Cooking Salmon: Tips for Minimizing That Weird White Stuff

Anjali Prasertong
Anjali Prasertong
Anjali Prasertong is a writer and public health dietitian focused on food systems, racial equity, and nutrition. Originally from Los Angeles, she has taught English in rural Japan, worked as a private chef in Malibu, and led an innovative city-funded corner store program in New Orleans that increased fresh food access in low-income neighborhoods. She was previously a contributing editor for The Kitchn, and currently lives in Denver with her husband and two kids.
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updated May 2, 2019
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If you’ve ever cooked salmon, you’ve probably noticed an unappetizing white, chunky foam appear on the surface of the fish. It’s called albumin and the folks at America’s Test Kitchen recently shared some insight on how it forms and what you can do to minimize it.

Albumin is a protein that is pushed out of the muscle fibers of the fish as it cooks, coagulating on the surface. Canned, smoked or poached salmon are especially prone to albumin formation, but a small amount of the protein will appear on the surface of even perfectly-cooked fish.

Overcooked salmon, however, will have even more albumin on its surface, so the best way to avoid it is to be careful not to overcook your fish. Glazing the salmon in recipes like our Simple Salmon Teriyaki also seems to help.

• Read more: What is that Weird White Stuff on Cooked Salmon? It’s Albumin—and We Discovered How to Minimize It at America’s Test Kitchen

Do you have any tips for cooking better salmon?

Related: How to Make Smoked Salmon, Two Ways

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seafood
Tips & Techniques
Ingredient