The Best Temperature For Sous Vide Salmon

If you like your salmon soft, flaky, and incredibly buttery, welcome to the world of sous vide — a method as foolproof as can be to ensure that your fish is far from dry every single time (via Sous Vide Ways). For sous vide salmon, you essentially need to soak it in a brine first, seal it in a vacuum-packed bag, and dunk it in hot water for a certain period of time.

The key to the flaky texture of the sous vide salmon is the temperature. Sous Vide Ways recommend soaking the salmon in salted water first. Doing ensures that the salmon will absorb both the salt and the water and become plump, juicy, and flavourful. Once it's soaked in the brine for about half an hour, you can then seal the salmon in an airtight bag using a vacuum sealer and submerge it in water.

Now comes the tricky part: the temperature of the water and the cooking time. According to Serious Eats, soft proteins like salmon react extremely to even the slightest change of temperature. This is also why boiling eggs is particularly tricky. So, the temperature of your sous vide can make all the difference between a soft and flaky salmon filet versus a rubbery one.

You can adjust the sous vide temperature based on how you like your salmon

The temperature of your sous vide and its cooking time depends largely on how you like your salmon. For Sous Vide Ways, the sweet spot is 125 degrees F and 45 minutes. At 125 degrees, the salmon is slightly flaky yet firm, and the 45 minute cook time ensures a perfectly tender filet. But while that works best for the website, there is room for experiment.

If you're sous viding the salmon for sushi and sashimi, 105 degrees F will keep the salmon firm (via Serious Eats). If you like your salmon soft and buttery, the sous vide temperature should be 110 degrees F. If you like your salmon cooked just till it starts to show signs of flaking, you want the sous vide temperature to be at 115 degrees F. For moist and flaky but soft salmon, you want 120 degrees F. But if you want it moist and flaky but firm, the sous vide temperature should be 130 degrees F.

Once the sous vide cook is done, you can either serve your salmon straight away or serve it chilled for sushi and sashimi. You can also give it a sear on a hot pan for crispy skin.