Salmonis healthy, delicious, and simple to prep.
That white stuff is called albumin.
Its tasteless and totally safe to eat, but it is pretty unsightly.
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I spoke with professional chefs about how to avoid it, and tested their techniques for myself.
Spoiler alert: they work!
Both methods reduced the appearance of albumin on salmon.
Jenna Helwig
Heres how you might avoid the white stuff on salmon when youre cooking the hearty fish at home.
Jacek Chabraszewski/Getty Images
What Is Albumin?
But first, what exactly is this stuff?
Albumin is aproteinfound in animal products and even some plants, says chef Shawn Matijevich.
If you think the albumin in salmon resemblescooked egg whites, well, theres a reason for that!
Albumin proteins are also found in egg whites.
Albumin is flavorless and harmless, says Matijevich.
Here are two techniques to reduce the amount of albumin that salmon releases while cooking.
Sprinkle a light amount ofkosher salton both sides of salmon filets.
Let it sit for 15 minutes.
I tested out Encisos method at home to see if it worked.
I bought two 4-ounce pieces of Alaska sockeye salmon, and laid them side-by-side on a plate.
I salted one generously with kosher salt, and let them both sit at room temperature for 15 minutes.
I gently rinsed the salted piece, and dried it with a paper towel.
I rubbed both filets witholive oil, and seasoned them both lightly with kosher salt.
Jenna Helwig
When I examined the fish, the difference between the two filets was clear.
The one that had been salted released significantly less albumin.
I followed the same salting, resting, rinsing, and drying method on one filet.
Riperts recipe includes topping it with an herb and lemon-infused olive oil before cooking.
But the basic method is even simpler.
Place the fisheither individual filets or a 1 to 2-pound piecein a baking dish.
Cover it liberally with olive oil, and season it with salt.
Bake at 275 or 300 degrees until cooked to your liking.
While I did test this method out (and it worked!
), honestly I didn’t need to.
This is how I cook salmon most frequently.
And that makes sense, says Matijevich.
Cooking salmon gently helps keep it from overcooking, and overcooked salmon releases more albumin."
Whatever the reason, youve got albumin on your filets!
Heres how to handle it.
Just brush off the albumin with a pastry brush that is loaded with somemelted butteror olive oil.
Try one of ourfavorite salmon recipes, and enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Albumin is a naturally occurring protein found in salmon.
When cooked, the heat causes it be pushed to the surface.
Overcooking, or cooking at a higher temperature can cause the albumin to become more noticeable.
No, albumin is both flavorless and harmless.
However, the temperature your salmon is cooked at is still the main factor in reducing albumin.
