Recipe roundup: Sous vide salmon and barramundi
We had guests over today, and that meant preparing a meal that they would enjoy! Here's a quick recipe roundup:
Sous vide salmon in soy miso sauce
Ingredients
- 1 salmon fillet per person (about 140 to 170g)
- Quarter cup (60ml) soy sauce
- Quarter cup (60ml) mirin
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon red miso paste
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 thumb of ginger
- 2 cloves of garlic
- Sliced chilli (optional, add to taste)
Directions
- First, make sauce for sous vide by mixing soy sauce, mirin, sugar, miso, sesame oil, ginger and garlic (and, if used, chilli) in a saucepan.
- Heat the sauce mixture for about 5 minutes in order for the alcohol in the mirin to evaporate (alcohol affects the texture of meat cooked sous vide).
- Allow sauce mixture to cool for about 10 minutes, then place into ziplock bag with salmon fillet.
- Using your sous vide cooker, preheat the water bath to 47°C. Remove the air from the ziplock bags using the water displacement method: Seal the ziplock bag almost all the way, leaving about two centimetres open. Place bag into a separate water bath, holding the opened end above the water level. The water pressure in the water bath will force air out of the ziplock bag. Just before the bag is totally submerged, seal it completely.
- Cook the salmon in the sous vide water bath for anywhere between 30 to 45 minutes, and you're ready to serve!
Taste palette
The sous vide salmon in soy miso sauce was most definitely the star of the meal - everyone immediately fell in love with the flavour. The fat of the salmon pairs perfectly with the umami of the soy sauce and miso, and the ginger and garlic eliminate any semblance of fishiness from the fish. A blissful complement of savour, spice and lipids, and pure joy on our tongues.
Sous vide barramundi
Ingredients
- 1 barramundi fillet per person (about 140 to 170g)
- Kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) extra-virgin olive oil
- Thyme and all-purpose spice mixture (garlic, onion, black pepper, parsley, celery seed, tomato powder, basil, oregano, sage, coriander)
- 1 tablespoon butter
Directions
Season barramundi with salt on both sides.
Place barramundi in ziplock bag and add olive oil and spices. Close the bag and place in refrigerator, for at least 30 minutes (to dry brine the fillet).
Using your sous vide cooker, preheat the water bath to 57°C. Remove the air from the ziplock bags using the water displacement method: Seal the ziplock bag almost all the way, leaving about two centimetres open. Place bag into a separate water bath, holding the opened end above the water level. The water pressure in the water bath will force air out of the ziplock bag. Just before the bag is totally submerged, seal it completely.
Cook the barramundi in the sous vide water bath for anywhere between 90 minutes to 2 hours (barramundi takes longer for the connective tissues to break down during cooking).
For better looking barramundi fillet (and slightly improved taste), heat butter in a nonstick pan over medium-high heat until it sizzles gently. Carefully add the barramundi fillet and cook, for about 1 to 1.5 minutes. Carefully flip and cook for an additional 15 seconds, and you're ready to serve!
Taste palette
The barramundi wasn't quite as earth-shattering as the salmon. It tasted good - like a juicy, pan-fried fish fillet. But it just couldn't compare to the soy miso salmon. Cooking the barramundi sous vide definitely made it juicier than baking or pan frying it completely, but it lacked the umami oomph of the soy miso sauce.