Abstract
We examined the effect of using frozen or thawed fillets of chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) on their cooking properties and palatability. Both salted and non-salted frozen fillets were used as samples. The frozen fillets required a longer cooking time (p<0.05) than did the thawed fillets for both the salted and non-salted samples. Salted salmon fillets that had been thawed prior to grilling had a higher cooking yield (p<0.01) and higher water-holding capacity (p<0.01) than the frozen fillets. The results of a sensory evaluation showed the palatability of the grilled fillets which had been thawed and salted to be preferable to those that were frozen. A white deposit of heat-coagulated protein formed on the surface of the grilled fillets that were in the frozen state at the start of cooking with both the salted and non-salted samples. The amount of this deposit that formed was less when the frozen, non-salted salmon fillets were cooked after thawing and salting. The addition of salt to the thawed, non-salted salmon fillets improved the palatability of the fillets after grilling.
