frozen salmon

[delpino]

Hi there.

I wonder if its a problem to cook frozen salmon without thawing? I heard it is a problem with turkey.. Maybe somebody can help

[BubbaGourmet]

In my humble opinion, the only decent salmon dish that can be cooked from solidly frozen fish is Smoked Salmon. The indirect heat slowly thaws the fish as the prolonged smoking period (about 15-20 mins. longer than normal) enhances the smoky flavor. Maybe a stew or soup.

[Suzanne]

Do you mean fillets or steaks, or a whole side of salmon? In any case, you wouldn't have the same danger that you would with turkey, because any of those pieces of salmon is so much smaller, and would not spend as much of the cooking time in the danger zone. However, by the time you had the center cooked properly, the outside would be way overcooked.

Better to do a quick thaw by tightly wrapping the salmon in plastic and keeping it under running cool water. Or taking the time to thaw it slowly and gently under refrigeration. I am NOT a proponent of thawing by microwave; it is too uneven and can cook the outside before the inside is ready.

[Jock]

As I understand it, the flesh and the natural water in the meat thaw at different rates with the flesh thawing faster. With a rapid thaw, the jagged ice pieces from the frozen water tear the softer flesh and adversely affects the texture of the meat.
I wouldn't waste a good piece of fish for the sake of a quick thaw. I would cook something else instead. Just my 2 cents worth.

Jock

[Pete]

I have to agree with both Suzanne and Jock. There would not be any "danger" in cooking salmon from a frozen state, but as Suzanne mentioned the outside of the fish would be way over done and even tough before the inside was cooked properly. As Jock stated a slow thaw would be better. Overnight in the fridge would surely do it for portions, but the method Suzanne gave works if you are caught "off guard" and need the fish in a relatively short period of time. Good luck!!!