Sous Vide Salmon is easy enough for a quick weeknight meal but so delicious you’ll want to serve it at your next special dinner! Cooked in just an hour to tender, moist perfection, this simple salmon recipe is sure to be a new family favorite. Serve it with some delicious lemon butter sauce for a real treat!
I love cooking salmon — it’s light, healthy, and doesn’t require much seasoning. It’s also super delicious and easy to cook, especially when using a sous vide.
Ingredients needed
- Salmon Filets – I use four 6-ounce salmon fillets. However, this recipe works with as much or as little salmon as you’d like. The cook time will remain the same.
- Kosher Salt
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Lemon Zest – Adds a lovely, bright freshness to the salmon.
- Vegetable Oil – This is for searing the salmon. This step is optional.
What type of salmon?
Pacific and Atlantic salmon are the more common types you’ll find at the market or grocery store. When looking for salmon, I always just make sure that the cut of meat looks super moist and doesn’t have any brown spots. You can also check the skin around the edges of the salmon filet — they shouldn’t be brown or look like they’re curling up around the edges.
Note: This recipe also works with trout. Learn about the differences between trout and salmon here.
Why sous vide salmon?
I love sous vide salmon for the same reason I sous vide pork, sous vide ribeye steak, and sous vide chicken — the sous vide just cooks the protein so perfectly even! Not to mention, all you have to do is season, seal, and let the sous vide work its magic.
In all my years in the kitchen, I’ve never found an easier way to produce such perfect salmon.
How to make sous vide salmon
Prepare the salmon
First, season the salmon fillets generously with salt on all sides. Then, place the salmon into a ziplock or FoodSaver bag in a single layer (you may need to use 2 bags). Remember to add the olive oil, dill and lemon zest with the salmon in the bags, if using.
Marinate and seal
Next, seal the salmon and seasonings using a vacuum sealer or, if cooking with a ziplock bag, use the water displacement method. It’s important to let the salmon rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, or overnight. Finally, when you’re ready to cook, set the sous vide salmon temperature to 120-degrees.
Cook the salmon
When the sous vide salmon temperature has reached 120-degrees, place the bag in the water bath, making sure not to block the intake or output sections of the sous vide, and cook for 45 minutes, up to 1 hour.
Pat dry after sous vide
After cooking, remove salmon from the bag and place on a paper towel-lined plate. Pat it very dry with additional paper towels.
Choose your finish
- To Serve Immediately: Peel away and discard the skin, then serve.
- To Sear: Heat vegetable oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add salmon skin side down and cook, pressing gently on fillets to ensure good contact with the skillet, until the skin is browned and crisp, 1-2 minutes. Carefully flip and cook for an additional 15 seconds. Transfer to a plate and blot with paper towels to remove any excess oil. Serve.
- To Serve Cold: Transfer to a container and cover. Refrigerate until chilled completely. Serve.
Cooking frozen salmon sous vide
If you want to cook from frozen salmon, you can still use the sous vide salmon temperature of 120-degrees. It’s also important to note that cooking sous vide salmon frozen will take a bit more time, so I would add an additional 30 minutes of cook time, so 1 hour 15 minutes total.
Tips & tricks for sous vide salmon
- If you don’t like salmon, you can always sous vide a different protein! Try my sous vide chicken or sous vide steak recipes for more delicious meal options.
- If you want to plan ahead, the salmon can be cooked in water bath up to 4 days ahead. Keep the salmon in the sealed bag and chill, or you can freeze the salmon for up to 1 month. Enjoy cold or reheat with your sous vide machine at 100-degrees, or until warmed through, for about 30 minutes before serving.
Recipe FAQs
Salmon should be cooked sous vide for 45 minutes, up to 1 hour. Avoid cooking for longer than 1 hour, as the texture of the fish will begin to change and become a bit mushy.
I prefer to sous vide salmon at 120-degrees for a delicious, buttery texture, and medium-rare doneness. If you’d like your salmon to be medium, cook at 130-degrees.
What to serve with salmon
- White Rice
- Brown Rice
- Arugula Salad
- Sous Vide Asparagus
- Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- More → side dishes for salmon
Sauces for salmon
Wine pairings for salmon
Full bodied wines go well with rich, tender salmon. Here are some of my recommendations for this dish:
More sous vide recipes
- Sous Vide Homemade Limoncello Recipe
- Sous Vide Filet Mignon
- Sous Vide Pork Chops
- Sous Vide Infused Vodka
- Sous Vide Carrot Ginger Soup
- Sous Vide Vanilla Extract
- Sous Vide Chicken Breasts
More healthy dinner recipes
- Vegetarian Sushi Rolls
- Instant Pot Salmon with Lemon-Dill Sauce
- Sous Vide Filet Mignon
- Sous Vide Pork Tenderloin
- Poached Fish with Tomatoes, Garlic Oil, and Lime
More salmon recipes
- Sheet Pan Salmon with Pickled Ginger Butter Sauce
- Creme Fraiche Salmon Dip
- Smoked Salmon Platter
- Salmon Sushi Bowls
- 5-Ingredient Sheet Pan Salmon
- “Everything” Crusted Salmon
- Miso Glazed Salmon
- Salmon in the Instant Pot with Lemon Dill Sauce
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Note: This recipe also works with trout. Learn about the differences between trout and salmon here.
Sous Vide Salmon Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 Salmon fillets (about 6 ounces each)
- Kosher salt
- 2 Tablespoons Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Lemon zest (optional)
- 1 Tablespoon Vegetable oil (for searing, optional)
Instructions
Sous vide salmon:
- Season salmon generously with salt on all sides.
- Place the salmon into a ziplock or FoodSaver bag in a single layer (you may need to use 2 bags). Add the olive oil, dill and lemon zest, if using.
- Seal using a vacuum sealer. Or, if using a ziplock bag, use the water displacement method.
- Let rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, or overnight.
- When ready to cook, set sous vide to 120-degrees.
- Place the bag in the water bath, making sure not to block the intake or output sections of the sous vide, and cook for 45 minutes, up to 1 hour.
- Remove salmon from bag and place on a paper towel-lined plate. Pat it very dry with additional paper towels.
Finishing options:
- To Serve Immediately: Peel away and discard skin. Serve.
- To Sear: Heat vegetable oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add salmon skin side down and cook, pressing gently on fillets to ensure good contact with the skillet, until the skin is browned and crisp, 1-2 minutes. Carefully flip and cook for an additional 15 seconds. Transfer to a plate and blot with paper towels to remove any excess oil. Serve.
- To Serve Cold: Transfer to a container and cover. Refrigerate until chilled completely. Serve.
Notes
- If you don’t like salmon, you can always sous vide a different protein! Try my sous vide chicken or sous vide steak recipes for more delicious meal options.
- If you want to plan ahead, the salmon can be cooked in water bath up to 4 days ahead. Keep the salmon in the sealed bag and chill, or you can freeze the salmon for up to 1 month. Enjoy cold or reheat with your sous vide machine at 100-degrees, or until warmed through, for about 30 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
This sous vide salmon recipe was originally published in 2021. It was updated in 2023 to add new content. The recipe remains the same. Enjoy!
You’re so lucky you have a sous vide setup! Like you said, it’s a great way to cook delicate proteins to the perfect doneness. Sometimes the grocery store is hit or miss with good salmon, so I’ve begun buying fresh salmon online.