Cook Salmon to Perfection Every Time with This Simple Restaurant Technique

One slash of the knife can resolve this complicated issue.

If you desire your food to be uniformly cooked, it generally requires starting with an even shape. This is why we make an effort to measure and shape our burger patties consistently , portion our steaks in consistent thicknesses, and bundle our roasted pieces into neat, compact rolls .

However, nature wasn't designed with our culinary ease in mind, and certain foods can't be relied upon to achieve consistently uniform sizes and forms. Consider a piece of flatfish filet as an example.

This piece of fish narrows in two ways: from the bulky front part towards the slender end, and from the thicker back section down to the lean underbelly flesh. How then can you ensure a consistent cooking result?

Sure, simply make some Origami fish.

Consider a snippet of red snapper filet as an illustration. The specimen shown earlier may not be top-notch; this often occurs with professions such as fish mongering and butchery wane (I could rant about this topic at length). For our purposes here though, let’s overlook that detail momentarily.

If we aim to split this fillet into three servings of roughly six ounces each, we’ll wind up with distinctly different-shaped sections (as illustrated earlier). Starting off, we have the substantial chunk originating from the head-end on the extreme left—it’s quite choice. Following that, comes the mid-section cut; it remains fairly thick too. However, the section from the tail area towards the right looks completely unlike the rest. Serving that skinny bit could leave your guest eyeing their potentially underdone filet alongside hearty servings next to them, fostering intense dissatisfaction. Wouldn’t you rather avoid making your guests feel shortchanged?

Moreover, the inconsistent sizes of these parts make cooking them simultaneously particularly challenging. The slender end section will be done in about one or two minutes, after which it will start drying out before the rest have even begun to cook properly.

Here’s how to prepare the origami: Start by lightly scoring across the tail section without completely cutting through. Next, tuck it underneath itself. Although this part might differ slightly from the others in terms of size, it will still closely match their dimensions and cook uniformly. The precise location for your incision should be judged based on which segment requires folding to achieve an evenly proportioned piece of fish. This point is usually offset from the exact center.

This technique also applies to fish such as salmon, particularly when dealing with the belly flaps which are considerably thinner compared to the main part of the fillet. This isn’t inherently an issue because these fatty sections tend to stay moist even at higher cooking temperatures. Nonetheless, it often looks more appealing if you keep those thin pieces from hanging off the edge of the fillet.

Again, simply score and crease, and your issue will be resolved.

Keep in mind that this method isn’t ideal for fish with skin because it forms a small steamed pouch of skin within the fold. If there’s something people dislike even more than an overcooked, stringy piece of fish, it’s a steamed skin pocket. Skin simply wasn’t designed to be placed on the inside; it belongs outside.

Read the initial article on Serious Eats .