What Color Should Salmon Be When It’s Cooked?

Salmon is one of my favorite proteins to cook at home. It’s healthy, delicious, and versatile enough to be prepared in a variety of ways. However, with all that versatility comes room for error. It can be tricky to know exactly when salmon is perfectly cooked. Undercook it and you risk food poisoning. Overcook it and you’re left with a dry, flavorless fish.

One of the best ways to check for doneness in salmon is to examine the color. When properly cooked, salmon undergoes clear visual changes that signal it’s ready to eat. In this article, I’ll walk you through what color salmon should be when it’s cooked so you can nail perfect salmon every time.

Raw Salmon Color

It’s helpful to know what raw salmon looks like before we talk about what color cooked salmon should be. You can better judge the color changes that happen during cooking if you have something to compare it to.

Raw salmon has a translucent, glossy appearance The flesh ranges from deep red to almost pink in color King, sockeye, and coho salmon generally have the brightest red or orange hues. Atlantic and farmed salmon have a lighter peachy-pink color.

No matter the species, raw salmon should never be opaque or solid in color You should be able to see through the flesh to some degree The color should also be relatively even throughout the cut of fish.

How Heat Affects Salmon Color

When exposed to heat, salmon undergoes a series of changes:

• Around 105°F, the translucent sheen on the surface starts to turn opaque and milky. This indicates the proteins are beginning to denature.

• As the temperature climbs to 130-135°F, the opaque milkiness spreads from the exterior to the center of the salmon. More protein sets, making the flesh firmer.

• At 145°F, the salmon has fully transformed from translucent to opaque. The color lightens slightly but retains some of its raw hue.

• Above 150°F, the salmon starts to take on a cooked appearance. The color intensifies as flavorful oils separate from the proteins.

• At 170°F and above, the salmon flesh turns white and begins to dry out as moisture evaporates. The oils may leach out, fading the vibrant cooked color.

Ideal Cooked Salmon Color

When salmon is perfectly cooked, the flesh should be opaque throughout. There should be no translucent areas, which would indicate undercooking. The color should also be bright and vibrant.

For species like king, sockeye, and coho, the cooked color ranges from rich orange to bright coral pink. Farmed and Atlantic salmon turn more of a pale peachy-pink. In all cases, the hue intensifies compared to the raw state of the fish.

If the cooked color starts fading towards white, dryness sets in as moisture leaves the flesh. You want to take the salmon off the heat before this happens.

The only exception is when salmon is smoked at low temperatures. Smoked salmon retains some translucency and a darker color due to the slower cooking method.

Here’s a simple summary of how the color should look at different doneness levels:

• Rare (120°F): Thick center still translucent, outer 2/3 opaque, raw color
• Medium-Rare (125°F): Mostly opaque, very center slightly translucent, rich cooked color
• Medium (130-135°F): Completely opaque, bright cooked color throughout
• Well-Done (145°F+): Opaque, lighter peachy color, possible white banding

So for the best results, target medium-rare to medium doneness. This ensures the opaque color standard for safety while retaining moisture and flavor.

Other Visual Cues for Doneness

Checking color is one of the best ways to test salmon for doneness, but a few other visual cues can provide confirmation:

• Flakiness – The flesh should break cleanly into segments when gently flaked with a fork. If it won’t flake and remains intact, it needs more time.

• Texture – Properly cooked salmon is tender and moist. If it starts to look dry or chalky on the surface, it may be overcooked.

• Shape – Salmon tends to shrink and curl at the edges when fully cooked. If it retains its raw shape, it likely needs more time.

• Fat Rendering – In fattier salmon cuts like the belly, the fat should look translucent or starting to render when cooked. Solid white fat means it needs more time.

How to Keep Salmon From Overcooking

Now that you know what to look for when checking salmon color for doneness, let’s go over some tips to prevent overcooking in the first place:

• Use thick, evenly-sized cuts – Thinner pieces will cook faster, so choose cuts that are at least 1-inch thick. And pick pieces that are similarly sized for even cooking.

• Monitor temperature – Use an instant-read thermometer to check for your desired doneness temperature, especially if new to salmon. Pull the salmon at 120-125°F for medium-rare.

• Cook gently – Salmon is delicate. Use lower heat, avoid moving pieces too much, and baste during cooking to prevent drying out.

• Cook most of the way skin-side down – Having the skin-side down protects the flesh from direct heat exposure. Flip only at the end to brown/crisp the skin.

• Let rest before serving – Salmon will continue cooking after removed from the heat source. Let it rest 5 minutes so the temperature evenly distributes.

Follow these tips and keep a close eye on the color to turn out tender, flaky, moist salmon every time. Properly cooked salmon is one of the most nutritious, delicious fish you can make.

The Takeaway on Cooked Salmon Color

Checking the color is one of the easiest ways to test salmon for doneness. Look for the flesh to turn from translucent to opaque and take on a brighter, more vivid hue. The color should be uniform throughout the fish with no raw-looking spots. Target a rich orange or coral pink depending on the salmon variety.

For the optimal texture and moisture, cook salmon to medium-rare, around 125°F internal temperature. This ensures the opaque color standard is met while avoiding overcooking. Bring the salmon to temperature gently, let it rest before serving, and use visual cues like flakiness and fat rendering to confirm perfect doneness.

With a little practice, you’ll be able to nail the ideal color every time. Properly cooked salmon is delicious, so get comfortable using color as your guide to salmon perfection. Enjoy this healthy, satisfying fish often at home.