The white, oozy substance you often see seeping out of a fillet of salmon is safe to eat, but unpleasant to behold. It doesn’t affect the flavor of the fish, but it affects your perception of it, and perception can flavor a meal almost as strongly as seasoning. The unsightly substance has a name—albumin—and it’s surprisingly easy to banish from your fish.

What is albumin?

Albumin is a liquid protein found in raw fish, including salmon. (Don’t confuse it with albumen; that’s the word used for the white of an egg, or the protein contained therein.) When you cook a piece of salmon, the muscles contract, squeezing the semi-solid substance onto the surface of your fish, where it congeals.

How do you prevent albumin from forming on your salmon?

You can’t buy your way out of the albumin problem—both wild-caught and farm-raised fish contain albumin—but you can cook your way out of it. There are several ways to prevent albumin from coagulating on your salmon. First, you can reduce the temperature, or try a gentle cooking method, like steaming or poaching. Hot, aggressive cooking causes the fish to contract suddenly, forcing the albumin to the top of your fillet. The slower and more gently you cook fish, the less likely this is to happen.

But even if you’re using a high-temp recipe, like our Honey-Miso Salmon and Broccolini Traybake, there are a few things you can do to combat the appearance of albumin. Leave the skin on, and cook the fish skin side down on the sheet pan. The skin acts as a buffer between the hot pan and the meat; it cooks a little more gently and you get crispy skin to boot. The crispy skin is particularly nice with this traybake, and offers textural contrast for the meaty, fat-rich salmon and savory-sweet miso-honey glaze.

And don’t overcook the salmon. It may seem obvious, but overcooked fish is much more common than undercooked fish. Press the top of the fillet with a fork. If the fish flakes easily, it’s done. Get it out of the oven and onto the plate.

If you’re cooking starchy or fibrous vegetables with your fish—like the broccolini in the traybake—give the vegetable a head start and add the salmon once the broccolini (or sweet potato, or any other vegetable) starts to soften and brown. This will ensure your fish and side dish come out hot and ready at the same time, without overcooking the fish or undercooking the veg.

Salt is your friend

Another easy way to eliminate the appearance of albumin is with a quick salt cure, like the one we use in our Baked Salted Salmon with Dill. You can read more about how salting improves the flavor, texture, and appearance of salmon here, but the upshot is this: Salting the fish denatures the surface proteins, and denatured proteins do not constrict as they cook. The albumin stays inside the fish, keeping it as pretty as it is tasty. All you have to do is rub the salt all over the top of the fish, then set it in the fridge for about an hour. Rinse the salt off, pat it dry, then rub the fish with a little oil and bake as usual. Your fish will bake up tender and tasty, without the unsightly white goo.

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