You’re making a lovely piece of salmon, and just as your mouth starts watering, white gunk oozes across the surface of the fish. What is that stuff, and how can you keep it from developing?
The white substance is called albumin, a protein that is found naturally in salmon. The moisture-rich protein starts as a liquid. The muscle fibers in the salmon contract as they are heated, pushing albumin to the surface. There, it turns white and thickens.
When albumin shows up on the flesh of your salmon, it typically means that the fish has lost some moisture. Some protein will seep out no matter how perfectly you cook your fish, but salmon that is cooked too long or heated too quickly usually has the most visible albumin.
“When heated quickly from cooking the fish, all proteins coagulate and become more formed,” says Caroline Thomason, RD CDCES, a registered dietitian in the Northern Virginia area. “However, when you cook fish very quickly or overcook it, you are more likely to see the ‘white stuff’ pop up.”
Is Albumin Safe To Eat?
You can certainly eat albumin. It doesn’t impact your dinner’s taste, but you might not like the look of that crusty goo. “Albumin is completely safe and should not have any taste,” Thomason says. “You may notice that the fish overall is tough from overcooking it, so that could be one sign to look for to prevent any unwanted taste or texture changes.”
How To Avoid Albumin
For the best-tasting (and best-looking) salmon, don’t overcook it. Fish should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145°F, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. UThomason says using a meat thermometer is the best way to prevent overcooking
You can also try marinating the salmon in a brine solution before cooking, which helps it stay moist. One recipe suggests about 1/4 cup of salt dissolved in four cups of water. You can keep it simple or add flavorful ingredients like onion and garlic.
“Brining usually adds salt, which is absorbed by the fish and holds the liquid in the interior of the fish, instead of the liquid (and albumin) seeping out,” says registered dietitian Isabel Maples, MEd, RDN, a national spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Salmon Cooking Tips
It’s easy to overcook salmon because it’s so quick-cooking. Maples offers these tips:
- Use low to medium temperatures (250°F to 300°F), not high temperatures.
- Take the salmon out of the refrigerator 15 minutes early so it can cook more evenly.
- Pat the fish gently with a paper towel before cooking. This allows it to crisp up instead of steaming, which releases more liquid.
- Cut large salmon pieces into smaller portions of the same size to allow for even cooking.
“Fish is done when it flakes on testing (a fork inserted at an angle into the center and then twisted gently),” says Maples. “Fish will lose its translucent, raw look.”
And if you still end up with white gunk? Just scrape it off and enjoy your dinner!
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