Now that my eyes are open to how great it is to savor the crunch of a perfectly cooked fish skin, I want everyone to be able to make it at home. Really, it is that good. And it is pretty simple to make if you follow a couple of guidelines regarding moisture and a pan selection.   

I am using a salmon but you could also use snapper, flounder or sea bass. Also, it is good to note that when you finish cooking the salmon make sure that you serve it skin up and if you are using a sauce serve it under the fish, not on top of it. This will preserve the crispness. Enjoy.

How to Cook Crispy Fish Skin

There are two main considerations that will determine the success of your crispy skin adventure.  They are moisture and pan selection. 

INSTRUCTIONS

REMOVE WATER FROM SKIN 

Patting it with paper towel won’t remove all of  the water from your aquatic beauty.  

1. Place fish flesh side down on a wet towel.

2. Using a chef knife scrape the the length of the skin and wipe the water picked up on the knife onto a towel and repeat over and over until there isn’t any moisture left on the skin. You may scrape in both directions. In the big picture of life it won’t seem like that little amount of moisture would matter but it is the difference between getting there and not getting there.

CUT INDIVIDUAL PIECES

1. Use caution not to set the skin on anything moist.

2. Lift the fish and remove the wet towel. Set the fish skin down on the cutting board. It will not move. If you are using salmon, notice that the skin is black on top and white on the bottom of the fish. As an aside, did you know that penguins have the same color scheme so that when predators from the sky look down on them they just see black like the water and when predators from below look up at them they see white like the sky. Anyway, cut the salmon lengthwise along the line that used to hold the vertebrae and separate the top from the bottom. The skin on top is a little thinner and will crisp better.

3. Now that the salmon is divided into top and bottom. Cut the filets into portions. As you cut the portions place them on a plate skin up until ready to cook. From now until the time you cook the fish it should stay skin up. If you put the fish in the fridge after removing moisture and cutting portions do not cover it. You need the skin to stay dry. Did I mention that the skin needs to be dry?

PAN CHOICE

I use a carbonate steel pan.  A cast iron pan would work beautifully too.  You want to avoid a non-stick or teflon pan because the frustration will be unbearable.   Trust me.

OIL 

It is important to use a high heat oil like canola, avocado or coconut.  I use avocado oil.

COOKING

1. Pour 3 tablespoons of oil in a 9” pan for two small pieces of fish and place over medium-high heat.

2. Let the oil heat to just before smoking point and place fish skin down in the pan. Mind the oil - it is hot. IMPORTANT NOTE: Refrain from touching the fish. Yup, this is hard but your patience will be rewarded. In about 2 minutes the fish will slide on the bottom of the pan if you tilt the pan sideways. This is a good sign.

3. You will notice that the fish is cooking from the bottom up and changing color as it progresses - another good sign. At this point gather some of the oil on a smallish metal spoon and pour over each pieces of fish to help the cooking process. In total it will only take about 4 minutes to cook a small piece of salmon.

4. When the salmon is cooked half way up from the bottom. Briefly turn it over and let the flesh “kiss” the pan. Then lift the salmon with tongs and place it flesh down (skin up) on a piece of paper towel to soak up some of the oil and to let the fish finish cooking off the heat.

PLATING THE FISH

Nice work!  Your skin is crispy when you tap it with a metal spoon. You definitely don’t want to lose that as you bring it to the table. If you are using a sauce, spoon the sauce onto the plate, not over the fish. Then place the fish skin up on top of the sauce to keep the moisture away from the skin.