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The scene is set. You’re hyped up for your date night at home. You’ve got salmon in the oven—you even sprung for the wild-caught Alaskan stuff. The side dishes are done, the mood is set, you take the salmon out of the oven, and…it’s covered in white slime. Killjoy.
Don’t worry. It might not be the most appetizing to look at, but those expensive filets are still good.
What Is That White Stuff Oozing Out of My Salmon While It Cooks?
It’s called albumin. And it lives in your salmon, whether it’s cooked or not, no matter where it’s from, how it’s raised, or how much you paid for it.
Albumin is a liquid protein that solidifies when the fish is cooked, seeping out as the muscle fibers contract under heat, thickening and turning bright white. Think of your salmon as a wet towel being rung out. The wringing is the heat, and the water being pushed out is that white stuff you’re seeing. The higher the heat, the more albumin.
Whether you see no albumin at all or your salmon is nearly coated in what looks like glue is completely unrelated to what type of salmon you’re cooking or whether you splurged to buy it. It’s entirely dependent on how you cook it; more on that later.
Is It Safe To Eat?
Albumin may be off-putting, but it’s completely harmless. It is flavorless and has no impact whatsoever on your dinner, other than aesthetically. (And perhaps your ego. Instagram-worthy, it is not.) The fish might be a bit tough, though, as the muscle fibers have contracted so much.
In fact, since albumin is a protein, it’s actually good for you, should you decide not to remove it.
How Do You Prevent It?
An excess of albumin indicates overcooked salmon and/or salmon that was cooked too quickly.
Eliminating albumin completely isn’t likely (sorry, perfectionists), even if you undercook or perfectly cook that fish, but you can get close. If you hope to keep the protein inside your fish instead of dotted on top of it, there are a few things you can do:
Don’t overcook it. Salmon should be cooked to 145 degrees F (63 degrees C) and no further. Pulling it off the heat slightly before that (don’t be afraid) will help you hit that number without galloping past it. Using a meat thermometer is the best way to keep tabs on temp, but if you use one, be sure to blot the place where you inserted it with a paper towel before continuing to cook the fish.
Pat the fish dry with paper towels before cooking. This will discourage the moisture on the surface from steaming your fish.
Attempt to cook evenly sized pieces. Even if it means cutting into your filets.
Use a medium temperature instead of a high temperature to cook it. Longer and lower is the name of the game.
Keep it skin-side down for as long as possible when searing. The skin will protect the delicate flesh. Try to cook it 90 percent of the way through before flipping it. You can even turn the heat off when you flip it—the cooking will continue even without the direct heat.
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