest fillet possible.
  • The harder the rigor the salmon has experienced, the softer the fillets will be.
  • Look for (and avoid) fillets with gaps between muscle striations. Gaps first form in the muscles near the backbone and head, which is the thickest portion. This section experiences the most force going into rigor.