The food lab better home cooking through science ( PDFDrive ) 455

Well,here’swhatyou’dsee:

Startingfromthetop,we’vegot:
•Pale-orange/redflesh.Thisisthebulkofthematter,and
if you get your salmon fillets skinless, then it’s basically
all you’re left with. Depending on the species of salmon,
thecolorcanvaryfromadeep,darkredtoapalerorangepink.We’ll talk more in a moment about salmon flesh’s
cooking characteristics. Right above the meat, you’ll find
alayerof...
•SubcutaneousFat.Dependingonthespecies,thetimeof
year, the availability of food, and a number of other
factors, the thickness of the fat layer may vary, but all
salmon have it. It serves both as an energy store for the
fish and as a means of insulating its body from wide
temperature changes between the ocean waters and the


riveritswimstoduringthespawningseason.
• Skin.Somefishhavethick,leatheryskin.Salmonskinis
some of the nicest around, very similar in thickness and
texturetochickenskin,makingitidealforcooking.
It’s these second two layers—the subcutaneous fat and
the skin—that are of interest to us here.We know that the
role of that fat is to insulate the salmon against rapid
temperaturechanges,sowhynotharnessthatfeatureinour
cooking method? Just like all meats, the texture of salmon
fleshchangesasadirectresultofthetemperatureitisraised
to.
• At 110°F and below, the flesh is essentially raw.
Translucentanddeeporangeorred,ithasthesoft,fleshy
textureofgoodsashimi.

• At 110° to 125°F, the salmon is medium-rare. The
connective tissue between layers of flesh has begun to
weaken, and if you insert a cake tester or toothpick into
thefillet,itshouldslideinandoutwithnoresistance.The
meatisrelativelyopaquebutstilljuicyandmoist,without
anychalkinessorfibrousness.
• At 125° to 140°F, we are beginning to enter medium to
well-done territory. Flakiness will increase, and a chalky
texture will start to develop, though it won’t be extreme.
Albumin will start to get expelled from between the
contracting muscle fibers and will begin to coagulate in
unattractivewhiteclumpsontheexteriorofthesalmon.In
the early stages of this clumping, your salmon is still
rescuable,ifyoustopcookingitIMMEDIATELY.