Sous Vide Salmon in 8 Simple Steps (Impressive Yet Easy!)

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There are so many ways to cook and prepare salmon. But one of the absolute best ways to serve up salmon is by using the sous vide method.

While the sous-vide process sounds super fancy and may seem like a really complicated process, it’s really not.

In fact, it’s one of the best ways to make sure that you end up with perfectly cooked salmon fillets every time!

But you’ll probably never even want to order overpriced sous vide salmon at high-end restaurants ever again!

This is a super simple salmon recipe that you’ll make over and over!

How Does The Sous Vide Method Work?

The sous-vide process involves placing your food into a vacuum-sealed bag, then letting the full sous-vide bag cook in a temperature-controlled water bath.

This process is exceptionally easy if you have an actual sous-vide precision cooker, you just set the temperature on the control pad. Then place your salmon in the water and you are good to go!

Sous Vide SalmonTemperature

The temperature you set on your sous vide depends on how you like your fish.

We like our to be firm yet flaky, so we cook it at 110°F. Set the timings below and adjust the recipe to your preference

• Firm and Almost Raw Like Sasmhi – 105°F or 41°C
• Butter yet soft – 110°F or 43°C
• Slight flaky – 115°F or 46°C
• Tender and flaky – 120°F or 49°C
• Moist, firm and flaky – 130°F or 54°C

8 Simple Steps for Making Sous Vide Salmon

Let’s go through this cooking process step by step!

Note: You can also try this recipe with other types of fish such as marlin, trout, and tuna.

Step 1

You want to start by filling a pot with cold water from the tap. The size of the pot completely depends on the size of the fresh fish you’re working with. Then you’ll also need the water level to reach the waterline indicator on the machine.

Step 2

While the water is heating up in the pot, you should use this time to prep your fish. The first thing that you’ll want to do is remove any excess moisture.

You can do this by patting the surface of it with a paper towel. Depending on how wet your fish is, you might end up having to use additional paper towels.

Step 3

After you’ve dried the piece of salmon sufficiently, you’ll want to move on to seasoning the fish.

There are so many ways you can season salmon. However, for this simple yet delicious recipe, you’ll just need to use some salt, pepper, and a few slices of lemon.

Step 4

Once that’s done, it’s time to place the fish into sous-vide vacuum seal bags. While you can totally just put all your fish pieces into a single bag, we suggest individually bagging the salmon.

This will allow them to cook more evenly. By the end, you should be left with nicely vacuum-sealed bags of salmon.

Step 5

Now, all that’s left to do is just place the bags of salmon into the hot water to sous vide.

You want to make sure that all the vacuum-sealed bags are fully submerged, and then you can just leave it to cook for 45 minutes.

Step 6

When the timer rings, promptly and gently remove the salmon from the hot water, take them out of the bags, and put them onto a fresh sheet of parchment paper.

Just to make sure that the fish has crispy skin, just pop it into the oven to cook for a couple of minutes.

If you don’t want to use the oven, you can also just replicate this step on the stove. Heat two tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil in a pan on medium-heat or medium-high heat, and then plop the pieces of fish in.

Step 7

You want to ensure that you’ve placed them in with the skin facing down. It should only take one or two minutes for the salmon to develop a nice golden brown appearance.

Sous Vide Salmon Recipe

Need Some More Ideas for Salmon Recipes?

The great thing about salmon is that you can literally marinade it in so many different ways. There are all these wonderful herbs and spices that go so well with this type of fish!

Here are some more salmon recipes that you might like to try out! (And we highly recommend that you do!)

• Sous Vide Teriyaki Salmon (You can even use frozen salmon for it!)
• Smoked Salmon On Pellet Grill 
• Salmon on Himalayan Salt Block
• Brown Sugar Rubbed Smoked Salmon 
• Cedar Planked Salmon

You don’t just have to sous vide fish you can also try sous vide ribeye, it’s just as tender as grilling it!

Struggling to Decide What You Should Serve With Sous Vide Salmon?

And if you’re struggling to decide on what side dishes would work well, then here are some ideas that we absolutely love:

• Butter and Garlic Green Beans
• Lemon Butter Broccolini
• Vegan Thai Noodle Salad with Peanut Sauce

 What if I Don’t Have a Special Sous Vide Machine?

While sous vide machines are extremely useful, it’s totally understandable if you don’t actually have one in your kitchen. These powerful cooking appliances aren’t cheap, and they’re sure to set you back by at least a couple of hundred dollars.

The good thing is, you don’t actually need to fork out all that money just to sous vide something. You can definitely cook food using this method with the equipment you already have at home.

Since this cooking method simply involves a hot water bath, a decent-sized pot of water on the stove will do the trick. Just fill an appropriate sized pot with water, and leave it to boil on your stovetop. But you will need to invest in a vacuum sealer.

Luckily, food vacuum sealers aren’t that expensive. You can easily get your hands on ones that work well for as little as $65!

Happy Cooking!

 Now, it’s time for you to get practicing and experimenting with all the different types of sous vide salmon marinades out there!

Happy feasting!

Smoke On!

Charlie

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