Every time I grill salmon (especially from frozen but this also happens when I grill fresh fish) I get this white fatty liquid dripping out of the filet.
Do I need to be wrapping the fish or is it a problem with temperature? Don’t want to lose all the fat every time I cook fish.
by mjking97
37 Comments
Cooking it too fast.
“The white stuff that comes out of salmon while cooking is called albumin, a flavorless protein that’s naturally present in the fish. Albumin is a liquid when salmon is raw, but it solidifies and becomes semi-solid when the fish is heated, causing it to appear as white streaks or globs. The amount of albumin that appears depends on how the salmon is cooked, and more albumin will appear when the fish is overcooked or cooked too quickly at a higher heat. However, some albumin will likely come to the surface no matter how the salmon is cooked.”
I cook my salmon low n slow to 130, perfection
Try cooking on a cedar plank. Extra flavor and usually very little white.
Too hot. To prevent it you have to keep the temp low, smoked salmon is delicious
You are MASSIVELY overcooking your fish.
Too hot, too long, to *everything.*
Fish, especially something delicious and fatty like salmon, should be just *barely* cooked through (or served raw – my preference!).
I personally like to bake my salmon and I watch it like a hawk so I don’t over cook it.
Grill is too hot
What I usually do is 1 hour drying at 104 degrees, then keeping it at roughly 150 degrees with smoke for another hour.
Keeps the egg whites away mostly
Edit: added a letter
In addition to less direct heat, you can also do a quick brine (15-30 min). This will reduce the albumin that gets squeezed out during cooking.
It’s called albumin. It’s a protein. It happens when too much heat is being used.
Hear me out – it sounds crazy, but I grill my Salmon skin side UP first and then flip it. Use a hot and oiled grill. Probe the fattest part, pull it at 138ish, rest it to 145°. You’ll be good.
A piece that small is going to cook very fast like, 3-5 minutes. If you’re blasting it for longer than that, there’s gonna be problems.
Y’all like your salmon like bricks? I always keep the center a touch raw. Cedar plank is fine, but pan fried to crisp up skin is best way to cook salmon.
Everyone seems to think it’s too hot, I think the opposite. You’re cooking it too long and not hot enough. I cook salmon directly over lump charcoal, really hot, for 1:30-2:00 per side, then rest it. I get grill marks and it’s cooked all the way through.
To hot
Too much heat.
Try cooking it on foil
Means it’s over cooked
You cook it to long
My air fryer does salmon perfectly. No white stuff because it cooks from all sides. 8 minutes at 350
From my experience, the more of that white stuff means it’s been soaked or pumped with fluids.
Kenjis trick for this: salt it the night before and leave it uncovered in the fridge. Just salt it just like you’d normally season it. You won’t have this problem anymore.
https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/white-stuff-on-salmon/
Cook it on a wooden plank
Cooking it to slow
He got p Hot and Excited and couldn’t help himself!😂
Too high a heat… lower it to about 130-140 in eagle units or 55.5-60 if you’re from anywhere else. 🤣
Maybe needs cooked little less
Too hot and too long.
Try cooking it on something at a reduced heat.
You need to brine it first. Then cook
Over cooked at too high a temp
Overcooked
Looks good though 🔥🔥
Soak cedar planks then grill on them… perfect every time
Salt overnight and uncovered in the fridge will fix this
Marinade it in lemon juice for like 30+ min before cooking it and put aluminum foil under it on the grill with some oil or butter so the skin doesnt stick and rip off “optional” ..it could also be the quality of where you bought it too it’s common tho don’t worry I’ve ate plenty of salmon in my life from various super markets/fish markets seen that plenty of times
I know grilling is exciting, but if you’re having trouble containing yourself OP try rubbing one out before you start grilling so you don’t finish before your salmon does. Then you can last longer when you actually get going.