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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
- Everything You’ve Been Wondering About Sous Vide Cooking at Home
- How to Use Your New Sous Vide Immersion Circulator
- How to Seal Foods Without Using a Vacuum Sealer
- Sous Vide and Food Safety: What to Know
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
Sous Vide Teriyaki Salmon Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 to 2 pounds salmon or salmon fillets, 1-inch thick
- 3 cloves garlic, minced (about 4 teaspoons)
- 1-inch piece ginger, peeled and minced (about 4 teaspoons)
- 1/4 cup soy sauce or gluten-free tamari
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar or white wine vinegar
- 1/2 to 2 teaspoons cornstarch, for thickening the sauce
- Sliced green onions or chopped cilantro, to serve
Special equipment:
Method
1 Get ready: Pull out 4 freezer bag, and label each bag with the recipe and the basic cooking instructions (you'll thank me for this later when you're trying to remember which recipe to follow!). Flip the zip-top edge of the bag outward, forming a cuff around the bag. This helps the bag stay open and upright.
Fill a large bowl or stock pot with 4 or 5 inches of water. Lay out a kitchen towel.
2 Make the teriyaki marinade: Whisk together the soy sauce, water, brown sugar, and vinegar for the marinade.
3 Cut the salmon into 4 portions (if not already done). Aim for equal portions, though it's fine if they are different shapes. If you're buying at fish counter, you can also ask the person at the counter to do this for you.
4 Season the salmon: Divide the garlic and ginger between the fillets (about 1 teaspoon of each per fillet). Use your fingers to spread the garlic and ginger evenly over the surface of the salmon. This step helps them stick to the surface of the salmon after the teriyaki marinade is added.
5 Transfer the salmon to freezer bags: Slide one fillet into each bag. Usually the fillets fit in the bottom of the bag (as pictures), but it's fine if they are sideways.
6 Add the marinade and seal the bag: Holding the bag upright, add about 3 tablespoons of marinade to the bag. Flip the cuff back up and seal the bag almost closed, leaving about an inch un-zipped.
Holding the bag by the unzipped portion, submerge the bag in the pot of water. Use your other hand to gently press out any air pockets from around the salmon. Lower the bag right up to the unzipped portion so that all the air bubbles are forced out, then pinch the bag closed.
Lift the bag out of the water; the plastic should hug the sides of the salmon, pressing right up against the fish. If it doesn't, or if you see any big air bubbles around the salmon, repeat sealing the bag. (Read more here.)
Transfer the bag to the kitchen towel and pat dry. Repeat with adding the marinade and sealing the remaining freezer bags of salmon.
7 Cook or freeze the salmon: If desired, skip to the next step and cook the salmon right away. Otherwise, freeze the salmon overnight or up to 3 months. The marinade will become opaque but may not completely solidify; this is normal. Even if you plan on eating the salmon within a few days, I'd recommend freezing it so that the fish doesn't over-marinate.
8 When ready to cook, heat the sous vide bath: Fill a large pot with at least 6 inches of water. Add the Joule (or other sous vide device) and heat the water to 122°F for silky, very tender salmon, or to 130°F if you prefer your salmon more firm and flaky.
9 Cook the fish: Once the sous vide bath is heated, add as many salmon fillets as you'd like to cook. (Do not thaw frozen salmon.) It's fine if the tops of the bags poke out from the surface of the water, but the salmon itself should be completely submerged. Add additional water if needed to cover.
Cook fresh (unfrozen) salmon for about 40 minutes, or cook frozen salmon for 70 minutes (the cooking time is the same whether cooking at 122°F or at 130°F). 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).
When done, pull all the bags from the water and lay them on a kitchen towel. Pat the bags dry.
10 Make the teriyaki sauce: Holding the bag over a microwave-safe measuring cup, snip one of the corners of the bag and empty the teriyaki marinade into the cup. Add water as needed so that you have 1/4 cup of liquid for every salmon fillet you have prepared. Whisk in 1/2 teaspoon of cornstarch for every 1/4 cup of liquid.
Microwave on high in 30 second bursts, whisking between each burst, until the sauce thickens and bubbles around the edges (about 30 seconds for each quarter cup). If it doesn't seem to be thickening, whisk in another 1/4 teaspoon of cornstarch for each 1/4 cup and continue heating.
11 Serve the salmon: While the sauce is heating, slide each salmon fillet out of its bag and onto a plate. If you'd like crispy skin (optional), warm a tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and sear the salmon, skin-side down, for a few minutes or until the skin is browned and crispy.
Transfer each fillet to a plate, drizzle each one with sauce, and sprinkle with sliced green onions or chopped cilantro. Serve warm.
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Emma Christensen is the Editor-in-Chief of Simply Recipes, and has over 10 years of experience creating food and content for web and print. She was formerly the recipe editor for The Kitchn and is the author of three books on home-brewing, True Brews, Brew Better Beer, and Modern Cider. Emma is a graduate of The Cambridge School for Culinary Arts and Bryn Mawr College. She lives in San Jose, California.
Sous Vide Teriyaki Salmon
How do you use this recipe if you start with frozen vacuum packed Salmon?
Hi, Janel! Check the temperature and safety rating for the plastic your salmon is packaged in. If it’s safe for cooking and rated above the cooking temperature of the salmon, then you can cook the salmon in its original packing. If it’s not (or if you’re not sure), then remove the salmon from the original packaging and repackage it in a freezer zip-top bag like those specified in the recipe. I hope that helps!
I followed the recipe and the salmon turned out soft and mushy. Temp too low? Other recipes I’ve seen for salmon use 130 degrees. It was not appealing.
Thanks for the feedback, Randy! How long did you cook the fish for? If you let it cook for much longer than 30 minutes, then the fish does start to get a little soft and mushy. It also might just be a matter of preference! If you like firmer, more well-done fish, then by all means cook it at 130F!
Try sprinkling a little salt on the fish before bagging. The teriyaki may not be salty enough to brine it. J. Kenji Lopez-Alt experimented with dry-brine, wet-brine, and no brine sous vide salmon. Here’s what he said:
“The difference is quite striking, with both the salmon that was water-brined and the dry-brined salmon coming out with a firmer, more pleasant flesh. Without any brine, salmon cooked at lower temperatures can taste mushy and watery; at higher temperatures, it will taste dry and chalky. With brine, salmon at low temperatures has a smooth, buttery texture, and at higher temperatures, it retains more moisture.”
Same here. Still tasty but mushy and fell apart to pieces.
I want to this :) Thanks :)
Who needs more ways to add plastic to our ecosystem and who needs to risk releasing toxic chemicals into their food if the temp goes too high? Food storage bags are not regulated by the FDA for safe cooking as other food containers are. This registered dietitian will NOT be trying this. I’ll stick to baking salmon in parchment paper.
agree 100%
If you dont want to use plastic get glass jars they wprk well just remember to make sure the lids are tight
You can use stasher bags while cooking sous vide! They’re the resealable Reusable silicone Bags. :) no need to shame people here when there’s a sustainable alternative.
Wow! How rude! There are reusable sous code bags one can use. Jeez.
Thank you for this recipe, Emma. As you know, I asked you for a salmon sous vide recipe, so I am delighted. I think I might try using Ultra Gel as a thickener, adding it before starting the sous-vide. Although your method in the microwave is very easy, I would prefer to just wash up the one container from making the marinade! Ultra Gel should stand up to the long slow cooking just fine. :D I will let you know how it works out.
Oh hooray! I hope you like the recipe! Let me know how adding the thickener to the sous vide bag works for you. I was curious about doing that, but haven’t had a chance to try it yet.