Sous Vide Teriyaki Salmon

After cooking salmon sous vide, I am convinced that this is the only way that salmon — and all fish, really — should be cooked. Period. Full stop. Forever and ever. For reasons which will shortly become clear.

But perfectly cooked salmon isn’t the only thing this recipe has going for it. No, the other attraction is that this sous vide recipe makes an outstanding freezer meal. Having a few of these teriyaki salmon fillets prepped in the freezer and ready to cook sous vide is a lifesaver on nights when other dinner plans go awry.

New to Sous Vide Cooking? Start Here

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What's So Great About Sous Vide Salmon?

Okay, let’s start with what I’ve disliked up until now with my relationship with fish: dry crusty edges, undercooked middles, inconsistent results no matter what technique I use, and the all-consuming fear of screwing up an expensive piece of fish.

Preparing those very same fish fillets sous vide is a game-changer — a term that I don’t use lightly.

Cooking sous vide means that the fish is submerged in water and cooks at a single, steady temperature the entire cooking time. This is important because it means that every part of the fish cooks exactly the same, and it won’t overcook because the fish physically can’t get any hotter than the temperature of the water around it.

And this is important because it means perfectly cooked fish from end to end, inside and out, thin bits and thick bits. No overcooked edges or undercooked middles. Just supremely flaky, buttery, silky fish.

It’s hard to truly communicate to you the lusciousness of this sous vide fish without you trying it for yourself. It flakes into pieces under your fork, but it’s also so soft that it practically melts on your tongue. It reminds me of the texture of silken tofu — the way it’s so smooth and tender that it’s almost creamy. You have to try it to believe it.

Make It a Freezer Meal

Now let’s talk about the other aspect of this technique: how well it works as a freezer meal. How is this? Because another advantage of cooking sous vide is that you can cook foods while they’re still fully frozen. You freeze and cook the salmon in the same freezer bag. I love it.

Let’s say you find some salmon on sale, or you know you have a particularly busy few weeks coming up, or you just want to stash a few fillets away for emergency weeknight dinners. Bundle up your fillets in their own personal freezer bags, stash them in the freezer, and pull them out whenever you need an easy meal, no thawing or pre-planning required.

This works because the temperature of a sous vide water bath is so steady and the food cooks so quickly. The fish cooks nearly as fast as it thaws, and no part is ever in a temperature danger zone long enough for there to be any food safety risk. Nifty, right?

Teriyaki Sauce for Sous Vide Salmon

Sous vide salmon needs little more than salt, pepper, and olive oil to transform itself into a delicious dinner, and if this is what you’re into, then I say go for it.

But if you want to perk things up a bit, I highly recommend this teriyaki version. It’s a simple teriyaki marinade, made with just soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar (or white wine vinegar), garlic, and ginger, and it adds a sweet-salty-tangy flavor to the fish. Add a few tablespoons to the bag along with your salmon fillet and you’re set.

From there, you can cook the fillets right away or freeze them for up to 3 months. Even if you’re planning to cook the fillets within a day or two, I’d still recommend sticking them in the freezer so they don’t over-marinate, plus then you don’t need to worry if your plans change and you don’t get around to making your lovely fish dinner.

The Best Temperature for Sous Vide Salmon

I like to cook this salmon at 122°F for silky, very tender salmon. If you prefer your salmon more firm and flaky, cook it at 130°F.

At either temperature, cook the salmon for about 40 minutes if cooking fresh (unfrozen) salmon, or 70 minutes for frozen salmon. Salmon can be left in the sous vide bath for up to 30 minutes after the end of cooking without significant change in flavor or texture (after 30 minutes, it starts to get a little mushy).

I use the Joule smartphone app from ChefSteps to set the temperature and cooking time for my salmon, which syncs with their Joule immersion circulator. It’s worth noting that even if you have a different immersion circulator, you can still use the Joule app to calculate temperature and cooking time for your sous vide meals. It’s really a very handy app with lots of basic sous vide recipes and helpful step-by-step tutorials.

Curious to give sous vide a try? Check out the Joule immersion circulator from ChefSteps. (I love mine!)

What to Serve With Teriyaki Salmon

I recommend serving this salmon with some simple white rice and some stir-fried vegetables on the side.

If you have leftovers, you can reheat them briefly in the microwave, or flake the salmon into pieces to make salmon cakes, a topper for leafy green salads, or a riff on tuna salad sandwich.

More Great Sous Vide Recipes!

• Sous Vide Steak
• Sous Vide Korean BBQ Chicken
• How to Cook Asparagus Sous Vide
• Sous Vide Cheesecake in Jars
• Sous Vide French Dip Sandwiches