You're Probably Cutting Salmon All Wrong

Cooking salmon is an art, and it often takes a lot of trial and error. Before the fish hits the pan, there are ways to ensure a delicious outcome. You may frequently cut your salmon into filets, but cutting the fish into cubes allows for a quicker cooking time and more surface area to soak in any seasoning or marinade.

Time is of the essence when oven-baking salmon, so this method is a great opportunity to immerse the salmon cubes in a creamy sauce. The texture will stay moist and tender thanks to its shorter baking time and surrounding liquid. Marinating salmon cubes for a few hours also allows them to soak up more flavor and liquid than a full filet would. If you're not looking for a crispy finish, place the fish in an aluminum container and place foil over the top to lock in that moisture. If you are in the mood for crispy oven-baked salmon, toss the fish cubes in a bowl of seasoning and apportion them evenly throughout the tray. All that extra surface area will feel the heat, and the cubes should brown evenly.

The same applies to frying salmon cubes. It will require you to keep a closer eye to avoid burning the fish, a common mistake when cooking salmon, but the effort will pay off. One key sign that you're baking the fish too quickly and at too high a heat is the infamous white goo that salmon excretes. Rest assured, it's harmless, but searing cubed salmon can help avoid it altogether.

Heat your pan to a medium-high heat and add in your fish cubes. The primary risk when searing salmon is that you'll burn the outside without fully cooking the inside, and the next biggest concern is the opposite — drying it out. While the smaller shapes will help mitigate these risks through their quicker cooking time, it's still possible, so be sure to flip your cubes after a few minutes on each side. This will ensure an even crisp while preventing the flesh from drying out. A full salmon filet is always delicious, but cubes are perfect additions to salads, pastas, and sticky rice bowls.