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Salmon fillets tend to go 'pop' and spatter bits of themselves around the container in the microwave. Anyone got a procedure that discourages this?

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4 Answers

up vote 7 down vote accepted

Besides not microwaving it? Cover your filets with a paper towel, it will catch any exploding bits.

Seriously though, it shouldn't take but 6-8 minutes to sear a refrigerated salmon filet in a hot pan. Do this, your taste buds will thank you.

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Usually I bake to avoid the boom, but this also sounds good. – bmargulies Sep 14 '10 at 22:43
up vote 9 down vote

You can simulate steaming in a microwave. First defrost the salmon. Put it in a glass dish. Put some soy sauce on the bottom of the dish, say half a cm deep. Add some chopped ginger. Cover the dish with plastic wrap. Microwave for 5 minutes or so. Tastes great and healthly too.

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You can also replace the soy sauce with lemon juice, and the chopped ginger with fresh herbs. Certainly not the best way to cook fish fillets, but a quick and still tasty and healthy way. This is useful when you're in places with only a microwave, e.g. at some workplace "kitchens"! – tricasse Jan 22 at 3:58
up vote 2 down vote

Yeah. Don't use the microwave. Yes, the tool is useful for certain things--defrosting, reheating, or indeed making french fries (per a lovely blog). It is categorically not useful for cooking from raw. Use a pan, your oven, or a grill.

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3  
@roux - do you have a link for the french fries in the microwave? – justkt Sep 15 '10 at 12:38
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Not handy.. it's somewhere at playingwithfireandwater.com – daniel Sep 15 '10 at 17:36
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WARNING: that blog may cause you to be late for work, ignore sleep, and pay no attention to your significant other. You may also wish to cover your keyboard with a tarp to prevent damage from the amount of saliva you will drool. – daniel Sep 15 '10 at 17:37
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Found the link. playingwithfireandwater.com/foodplay/2009/03/umami-burger.html Pdf at the bottom of the page. – Chris Cudmore Sep 15 '10 at 19:14
that blog is unreal. i've spent hours on that site, she's incredibly creative and talented. – Brendan Dec 6 '12 at 17:34
up vote 1 down vote

My suggestion would be to cook en papillote, (wrapped in partchment) such as in this recipe. There is no shame using a microwave for serious culinary endeavors as long as you don't ask it to do what it can't do.

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