Fish & Seafood - How to cook salmon without drying it out
Expert: Greg Shreenan - 7/21/2008
Question Help! I cannot cook salmon properly for the life of me. I have tried baking & poaching and no matter what, it comes out dry & tasteless. Any suggestions for making it moist and tasteful?
Thank you!
Answer Hi Gina, Wow that is possibly the best question I have had to date!
Here we go. The first thing you have to remember about fish is that it keeps on cooking after you remove it from the heat. I rarely bake Salmon I cook it on the barbecue. If baking is what you prefer or all that you have, then I suggest you Broil it. Here is the key. You need to take it out after about 2-3 minutes and turn the fillet over. You then cook it until you see the fat of the fish bubble up to the top of the fillet. When the fat melts its done. The length of time will depend on the thickness of the fillet. The main theory behind all of this is that if you sear the outside on both sides and cook it fast the fish will stay moist on the inside. Cook it for a long time on lower heat and it will dry out.
My favorite recipe is teriyaki Salmon. You can buy teriyaki Sauce in the store. I use Yoshida's or Lawry's but its really a matter of personal preference. I also like to make my own. I use Soy sauce as a base then I add brown sugar, white sugar, chopped garlic and chopped ginger you can also add sesame seeds and chives.
The Ratios are also a matter of preference but as a rule use 3:1 soy sauce to total sugar. For example 6 cups of soy sauce 1 cup brown sugar and 1 cup white sugar. I use about 6 cloves of garlic and about 1 inch of chopped ginger. I then taste it and adjust it to my liking.
Use a large 1 gallon freezer bag and marinate the fillets and the sauce for at least 2 hours and no more than 5 in the refrigerator.
I have not talked about the kind of Salmon you are using. The farm raised Atlantic Salmon that most super markets sell works well. Make sure the fillets are bright orange and firm to the touch and do not smell like fish. Wild King Salmon is my favorite when I can find it and afford it. Lastly I will tell you that frozen defrosted Salmon will almost always be dry when you cook it so use fresh.
I hope I have given you some help here. Remember...watch for the fat congealing on the surface of the fish that is the key!
Salmon cooked with Salsa is another of my favorites. Lemon and butter are acceptable ( tip use a season salt that you like )Dill is also another good flavoring. There are lots of recipes online and so forth but the key as you have said is not to overcook the fish.
Good luck and If you like get back to me and let me know how things worked out.
