What Is the Right Internal Temperature of Salmon?

When you are cooking, there are several things you can do to keep yourself safe. You can always make sure you handle meat safely, and when you cook it, make sure that it is cooked thoroughly. If it isn’t, then you would be eating undercooked meat, which isn’t good.

You can keep an eye on this by using a meat thermometer. One food people may check the internal temperature of is salmon.

In this article, we will go into what the internal temperature of a meatloaf is, how to check it, the risks of eating undercooked meat, and finally, how to cook it safely.

Contents

What Is a Salmon’s Internal Temperature?
How Do You Check a Salmon’s Temperature?
What Happens if You Eat Undercooked Salmon?
Ways to Safely Cook a Salmon
Final Thoughts

What Is a Salmon’s Internal Temperature?

All meat, including fish, has a specific temperature it needs to be cooked to. For poultry, the usual temperature is around 165, while with red mead, it’s closer to 145 degrees.

For salmon, the temperature is much lower, though it does depend on the type of salmon we are talking about.

There are two kinds of salmon, and they need to be cooked to different temperatures. Farmed salmon needs to be cooked to around 125 degrees, while wild salmon can be cooked to around 120 degrees.

If you are wondering what the differences between both types of salmon are, don’t worry because we have you covered.

Farmed salmon have less chance of having chemicals inside them, and Wild salmon does have less fat on it. You’ll find the pros and cons of both types of salmon.

In the next section, we will go into how exactly to check the internal temperature of your salmon!

How Do You Check a Salmon’s Temperature?

Now, depending on what kind of salmon you are cooking depends on the internal temperature, but the way to get it remains the same for both.

Take out your fish and then let it rest on the counter. The resting time lets you get an accurate number.
After three or so minutes have passed, grab the food thermometer, and put it into the thickest center of the fish.
Once you have that number, you can wash the thermometer and prepare your fish!

Checking the internal temperature of a fish is truly as simple as that.

What Happens if You Eat Undercooked Salmon?

Eating undercooked fish, outside of the fish in sushi, can be dangerous for your health. The risks of eating salmons include:

Vibrio Vulnificus can be a serious illness that comes from eating undercooked seafood. If you have a mild case of it, then you’ll be fine in a few days, but some people can get very sick and either require limb amputation or intensive care or be fatal. Symptoms include diarrhea, cramps, fever, and nausea/vomiting.
Salmonella is one of the more well-known bacteria that can linger in fish and other types of meat. If you get this bacteria, you will end up with common symptoms like cramps, diarrhea, fever, and nausea/vomiting. Within four to seven days, this illness will go away. Most times, you don’t need treatment except in rare cases where you might need antibiotic treatment.
Parasites live inside fish, and this should be no surprise, given fish are swimming around in the water. This includes worms that end up going into your intestine and wreaking havoc. Some of the common symptoms include vomiting/nausea and cramps. In many cases, you will be fine in a couple of days. However, there are serious symptoms that can come about. These include bleeding in your bowel obstruction, bleeding in the GI system, and/or an allergic reaction.

Eating undercooked salmon can cause a lot of issues for your body. The best way to prevent it, as you can imagine, is to just make sure the salmon is cooked to the correct temperature.

To some, it may seem like a hassle, but it will save you a lot of pain.

Ways to Safely Cook a Salmon

There are a few ways to safely cook salmon, and in this section, we will go into some of them. One of them will appeal to you!

Cooking the salmon in the oven is a great way to cook this delicious fish. After preheating the oven to 450, season your salmon the way you like and put it on a baking dish or whatever you have available to you. All it needs to do is bake inside the oven for about 12 to 15 minutes, and then it’s done!
Another way to cook salmon is to cook it on the stovetop. Preheat a pan with some butter or oil inside over medium heat. Once it starts to sizzle, put the salmon in and cook them for five to six minutes. Flip it over and then repeat the process.
If you happen to have a grill, then this option is for you! Go outside and fire up the grill according to the directions of the brand you own. Once the grill has heated up, put the salmon on the grill and keep it there for about 10 to 15 minutes. Turn it over around halfway through the cooking process.

So here we have the three best ways of cooking salmon! We picked 3 out of many other options, so if you don’t like any of these three or want to go with another one, you do have options!

Final Thoughts

And there you go, all you salmon lovers out there! Now you know exactly what the internal temperature of a salmon is, how to check for it, the risks of eating undercooked salmon, and finally, ways to cook it properly.

Even if you are not used to using a meat thermometer or even have one on hand, you really should consider purchasing one.

It should be a household essential for all people. They are easy to find, so don’t worry. You will be able to find one in no time.

So, next time you cook, make sure you have a thermometer on hand! We promise you that you won’t regret buying it.

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William Thomas

I have been smoking and grilling meat from an early age and enjoy sharing my knowledge and expertise through the hundreds of articles I have written about BBQ. I hope to make everyone’s BBQ journey that little bit easier.