If you’ve ever had your doubts about whether your salmon is done cooking and ready to be served, you’re not alone.
This post explains when to tell if it’s cooked through the simple way so your expensive protein never goes to waste!
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How to Tell When Salmon Is Done
The great news is that regardless if you cook salmon in a pan, bake it in the oven, or decide to air fry it, there signs that your salmon is done and ready to be served are all the same!
It also doesn’t matter at what oven temperature you choose to cook your salmon in or whether you forgot to thaw it and decided to bake it frozen –yes, you can do that too!- the ways to tell if it’s done are also the same.
You can check for doneness by looking at the color and texture of the salmon itself, which should look opaque and no longer “wet” plus separate easily into flaky pieces, or use a meat thermometer and check that its temperature is 145F at the thickest part.
Meat Thermometer Method
Using a meat thermometer to check if your salmon pieces are cooked is the most accurate way to see if they’re done. When poked through the middle, the reading of the thickest part of the salmon piece should read 145F (63C).
How to Check Salmon’s Doneness Without a Thermometer
No thermometer? No problem. If you’re following a good salmon recipe, it should indicate the approximate time it will take to cook the salmon based on the method and oven temperature (if applicable).
Otherwise, simply use a fork to gently check that the middle of the thickest piece of salmon separates easily from itself into a flaky piece, and the color has turned to an opaque, solid pink color (it will no longer look wet).
What Does Fully Cooked Salmon Look Like?
Fully cooked salmon often has a nice crust over the top, especially if you’ve cooked it in a pan and flipped it, the color of the meat is no longer orange-like and is a light pink and no longer looks wet.
Don’t be alarmed if you notice some white stuff coming out of your cooked salmon; it’s called albumin. It’s a liquid protein in salmon that comes out when exposed to heat. You can minimize it by patting your salmon dry as much as possible before cooking it.
How Can You Tell if Salmon is Undercooked?
I’ve eaten a lot of undercooked salmon in previous times because I thought pink is pink, right? Nope. I wish someone had told me sooner how simple it is to notice if the salmon is under cooked.
By looking at the color of the salmon, you’ll see that when it’s cooked through it’s now opaque and pink (it can look a little white) and there are no raw or “wet” looking areas in the middle of one of the flakes.
There’s little resistance when separating the salmon flakes since the middle most part will no longer stick to itself once it’s cooked through.
The internal temperature reads 145F (63C) when you poke the thickest part of the salmon with a meat thermometer.
Should Salmon Be Pink in the Middle?
I know it can be confusing to read that salmon should be pink in the middle when salmon is supposed to be pink. Raw salmon has an orange hue and looks wet, whereas cooked salmon has changed to a light pink, almost white hue, and the wet spots are gone.
What Does Undercooked Salmon Look Like?
Even if the salmon separates with a fork, it can be undercooked. Frustrating, I know! The easiest way to notice if it’s still undercooked is because it looks like it has a wet spot in the middle, while the rest of the salmon piece is pinkish white, what’s referred to as opaque.
How Long Does it Take to Cook Salmon
The time it takes to cook fresh (or thawed) salmon will vary by cooking method and thickness of the salmon. Check out the chart below, which shows you a few cooking methods and the most popular temperatures in the oven.
| Method & Temp | Cooking Time |
|---|---|
| Pan-seared | 10-12 min |
| Air Fryer 400F | 8-10 min |
| Oven 400F | 17-20 min |
| Oven 425F | 14-18 min |
| Oven 450F | 12-16 min |
What Does Overcooked Salmon Look Like?
It’s happened to all of us: you set out to make a delicious salmon dinner, follow the recipe to a T, and the salmon feel overcooked -it’s dry.
While it can be difficult to visually see if the salmon is overcooked because it has changed color and now looks opaque and no longer raw in the middle, you can tell if it’s overcooked by how it feels.
Overcooked salmon tends to fall apart easily; meaning, you pull one of the flaky layers with a fork and several breaks out from the main piece. Once plated, while it tastes the same, it will feel dry in your mouth, and the salmon meat itself is tougher in texture.
Delicious Salmon Recipes to Try
Follow one of these incredible salmon recipes filled with tips and easy-to-follow directions for a perfectly cooked meal:
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