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Your Eyes Can Help You Tell If You've Overcooked Salmon

There's nothing worse than bringing home a beautiful piece of fish only to see it become a charred, unappetizing mess. People make plenty of mistakes when cooking salmon, like turning the heat up too high or not using a cedar plank when grilling salmon so it doesn't stick to the grates. However, many of these missteps can be avoided simply by being attentive to the task at hand.

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We reached out to Executive Chef Kory Foltz of Sunseeker Resort for some tips about how to up our salmon game, and he pointed out that just slowing down to watch the seafood cook will help you achieve an appealing result. "The number one most common mistake people make when cooking salmon is overcooking it," he said. "Know that if white liquid or any moisture pools on top of the fish it is overcooked." That white stuff you see on your salmon is a protein called albumin, and while it is perfectly safe to eat, it is a sure sign that the fish was cooked for too long.

People commonly overlook two of the most valuable culinary tools they have at their disposal: their eyes. By making a habit out of watching it, anyone can become familiar with how a piece of fish is supposed to look when it has been cooked to perfection. Eyeballing your salmon to get it off the grill or out of the pan before the flavor seeps out takes practice, but thankfully, your eyes aren't the only tools that are available.

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Use all tools available to cook salmon properly

Judging whether or not a piece of salmon is done with just your eyes can be intimidating. However, remember that you have other senses that can assist you. Chef Foltz explained he uses his sense of touch, saying, "How I check is to apply soft pressure to the filet with your finger, you should start to feel the meat flake apart internally, this means it is cooked through and ready."

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Determining the doneness of salmon by touch also takes some practice, but let's not forget that specialized tools were invented for a reason. As chef Foltz said, "If you want a more textbook approach use a thermometer." There is no shame in reaching for a quality meat thermometer to guarantee your salmon comes out at exactly the temperature you want.

Regarding the perfect temperature for salmon, well, there isn't one. "Good thing about salmon is you can cook it to many different doneness levels, all personal preference," said Foltz. For safety reasons, the USDA recommends that fish is heated to an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit, but some folks think that will produce overcooked protein. This is similar to beef, where the recommended temperature of a steak is also 145 degrees for safety purposes, but people who like their steak rare would call that burnt meat. A salmon that is a touch under or overdone isn't going to bother most folks, but you need to attentively watch for signs that it has been on the heat too long.

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