I have a fantastic appetizer recipe for salmon. My vegetarian daughter is coming for a visit and I’d love to make her a main dish from it. Do you have any idea how long I would have to steam a large piece of salmon that way?
The simple answer is: ten minutes. Let me explain why.
Salmon, indeed many fish, have similar cooking times owing to the fact that they are, for the most part, flat. Assuming that you are substituting a 150g appetizer portion for a 300g main portion, logic dictates that you would double the cooking time. Unlike beef, however, you aren’t doubling the radius of the fish when you double the portion. You’re just making it longer. Since the radiant heat from steaming penetrates the fish at the same rate, it will cook through in the same amount of time. It’s easier to check doneness in fish than in beef because it flakes apart and you can peek inside.
This rule begins to change when the total mass of the fish in the oven increases significantly, but I haven’t written that article. Yet.
Salmon cooking times are also a matter of preference. I prefer it on the rare side.