How to Cut a Salmon Steak

Co-authored by Jessica Gibson

Last Updated: June 13, 2021 References Tested

Steaks are a popular salmon cut because they're great for grilling or roasting. Fortunately, you can cut your own steaks from a whole salmon in just a few minutes. Purchase a high-quality whole salmon and use a sharp knife so you get clean slices. Once you've cut the steaks as wide as you like, you can immediately cook them or remove the bones. Either way, you'll have great salmon steaks at a fraction of the cost!

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Slicing the Salmon into Steaks

1
Buy a salmon with the skin on. Since you can't cut salmon steaks from long, thin fillets, purchase a high-quality whole salmon from your fishmonger. They usually remove the head, innards, and scales before selling the fish. If not, ask them if they'll do it for you or you can clean it when you get home.^{[1]
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- Although the overall cost of a whole salmon might be more expensive than buying salmon steaks, you'll get more salmon steaks out of a whole fish.
2
Lay the salmon on a cutting board and wipe off stray scales. Most seafood mongers will scale the fish before selling it to you, but it's still a good idea to check for scales before you cut the steaks. Hold the tail with 1 hand and wipe across the salmon with a paper towel to brush away stray scales. Then, rinse the salmon with cool water.
- Don't forget to flip the salmon over and repeat this for the other side.
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3
Slice across the salmon to create 8 to 10 evenly sized pieces of salmon. Position the blade of a fillet or boning knife 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5.1 cm) from the wide end of the salmon. Cut across the salmon using a back and forth motion. Apply a little pressure as you reach the bones in the middle of the fish. Keep cutting pieces that are 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5.1 cm) wide until you reach the narrow end of the salmon.^{[2]
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- To make it easier to cut, work from the end that had the head down towards the tail and stop cutting steaks when reach where the anal fin used to be.
Tip: Don't discard the salmon tail! You can trim off the end and fillet the tail to get thin, tender pieces of salmon.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

De-Boning the Steaks

1
Trim the V-shaped inner membrane from both sides of each steak. Once you've cut your salmon steaks, lay them flat on your cutting board and look for the thin, white membrane that extends from the center bones down to the thin ends of the belly. Carefully slide your knife between the membrane and the belly near the center bones. Then, work your knife down to the end and repeat this on the other side of the steak.^{[3]
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- Cut as close to the membrane as possible, so you don't trim very much of the salmon flesh with the membrane.
Tip: Try not to make back-and-forth cuts as you loosen the membrane. Instead, slide the knife with a single, even movement.
2
Cut away the center bones to remove most of the pin bones. Once you've cut the white membrane from the sides, you'll see that it's only connected to the steak by the center bones. Take your knife and cut around the top of this cluster to remove the membrane and center bones.^{[4]
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- If it's more comfortable for you, switch to a smaller knife when you cut the small cluster of bones at the center of the steak.
3
Use tweezers to remove pin bones that you feel in the flesh. Run your fingers over the surface of the flesh to feel for prickly pin bones. If you feel any, take clean tweezers and use them to pull out the pin bones one-by-one.^{[5]
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- It's important to straight up as you remove the pin bones since you don't want to tear or rip the salmon flesh.
4
Slice the de-boned salmon steaks in half if you want to make small salmon fillets. If you'd like to make small portions of salmon that cook quickly, spread the ends of the salmon steak apart and lay it flat so the skin faces up. Then, cut across the center of the steak to make 2 equal fillets.^{[6]
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- You can leave the skin on the fillets or slide your knife in between the skin and flesh of the salmon. Carefully slice from 1 end of the fillet to the opposite end if you're removing the skin.
5
Cook the salmon steaks according to your recipe. You have a few options when it comes to preparing salmon steaks. You could simply lay the steaks in a skillet and roast them in the oven or marinate them and toss them on the grill.^{[7]
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- If you're grilling the salmon, consider rolling each steak tightly into a circle and wrapping kitchen twine around them before you grill. This helps them cook evenly.

Warnings

Use caution when handling a sharp knife.

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Always use different cutting boards for cutting raw seafood so you don't contaminate fresh produce.

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