Here's What That Creepy White Stuff Coming Out Of Your Salmon Really Is (2024)

FAQs

What is the white stuff oozing out of my salmon? ›

It's called albumin. And it lives in your salmon whether it's cooked or not, no matter where it's from, how it's raised, or how much you paid for it. Albumin is a liquid protein that solidifies when the fish is cooked, seeping out as the muscle fibers contract under heat, becoming thick and a bright white.

The white stuff on salmon is called albumin.

As the meat cooks, the coagulated albumin gets squeezed out and appears in the form of the weird, slimy, white substance that you are probably familiar with (and weirded out by).

Albumin is a flavorless, moisture-rich protein that collects on the surface of salmon as it cooks. It is completely natural and a normal part of the salmon cooking process. Albumin is safe to eat. We can't see albumin in raw salmon, but it becomes visible as the fish is exposed to heat.

If the texture is mushy or slimy, the salmon is bad.

For example, the Alaskan Salmon Company says it's important to clean salmon before cooking to get rid of any sand or dirt, which makes it cleaner for seasoning and marinating. It points out that this can get rid of slime, but it doesn't get rid of bacteria.

It tastes completely fine, it's good for you, it's just another protein that comes out from the side of the salmon." Albumin also appears when you cook your salmon quickly. The easiest way to prevent albumin from appearing is to cook salmon slowly over low heat — and to make sure you don't cook it to death.

A diet that includes wild salmon has been shown to yield health benefits. Some studies have shown that king salmon-- red or white-- are very similar in terms of their composition of heathy lipids, moisture, protein and omega-3 fatty acids, or the “good” fats.

Eating raw or undercooked salmon can put you at risk of contracting foodborne illnesses, such as salmonellosis, norovirus, and Vibrio infections. Salmonella is a type of bacteria that can be found in raw or undercooked salmon, and it can cause symptoms such as diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps.

Slime Parasites give your fish a coating of grey/white mucus over the body, the eyes can appear cloudy. It may shimmy, scratch, jump and flick against objects in the aquarium – like it's trying to have a really good itch.

Douse the fish in salt (preferably coarse salt) and rub until the slime breaks down. Rinse the fish thoroughly before cooking!

Is this a worm in my salmon? ›

The white worms we occasionally spot in salmon fillets are parasites called roundworms. Though these worms are more noticeable in salmon due to the contrast in color, they can be found in many white fish too — they're just camouflaged.

The white stuff that oozes out of salmon is called albumin, a type of protein in the fish (other foods with albumin include eggs, beef and milk). You can't see albumin when the fish is raw—it only appears when the salmon is exposed to heat. As salmon cooks, the albumin turns from its liquid state into a semi-solid one.

“Sprinkle a light amount of kosher salt on both sides of salmon filets. Let it sit for 15 minutes. Then, rinse off the salt, dry the filets, re-season them, and cook them by searing them on the stove-top and finishing them in the oven.”

Canned salmon contains a bit more vitamin B12 and a whopping 14 times more vitamin D than canned tuna does. It also has over 1,500mg of healthy omega-3 fatty acids per 3-ounce portion, as compared to somewhere between 1,000 to 1,500mg for tuna, depending on the species (via Verywell Fit).

The easiest way to prevent albumin from appearing is to cook salmon slowly over low heat — and to make sure you don't cook it to death. If you are searing it or grilling salmon over high heat, just make sure you cook the salmon skin-side down for most of the time.

The slime is actually a substance called glyco-protein mixed with water and is produced by the skin cells of the fish in what is evidently an inexhaustible supply, which is important as it's a critical protective layer for the fish.

If you see any type of slimy film developing on your salmon, toss it out.