- At 140°F and above, the salmon has reached its limit.
From here on out, it’s just going to get chalkier, drier, and
more unattractive. This is what salmon that sits in the
steam table at the cafeteria looks like, and probably why
you didn’t like salmon as a kid.
So, your goal is really to keep as much of the salmon
below the 140°F temperature range (and, preferably, closer
to the 125°F range) as possible. To do this, make sure to
always cook salmon skin on if you’re pan-roasting, even if
you plan on serving it skinless.¶ By cooking salmon with
the skin on, you can alleviate any sort of overcooking
problems in the outer layers of flesh. The insulative
subcutaneous fat acts as a heat barrier, transmitting heat to
the interior flesh very, very slowly. This slow heat transfer
means that skin-on salmon cooks much more evenly and
gently than skinless salmon. The skin fulfills the exact same
role that a batter or breading supplies on a piece of fried
chicken or a tempura shrimp—a buffer to slow down heat
transfer and provide a crisp element while keeping the flesh
underneath from overcooking.
You may ask, but what about the other side of the fillet?
A salmon fillet only has skin on one side, right? And right
you are. We still have the potential problem of overcooking
the skinless side. The solution? Just cook it through almost
entirely with the skin side down. French chefs who want to
sound lofty like to call this unilateral cooking—cooking
from one side only. Personally, I cheat just a bit, flipping the
salmon over for the last 15 seconds or so, just to firm up the
second side. But cooking salmon skin-on does lead to a few