On heating smoked salmon

I'm trying to make onigiri (Japanese rice balls) that are typically stuffed with fish and eaten warm. I'd like to "cheat" and use smoked salmon or canned tuna instead of cooking a whole fish to save time and money.

Is heating uncooked cold fish like smoked salmon or tuna not recommended ? My main concern is food safety, but I also want to know whether heat denatures or ruins the taste of prepared fish.

fish japanese-cuisine

Best Answer

As far as food safety is concered, simply warming smoked salmon or canned tuna is uncritical (tuna casserole, anyone?).

For all warm, cooked foods the two-hour rule applies: After two hours in the 40°F - 160°F (4°C - 60°C) it should be discarded. (see more here)

So it is irrelevant whether you stuff your onigiri with smoked salmon or pickeled plums, because the rice alone falls into the "potentially hazardous" category.

Now for taste:
If you manage to pack your onigiri with very hot¹ rice, yes, the smoked salmon gets heated and it may be partially or fully cooked, loosing some of the "melt in the mouth" character. But unless you plan to keep your onigiri hot (which is rather uncommon, afaik), they should cool down quickly enough so that they won't overcook the salmon, leaving you with a dry center or dry flakes thoughout the onigiri. Note that the same problem would exist with pre-cooked fish. Canned tuna is beyond help anyway, as far as cooking goes...

¹ And there is a limit to how hot your rice may be so that you can shape it with bare or even gloved hands...

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Quick Answer about "On heating smoked salmon"

Smoke salmon at temperature between 150-180 F, until it reaches internal temperature of 135-140 F. The lower you are able to keep the smoker temperature, the better, this way the salmon will remain moist and won't overcook. But on the other side lower smoker temperature will take longer time to cook the fish.

Can you heat up smoked salmon?

Hot-smoked salmon can also be reheated and is great in hot dishes. Unlike fresh salmon, which should be prepared and eaten within 48 hours, smoked salmon has a longer shelf life. It can be enjoyed for up to a week.

How do you heat up fully cooked smoked salmon?

Preheat your oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit. Cover the salmon loosely with aluminum foil to prevent the edges from drying out. Place the cooked salmon on a baking sheet. Put in the oven for about 15 minutes, until the salmon reaches an internal temperature of 125 to 130 degrees Fahrenheit.

Is it OK to heat cold-smoked salmon?

Cold-smoked salmon should not be heated.

How do I heat up precooked salmon?

Put the fish on a rimmed baking sheet and warm it a 275\xb0F oven for about 15 minutes, until it reaches an internal temperature of 125\xb0F to 130\xb0F. Follow this tip: Go low and slow when reheating your leftover salmon fillet to ensure that it won't dry out.

Smoked Salmon Recipe - How to Smoke Salmon

Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: furkanfdemir, Suzy Hazelwood, Skylar Kang, Valeria Boltneva