Sous Vide Salmon with Caper Sauce

4.85 from 19 votes

Sous vide salmon is cooked to perfection and finished off with a zesty caper sauce that adds a burst of flavor to the moist tender mild salmon.

Prep Time5

Cook Time40

optional brining30

Total Time1 15

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings (change as needed):

Author: Cheryl Avrich

Ingredients

2 fresh salmon fillets, skin on or off (1/3-1/2 pound/151-227 grams/5-8 ounces each)
salt and black pepper
2 tablespoon finely chopped chives (or sprig of thyme)

Caper Sauce

2 teaspoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, finely minced or grated (3 teaspoons)
1 tablespoon capers, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons lemon juice (about 1 small lemon)
3 tablespoons softened butter
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

PREPARE SOUS VIDE BATH: Fill water sous vide container (leaving room for water to rise when you put salmon in). Set the temperature on the sous vide equipment to your desired doneness. Note 1 (I like 125F/52C for between medium rare and medium). Heat water to that temperature. Tip: start with hot water to reduce heating time.
BRINE SALMON (OPTIONAL): Brine salmon if you have time (optional but good). Note 2.
PREPARE SALMON: Rub a teaspoon oil over the entire surface of salmon to make it easier to remove from bag after cooking. (You can skip the oil if you prefer). If you don't brine the salmon, season salmon with salt, pepper. Add chopped chives or a sprig of thyme.
To vacuum seal bag (Note 3 to use zipper lock bag instead), fold back top of a sous vide bag about an inch to create a flap (this ensures no food touches the top of the bag where it gets sealed). Insert both salmon fillets in a single layer, ensuring no overlap. Unfold the flap and vacuum seal the bag using a vacuum sealer.
SOUS VIDE SALMON: When water reaches your chosen temperature, submerge sealed bag with the salmon into the warm water. If using zip top plastic bag, follow directions in Note 3. Timing:
°if salmon is 1/2-1 inch (1.3-2.5 cm) thick, cook 30-40 minutes;
°if salmon is 1-2 inches(2.5-5 cm) thick, cook 40 - 60 minutes.
I usually cook mine for 40-45 minutes.
MAKE CAPER SAUCE: While the salmon is cooking, heat a small saucepan to medium with oil. Add garlic and saute for a minute, not letting it burn. Add capers and lemon juice. Cook for 1 minute. Remove pan from heat and stir in butter and chopped parsley until sauce is smooth. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed. Set aside.
FINISH DISH: Remove the salmon from the water bath. Cut open gen (or open) bag and gently remove salmon (it will be very delicate). If one side of salmon has skin, flip salmon over and gently peel off skin and discard). Transfer to serving plate, pour sauce over salmon and serve.

Notes

Choose cooking temperature based on guidelines from Serious Eats and my own experience:
- 115F/41C translucent, buttery and starting to flake (I find this too rare)
- 120F/49C very moist, tender, flaky (I'd say this is medium rare)
- 125F/52C - moist, soft, slightly more traditional, medium
- 130F/54C - flaky, less moist, more cooked
- my preference is 125F
To brine salmon: Brining helps prevent the white albumen (white stuff) that forms from seeping out, firms up the flesh and adds flavor. Fill a ziploc bag with 2 cups/475 ml water and 2 tablespoons salt. Squish around to dissolve salt. Place salmon in a ziploc bag, seal and place in fridge for 30 minutes (or up to 45 minutes). Rinse in cold water and pat dry. Alternatively, salt the salmon and let it sit in the fridge for maximum 30 minutes before cooking it sous vide.
Alternative to vacuum seal: Instead of vacuum sealing the bag, you can use the water displacement method. Place salmon inside a freezer safe ziploc bag and don't seal bag. Lower bag into preheated water until top of bag is just above water (water will push air out), then seal bag.
Portions per person: A typical serving portion of salmon is 5-6 ounces (140-170g). For bigger eaters, serve 8 ounces (1/2 lb or 227g) per person.
Make Ahead
- Cook the salmon ahead, cool it in the sealed bag in an ice bath and store it in the fridge for 2-3 days. Serve it cold or reheat it. You can also freeze the salmon for 1 month.
- To reheat cold salmon, Bon Appetit suggests doing it slowly (to avoid over cooking) by sous vide in a zipper bag at 100F/38C for an hour. To reduce the time, you can reheat at 118F/48C for 30 minutes or so.
- If you make the caper sauce ahead while the salmon is cooking, hold back the parsley and add it when you warm the sauce just before serving to maintain its vibrant green color

Nutrition values are estimates including caper sauce, but will vary with size of salmon used.