Salmon Mi-Cuit

Salmon Mi-Cuit

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Mi-Cuit means Half-Cooked.

I love this recipe. It’s really quite simple once you understand the concepts behind it, and even though it takes a long time, you’ll only need to actively spend about 2 hours on it.

I was inspired by Chef Steps’ recipe for Salmon Mi-Cuit and I’ve got to thank the amazing fellas at that site for showing me the kind of texture you can achieve with Salmon.

I tried their recipe once and fell in love with it (pictured above). Naturally, I had to do it again, but this time just the salmon wasn’t enough.

Darren commented the first time that the fish had a very sashimi-esque feel to it, so I wanted to play out the Japanese theme. At the same time, though, I didn’t want it to be a sashimi/wasabi replica. I still wanted it to stand apart from Japanese fish dishes.

This recipe combines Japanese and Western accompaniments to salmon, taking care to not overpower the intense flavor and amazing texture of the fish.

It’s also really simple and comes in 4 stages:

  1. Brine 45 Minutes
  2. Sous-Vide 60 Minutes
  3. Chill 6 Hours
  4. Plate & Service

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Brining the Salmon starts the cooking process; the salt reacts with the protein to begin developing the dish’s unique texture. This is continued when the salmon is cooked sous-vide.

As you chill the salmon, the chlorine in the salt continues to permeate the flesh and gel the protein, firming up the flesh evenly.

For a more detailed exploration of the science behind this dish, check out Chef Steps’ Salmon Mi-Cuit write-up here.

Cold-Serve Salmon Mi-Cuit w/ Wasabi & Dill Cream

Prep Time: 6 Hours | Cook Time: 2 Hours
Total Time: 8 Hours | Serves 8-9

1kg Salmon Loin (Pinboned, Skin Removed but Reserved)
200g Sugar
400g Salt
4kg Water

CREAM SAUCE & TOPPINGS
250g Sour Cream
35g Prepared Wasabi
6-7 Bunches Dill (Stalks Removed, Finely Chopped)
1 Baby Fennel (Stalks Removed, Finely Sliced, Fronds Reserved)
3-4 Lemons (Thinly Sliced)

Directions

BRINE

  1. Let’s start with the brine. Your Salmon Loin will probably not weigh out to exactly 1 kilo, so be prepared to scale it. Prepare a brine in the ratio 2:5:1:20 (Salt:Salmon:Sugar:Water) and refrigerate it to cool.
  2. In the meantime, pin bone your Salmon and remove the Skin. (DO NOT THROW THIS DELICIOUS EDIBLE FISH LEATHER)
  3. Portion your Salmon into manageable portions of necessary, then brine in the fridge for 45 minutes.
  4. While waiting, lay out the Salmon Skin on a wire rack in an airy place, or in the fridge to dry out.

SOUS-VIDE

  1. If you don’t have a sous-vide machine, check out my post here on how to sous-vide at home.
  2. Prepare your water bath at 40 degrees Celsius.
  3. Bag your Brined Salmon and coat generously with olive oil.
  4. Cook Sous-Vide for 60 minutes.

CHILL

  1. Once your Salmon is cooked, remove from hot water and immediately immerse the bag in an ice bath.
  2. Transfer to the fridge to chill. The Salmon must ‘rest’ for 6 hours for the texture to set.
  3. In the meantime, prepare your other elements.
  4. Combine Sour Cream, Dill and Wasabi in a mixing bowl. Adjust the quantity of Wasabi to your taste. (Try to balance out the flavor of the Dill). Refrigerate.
  5. Slice Baby Fennel and immerse, uncovered in an ice bath. Refrigerate.
  6. Chop Fennel Fronds and set aside.

PLATE & SERVICE

  1. Toward the end of the 6 hours, pre-heat your oven to 190 degrees Celsius.
  2. Coat your Salmon Skin generously with Olive Oil and Sea Salt.
  3. Blast for 15 minutes in the oven until crispy and golden. Let cool then shatter by hand.
  4. Slice Lemons.
  5. Once the 6 hours are up, remove the Salmon gently from the bag and slice into bite-sized cuboids (Size and Shape are to your preference). Top with coarse Sea Salt and Black Pepper.
  6. Lay Lemon Slices on a plate; gently place Salmon pieces on top. Spoon about a teaspoon of your Wasabi Cream over the fish and top with Salmon Skin and Fennel Slices. Garnish with chopped Fennel Fronds.
  7. Service

I love the look of this dish almost as much as the taste and texture.

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The ingredients are specifically chosen so that you have a variety of colors on the plate; the yellow lemon, the orange salmon, the white cream and the green fennel fronds.

The Wasabi and the Dill enhance the flavor of the salmon and give it an exciting heat. The lemon slice is not meant to be eaten, but resting the salmon pieces on the lemon gives it just a touch of sour to bring everything together.

Finally, the unique texture of the lemon is contrasted by the crisp of the skin and the crunch of the fennel.

It’s really quite a simple recipe, and you will not experience salmon like this cooked any other way. If you love salmon, you owe it to yourself to give this recipe a try.

Hit up ChefSteps for a few more variations on this recipe, and some further food geekery.