Remove salmon skin before or after cooking

Cooking salmon — especially cooking salmon with skin — can be fraught with peril if you don't do it regularly. This meaty, luscious fish can easily end up overcooked, rubbery or dry, or with flabby skin that is wildly unappealing, rather than the gorgeously crisp skin that makes salmon so wildly popular. But you can easily avoid the most common mistakes that we all make when cooking salmon, and it all starts with how you place it.

Not starting the salmon skin-side down for maximum crispiness

Salmon skin is where a lot of the healthy oils reside, so making it delicious is paramount to getting all those benefits when you are cooking cuts of salmon that are skin-on. So, you want skin that is super crisp and flavorful, just as you would want with chicken. Starting your salmon skin-side down, and cooking it until it is well rendered, lightly browned, and crisp, and then turning the salmon to finish the cooking, will make for a terrific dining experience.

MAKE: Pomegranate-Lacquered Salmon

Cooking at too high a temperature

While you do want your heat high enough to crisp skin if your filets are skin-on, what you do not want is that white goo that can often seep out of the flesh, which is not dangerous, but certainly not attractive. That liquid protein escaping is a sign your fish is being cooked at too high a temperature, which also means you are likely drying it out. Keep things stovetop to a medium low, or even better sear on the stovetop then transfer to a hot oven to finish cooking in a more steady, even-heated environment.

MAKE: Miso Air Fryer Salmon With Baby Bok Choy

Not checking the internal temperature of the salmon

Salmon is a fish that is at its best between medium and medium rare. Not overcooking it can be tricky to sense by feel or timing, so use a meat thermometer to ensure that the interior of your fish is where you want it to be. As with meat, the fish will have some carryover cooking, so pull it about five degrees before it hits your target temp and rest it for 5 minutes before eating.

Not checking for pin bones

Nothing puts a damper on an evening like performing the Heimlich. Salmon, depending on the cut you have chosen, may have little pin bones lining the flesh that are a choking hazard. Luckily, they are fairly easy to remove with a tweezer or needle-noses pliers, and easy to find by running your hand along the flesh side of your filets in both directions to feel for them. It is always worth taking this extra step for safety sake, but if you do not have the bandwidth to tweeze your fish, at least warn diners about the possible presence of bones when you serve them.

MAKE: Sizzling Garlic Salmon with Sheet Pan Potatoes

Using too little fat in the pan

While fish is often considered a lighter meal, that doesn't mean it doesn't need fat. Fat carries flavor, and also helps the fish not to stick to your cooking surface. Fish in general is delicate, and too easy to adhere to pans and grills if you are not careful. The fish will not absorb much of the fat you cook it in, so err on the side of a good slick of oil in the pan, or on your grates, or even on that cedar plank. The fish will taste better and stay intact.

When it comes to cooking, we often have a lot of doubts and questions, and to be sure that we get what we’re cooking right and come up with a magnificent dish, we always use recipes as guides. However there are times that recipes just don’t cut it, they leave out important information that could save you from making a mistake that could ruin your dish.

Salmon is a nutritious fish, loaded with Omega-3 fatty acids and protein, it is, however, a very fragile type of fish, hence a bit tricky to cook, and can easily be messed up. But if you stick with us, you’ll be a master chef by the end of this article.

The trick is knowing the correct side to cook first, do you bake salmon skin up or skin down? 

You should bake salmon with the skin facing down. Not only that it is much delicious when you are able to make it crispy, it can also serve as a protective layer for the fish so that the hot pan does not mess it up. Baking salmon skin down also helps to prevent the fish from sticking to the pan.

When do you bake salmon skin down?

To get the perfectly cooked salmon irrespective of your cooking method, whether you are grilling, pan-frying, or baking, you should always start skin-side down so that your fish cooks nicely without it sticking to the pan. The skin serves as a protective covering for the delicate fish flesh, when you start skin-side down, your fish gets to cook as a whole and it’s easier to flip the crisp part over than the delicate flesh.

When do you bake salmon skin up?

You should not bake your salmon skin-side up unless the fish has been cooked skin-side down first. You should now turn off the heat and flip to the other side and cook with residual heat from the pan, skin-side up now. You would want to switch off the heat because salmon flesh is so delicate, since there is no protective layer this time, you want to protect it from damage. To prevent your fish from drying up you should coat it with olive oil and use your seasoning herbs as a light covering for your fish.

When do you bake salmon without skin?

You should not take the skin off the salmon before baking it, Some people would prefer the skin taken off, so if you would want to take it off, You should do that after you’re done baking it. You should only take the skin off first if you are poaching it instead, so you don’t end up with rubbery, chewy skin on your fish.

You can also take the skin off if you are going to grill the fish, but you should do this with a grill basket so your fish comes out whole and not in pieces.

How long to cook salmon skin facing down?

It is recommended to bake the salmon cut skin-side down for 12 to 15 minutes, or until pink and opaque. Make sure to pre-heat your oven to about 450°F, using a non-stick pan, that way you are super sure that your fish won’t be sticking to the pan and breaking up. Then line a large baking sheet with foil or you can just oil your pan if you don’t have a baking sheet before cooking the salmon slice.

Do you flip salmon when baking?

There is really no need to flip your salmon when baking it. If you were grilling or pan-frying it, you would need a flexible fish spatula or a grilling racket that you can lock the fish in to hold it steady while you grill it. This helps you to flip it easily and perfectly without breaking it so that you can cook both sides. However, if you don’t have this racket, it will be fine.

Do you cook salmon skin up or down in the oven?

Similar to the frying pan, you should always bake a salmon skin down in the oven. When you are done seasoning your salmon, you should always place the salmon slice skin facing down on the oven tray. It is easier to flip it over to bake the other side when you bake it skin down first, but flipping it over is not necessary. You would know that it is ready when it starts to change from a pinkish color to a light golden brown color.

How to make salmon skin crispy?

Crispy salmon is the ultimate goal, if you can make your salmon skin crispy ( not burnt but crispy), then you are probably a master chef; a Gordon Ramsay type of chef. Let us share with you all you need to get the perfect crispy salmon.

Firstly, you should make sure your fish is not so wet. Use a paper towel to dry it up before you start seasoning. 

Secondly, add oil, salt, and pepper, olive oil. This is our recommendation but you can use whatever cooking oil you want to use. The secret is applying enough oil, not too little, and not too much. Little oil would just burn the fish, while a lot of oil would fry it and make it a bit dry. So, just oil your pan and also coat your fish in a thin layer of oil and that should be enough.

In addition, you can also use butter instead. If you have the time, butter up the filet skin and refrigerate it to solidify the butter before baking. It is the best way to get crispy skin on your fish, and the crisp skin tastes like a naturally salted chip, isn’t that amazing?

Finally, after baking, be sure to serve skin-side up, so the heat does not make the crisp soggy. And if you want to eat your fish with a sauce, serve the sauce on a different plate, this would help preserve the crispy-ness for longer.

All we are trying to say is that when cooking salmon, it is best to cook it skin-side down so that you can get the best of the best. We hope this article is helpful. Go on and make an irresistible salmon dish with this knowledge, you top star chef!