No matter how you cook it—pan-seared, grilled, or roasted—there’s one step that consistently makes a difference: a quick wet brine.

Cooking fish, especially salmon well can be tricky. Push the heat too hard and you’ll see that white protein (albumin) come to the surface. With wild salmon, which is naturally leaner than farmed fish, there’s less margin for error. It can go from perfect to dry quickly.

A simple saltwater brine helps prevent that. Soaking the fish in lightly salted water before cooking helps it retain moisture and cook more evenly. The result is a cleaner texture, better seasoning throughout, and less of that white protein on the surface.

You can dry-brine (just salting the fish), but we stick with wet brining. It’s more consistent and gives you better control, especially with wild fish.

Mix 3 cups of cold water with 5 tablespoons of kosher salt and stir until dissolved.

Place your salmon portions in a dish and pour the brine over until fully submerged. Cover and refrigerate for 15–30 minutes.

Remove the fish, pat it completely dry, and cook as you normally would.

That’s it. Simple step, noticeable difference.