Sous vide cooked  at 110Fº for an hour, this salmon dish is so tender that it has a texture of tartare. “Mi-cuit” (French for “half-cooked”) is not close to describe its delicacy.

In this household we are big fans of raw fish. Now with 2 preschool-aged girls, going to a good Japanese restaurant is not happening very often for us. So with a sous vide stick, now I can cook restaurant quality meals at home, creating like-raw salmon without having to buy sushi quality fish.

I experimented a lot with different temperatures for sous vide cooking salmon, above 140Fº it tastes more like traditional cooked salmon, with flaky flesh. You can then sear it briefly in a hot pan to create a crispy skin, which is also a tasty dish. FDA recommends cooking salmon to an internal temperature of 145Fº. For someone has a compromised immune system, this is a safer way to cook the fish. In sous vide community, cooking salmon between 104Fº and 125Fº is quite common, to render a more delicate texture.

Although you don’t need pricey sushi quality salmon (which we’d prefer eat raw) for this recipe, the fish has to be fresh. I always make sure to buy good quality salmon (normally at Japanese supermarkets, or Costco) that were packed the same day, or the day before the least.

A good rule of thumb is if a fish smells fishy in a supermarket, it is NOT fresh. The salmon fillet with skin on is usually cheaper than those without skin. Removing the skin at home is not that difficult, you will need a sharp knife though. You can even do it after cooking, it will fall off by itself. If I have time, I will remove the skin and brush it with some olive oil, season with salt and bake in the oven until it turns crispy. Unlike the rest of the family, Le Monsieur does not like to eat salmon skin, which is actually very rich in omega-3 fatty acid.

The sous vide cooked salmon can actually be kept in the refrigerator for up to a week. So you can cook the fish ahead of time, then prepare avocados, cucumber and the greek yogurt sauce just before serving time.

A word about the brining process, don’t skip this step if you want to impress your guests. At least 45 minutes of brining will change everything. For salmon, it prevents albumin-the white stuff between muscle fibers to leach out during cooking. I was in a hurry and you can see that the salmon has a slight pinkish look while brined salmon will look more vibrant and orangey even after cooking.