Crispy Fish Skin -- how to?

[Ben Hong]

ok this might deserve a new thread but how about making fried fish bone crackers? those are yummy too.

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Don't ya love it though when 'common' Asian stuff gets into a FDR folks go all ga ga and ooh la la over it?

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Hehehehe .

Wasn't so long ago, I was castigated for leaving (crispy) skin on a salmon fillet by a couple of houseguests (they didn't eat it and they won't be invited back )

[Busboy]

Success!

Well, the skin was a little salty and I think the fish was a bit overcooked but, dammit, that skin was as crisp as a saltine and any other problems can be overcome.

We (by which I mean Stephanie, my wife) did the squeegee/salt/squeegee thing and, after heating the oil to the point where it began to smoke, we fried the hell out of a decent bit of red snapper, omlette pan on top a la lambfries. A little sorrel-cream sauce (with wine, vermouth and fish stock) on the side. Very tasty and nicely crisped.

Thanks all for your advice.

[BryanZ]

I've had the problem with oversalting when trying to crisp fish skin. It's not bad but more salt that I would like. How important is heavily salting the skin? Is it more to draw out the moisture? If so, can I wipe the salt off after squeege-ing?

[russ parsons]

i don't think you need to salt it heavily at all. in fact, i don't season the skin side until after the fish is cooked (i did it again this weekend--salmon with pea shoots and mushrooms--and i also realized that i usually only cook the salmon on the skin side. then i place it meat-side down on a hot plate to finish cooking while i finish the dish. this results in fish that is just about medium-rare on the meat side while well-done closer to the skin. don't know any way to avoid that part.

also, very high heat to start, then immediately reduce the heat to medium, by the time the heat goes down, the skin will be well on the way to crisp.

also, i don't use a pan to press the skin down, just press gently with a spatula. that's all it takes.

[fendi_pilot]

What is the verdict on using a light dusting of flour (other mention corn starch?) to crisp skin ? I have never tried this method but am curious about the results.

Sometimes I think my crisp skin loses it's crispness that it has initially after cooking and I think the idea of not turning the fish to cook on the flesh side but finishing the top of it in the oven is appealing. Will definitely try.

I feel like some fish skin (i.e. striped bass) seems to crisp much better than others, such as mahi-mahi. Am I correct in this assumption ?

Also, I don't like the idea of using a pan to press down on fish either. Most fillets seem a little too delicate for me to consider that technique, I use a slotted spatula to press down on the fish and that seems to work excellent.

[mcohen]

I tried squeegeeing the skin with a knife, and I didn't think it really worked. Maybe, I did it wrong, but I didn't notice any improvement.

Instead, I'm a big fan of this method that Gordon Ramsay demonstrates in the following video:

Its amazing how much of a difference it really made. On the same piece of salmon, I tried squeegeeing it on one half and the Ramsay way the other way.

It wasn't even close.

[Qwerty]

You have to be careful with the idea of "pressing" down as well. I wouldn't say that press is the right word...use very gentle pressure. Alot of people seem to think that the only way to get it back flat is to weight it or to push really hard. The thing to remember is that the flesh will eventually relax and you will be able to apply gentle pressure to make sure the skin gets full contact with the pan. But I've seen a lot of cooks literally flatten with force the fillets, and IMO that is just wrong. It takes a gentle touch, and once the fish "curls" let it relax a minute, then gently press. Otherwise you risk damaging the flesh.

[Kent Wang]

I usually roast it in the oven on a rack. Low and slow, just like bacon.