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Sous Vide Salmon Tail with Maple Gochujang Barbecue Glaze

Maple Gochujang Barbecue Salmon Tail Sous Vide cooked to perfection and smothered in a homemade Korean-style barbecue sauce.
Maple Gochujang Barbecue Salmon Tail Sous Vide cooked to perfection and smothered in a homemade Korean-style barbecue sauce.

Summer means the grill is working overtime, and this Maple Gochujang Barbecue Salmon Tail Sous Vide is the perfect reason to keep it fired up. Tender, flavorful salmon finished with a sticky, Korean-style barbecue glaze makes a simple summer meal feel special.

Fresh Is Best

Fresh seafood shaped my early food memories. Not fillets cut into anonymous pieces, but whole fish with eyes, scales and tails—caught and sold straight from the boats. Accompanying my grandparents to the market, I watched them select grouper, snapper, sea bass, tuna, yellowtail, mackerel, shrimp and lobster, among others. Those ingredients became steamed, grilled, fried or baked dishes for any meal of the day.

Those early experiences taught me how much better truly fresh fish can taste, and why handling and respect for the ingredient matter.

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Maple Gochujang Barbecue Salmon Tail Sous Vide cooked to perfection and smothered in a homemade Korean-style barbecue sauce.Eyes and Bones

Salmon wasn’t a big part of my childhood, so my first memories of it are fuzzy. I do remember the unease of seeing a pink rectangle on my plate and wondering where the “real” fish was. My first attempt at preparing a whole fish on my own ended with a bone stuck in my throat and a brief aversion to anything but fillets.

Over time I learned to appreciate whole fish again—for the texture, the presentation and the flavor that comes from cooking fish responsibly and simply.

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Maple Gochujang Barbecue Salmon Tail Sous Vide cooked to perfection and smothered in a homemade Korean-style barbecue sauce.Maple Gochujang Barbecue Salmon Tail Sous Vide

Fast forward to now: a boned salmon tail, seasoned and stuffed, cooked sous vide, grilled briefly for color and texture, then brushed with a maple-gochujang barbecue sauce. The result is crisp skin, tender flaky flesh and a complex, slightly sweet-spicy glaze.

I usually avoid meat skin, but crisp fish skin is an exception—its crunch contrasts beautifully with the moist flesh. When grilling, oil the grates to prevent sticking and help keep the skin intact.

Gochujang is a fermented Korean chili paste that brings sweetness, umami and gentle heat to sauces. Made from chili peppers, fermented soybeans and glutinous rice, it adds depth without overpowering the dish. If you prefer less spice, reduce the gochujang amount to taste.

If you don’t have a sous vide setup, this recipe can be adapted to conventional methods—poach gently, bake or steam until just cooked through, then finish on a hot grill or skillet for crisp skin and caramelized sauce.

Below are the ingredients and method I used, streamlined for clarity.

Maple Gochujang Barbecue Salmon Tail Sous Vide cooked to perfection and smothered in a homemade Korean-style barbecue sauce.
i sugar coat it!

Maple Gochujang Barbecue Salmon Tail Sous Vide

Maple Gochujang Barbecue Salmon Tail Sous Vide cooked to perfection and smothered in a homemade Korean-style barbecue sauce.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 2
Course: Main
Cuisine: Seafood
IngredientsMethod

Ingredients

  

For the sauce:
  • 131 grams pure maple syrup
  • 108 grams tamari
  • 29 grams water
  • 15 grams rice wine vinegar
  • 1 small knob fresh ginger grated
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • ½ Asian pear chopped
  • ½ onion peeled and chopped
  • 12 grams gochujang chili paste
  • 4 grams toasted sesame oil
  • black peppercorn ground
For the fish:
  • salmon tail
  • fresh lime or lemon sliced
  • green onions trimmed
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • oil for sous vide bag

Method

Make the sauce:
  1. Combine maple syrup, tamari, water, rice wine vinegar, grated ginger, garlic, Asian pear and onion in a tall container or blender. Blend until smooth. Stir in gochujang and toasted sesame oil, then season with ground black pepper to taste. Adjust sweetness or heat as desired.
Prep and cook the fish:
  1. Carefully slice the salmon tail open on one side between the bone and flesh. Remove the bone, then stuff the cavity with lime or lemon slices and trimmed green onions. Season the exterior with salt and pepper.
    Maple Gochujang Barbecue Salmon Tail Sous Vide cooked to perfection and smothered in a homemade Korean-style barbecue sauce.
  2. Place the stuffed tail in a vacuum bag, add a little oil, and seal. If you don’t have a vacuum sealer, use the water displacement method to remove air. Submerge in a 51°C (124°F) water bath and cook for 30–60 minutes, depending on thickness. Remove from the bag and pat dry with paper towels.
  3. To finish, heat a grill or non-stick skillet until very hot. Lightly oil grates or pan, then sear the fish skin-side down a few seconds to crisp and char. Brush the fish generously with the maple gochujang sauce and give it a quick turn to glaze both sides.
  4. Serve the salmon with your favorite sides—greens, blistered tomatoes or rice—and enjoy.
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