The best way to prepare salmon.

Work on the article began with a search for an answer to the seemingly simple question: how to preserve the delicate texture of salmon?
Cooking or steaming?

We conducted a test: took two pots, one added Kurt broth (sour and fragrant, traditionally used for cooking fish and seafood), the other prepared as a steamer. We were about to start heating the contents of both , when we realized that we had asked the wrong question. Instead compare the traditional polerowanie and steaming, we had to experiment with cold polerowanie (cold-start poaching)

In recent months, we have successfully prepared a lot of dishes using cold tailoring: a method of cooking in which the ingredients are added to the pan and only then the water is slowly heated to high temperatures. This method works wonders with shrimp: regardless of whether they go to a salad or a classic shrimp cocktail. Also, thanks to him, even the usual boiled chicken breast is incredibly juicy and tender.

The use of such a method as tailoring is quite reasonable. And it helps to think about the reasons for the use of high temperatures. Usually they are used when frying, when we want to brown or fry the surface of the meat to a crisp. High temperatures play into our hands, they help to quickly remove moisture, leading to dehydration and accelerating the flow of the Mayar reaction. The advantage is also the speed of cooking, which allows the dish not only to look perfect, but also to remain juicy inside.

We use the technique of tailoring when we don't want fish or meat to be browned. In this case, even high temperatures, like boiling water, become excessive. They have the opposite effect, leading to the fact that the meat protein, especially located closer to the surface, hardens and becomes dense. If the chicken is ready at an internal temperature of 65C, and salmon – at 46C, do not expose them to high temperatures . In fact, this is the basic idea behind the low-temperature cooking su-vid, when dishes are cooked at a certain temperature, in a water bath.

Based on these considerations, we changed course: put salmon fillet in cold fish broth and only then heated. We tried to maintain a temperature of about 76С. Meanwhile, in another saucepan, salmon prepared a couple, like we planned. Once the temperature in the center of the piece reached 46C, we took the fish out of the broth and let it rest for 5 minutes.

The results speak for themselves. In the photo: on the left two pieces of salmon after tailoring, on the right – steamed. Despite the fact that all of them were cooked at the same temperature, the salmon was digested for a couple: since the fish was cooked at high temperatures, the rest of the heat remained in the outer layer, then began to penetrate, even after the fish was taken out of the pan.

It is interesting that there was no big difference in cooking time between these two methods. By the time we laid out the steamed fish from the pan, the sewn fish was also ready.

Thus, the answer to the question posed earlier will not be a choice between traditional steaming or tailoring.

The right solution is to put the fish in cold water and cook slowly. In General, we found that it is not necessary even to prepare fish broth in advance – just add lemon juice and some spices and herbs to the cold water. That's enough to season the fish. Usually we get rid of the liquid after tailoring, no matter how barbarous this action did not seem, but so far we have not found a way to use the broth again.

After cooking, you can eat the fish while it is still warm, let it cool to room temperature or even cool in the refrigerator. A simple sauce like a mixture of yogurt and dill, as in the photo, will quickly create a simple and delicious dish.