If you are curious about the white stuff that can show up after you cook salmon then you are in the right place!
When there’s white stuff oozing out of the salmon fillet, you may wonder whether it’s OK to eat it or if the salmon has gone bad.
The white stuff that comes out of cooked salmon is a protein called albumin and is completely safe to eat. Cooking salmon slowly and skin side down will help prevent albumin from exiting the salmon fillet.
However, any salmon fillet that has albumin oozing out of a cooked salmon fillet is safe to eat.
Although, visually, albumin may be off-putting so the Americas Test Kitchen sheds light on how to cook it the right way.
How To Prevent White Stuff Oozing From Salmon?
The white stuff oozing out from the salmon fillet can be disgusting to look at, and thus, you may want to get rid of it.
There are a few different ways to get rid of the white stuff on the salmon.
Consider the following:
1. Brine The Salmon
Brining the salmon is what the Americas Test Kitchen recommends as a way to prevent the albumin from oozing out as well as keeping the salmon fillet moist.
In order to bring salmon:
- Use 1 Tbsp of salt for 1 cup of water
- Soak the salmon in this water for about 10 minutes before cooking
It may sound bizarre if you are a new cook, but brining is a common technique to help get rid of smells and flavors, as well as help, keep drier cuts of food moist when cooking.
2. Use Low Cooking Temperatures
Overcooking a salmon and cooking a salmon too fast will cause the salmon flesh to tighten up which squeezes out all the white albumin in the fillet.
So using a lower cooking temperature and slowly cooking the salmon will help prevent the white albumin from oozing out of the salmon fillet.
Make sure to cook salmon with the skin side down as this will also help prevent the salmon flesh from cooking too fast.
3. Avoid Using Frozen Salmon
If you use frozen salmon, make sure to not cook the salmon while it is still frozen. Cooking a frozen salmon will lead to uneven cooking which will lead to more albumin oozing out of the salmon fillet.
Not to mention the outside of the frozen salmon fillet will be overcooked while the inside of the salmon fillet will be undercooked.
Let the frozen salmon thaw out completely in the fridge overnight. You can even place the frozen salmon fillet in a brine if you want to thaw out the salmon fillet and bring it at the same time.
Generally, you can brine salmon overnight in brine before cooking the salmon the next day.
4. Avoid Overcooking The Salmon
If you are a beginner cook, it may seem tempting to overcook the fish to get rid of the white stuff. However, the opposite is true!
Overcooking the salmon will cause more of the white albumin to ooze from the salmon fillet. So it is better to cook the salmon just right to ensure that the fish is cooked all the way through but not overcooked.
How Do I Know Salmon Is Bad?
There are several ways to spot if a salmon has gone bad.
Consider the following:
- Look for dark spots on the fish.
- Check for smells coming from the fish that can tell you that something is off about the salmon!
- Look for signs of mold. You can easily spot the mold on the fish along with the odor.
- Check the color. Generally, the fresh salmon is bright pink, while the old and bad salmon will appear dull or grayish. The discolored flesh would indicate that the fish has gone bad.
If you’re still unsure if salmon is still good or bad then when cooking the salmon the smell should become apparent if the fish has spoiled.
Cooking bad salmon will amplify the off-putting odor that bad salmon creates so trust your gut and your nose.
Can Salmon Go Bad In The Freezer?
You can keep salmon frozen to prevent the salmon from spoiling for 9 to 12 months in the freezer. Ensure that the salmon is frozen in an airtight bag and that there aren’t signs of excessive freezer burn.
Though the salmon can stay frozen for up to a year, it’s best to avoid freezing it for too long as you may forget to use it after a year.
Final Thoughts
The white stuff that you see oozing from the salmon is just a safe-to-eat protein called albumin. It’s in the liquid form, but it would turn semi-solid, forming the protein as the salmon fillet heats up from cooking.
It’s OK to eat albumin, but make sure the salmon you enjoy is fresh. Check the signs for salmon going bad. If it’s just the white stuff albumin oozing from your cooked salmon and your fish is fresh then there is no need to worry.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some frequently asked questions on the white stuff coming out of salmon.
Can You Eat The White Stuff On Salmon?
The white stuff on the salmon can look weird, but it’s not going to kill you! That’s a relief.
Yes, you can eat the white stuff on salmon as it’s the protein that forms at a certain temperature while cooking the fish.
The coagulated protein may look off-putting but is completely safe to eat.
What’s The White Thing On Salmon?
The white thing that you observe on the salmon while cooking is protein. It’s there in the liquid form, but when you start cooking, grilling, or baking the fish, the protein turns to the semi-solid form that you see oozing out from the salmon.
Can You Overcook Salmon to Get Rid of White Stuff?
Overcooking the salmon is not the solution for getting rid of the white stuff. Though it sounds like an ideal solution, it is not. Instead, make sure you are cooking it just right as overcooking can form more protein and, thus, more white stuff.
Why Avoid The White Stuff On Salmon?
The white stuff on salmon is a protein of the fish, so there is no need to worry as you can eat it. However, you may want to avoid it because of its unsightly appearance, mainly if you are serving it to your guests.
