"Don't dump a bunch of sauce on your crispy skin— you'll ruin it. Put your sauce on the plate and place the fillet on top."—Donald Link
Ingredients
2 Servings
- Dry Out
Step 1
Starting with parched skin is the key to a pro result— try to cook wet fish and it's going to steam, stick, rip, and generally be a huge, frustrating bummer. One hour before cooking, put your fillets on a plate, skin side up (no seasoning, please!), and leave them uncovered in the fridge to dry out.
- Start Smoking
Step 2
得到一个大的不锈钢锅把热的爱r high heat (2 minutes should do it), then pour in 1 tablespoon oil and add a big pinch of salt. Once the oil is smoking, take the skillet off the heat and use a handful of paper towels to wipe oil and salt around and out of the pan (be extra careful—you might want to use tongs to hold the towels).
- Give 'Em Some Skin
Step 3
Put your now-seasoned skillet back over high heat and take those beautiful air-dried fillets out of the fridge. Add another 1 tablespoon oil to the pan and hit both sides of each fillet with a decent amount of salt. Once the oil is shimmering, carefully lay a fillet skin side down in the pan (be sure to lay them going away from you to guard against spatters).
- Be Firm
Step 4
Use a fish spatula (call it a "fish spat" if you want to sound like a pro) to apply firm, even pressure to the fillet until it relaxes and lies flat. Repeat with remaining fillet, then keep at it! Periodically press down each fillet and cook until flesh is nearly opaque and cooked through, with just a small raw area on top.
- Flip and Rest
Step 5
Slide your fish spatula under each fillet and—using your other hand as a guide—turn it away from you (watch that oil). Remove the pan from heat. At this point you're just letting the raw side kiss the skillet to finish cooking, about 1 minute.
Leave a Review
Reviews (3)
Back to TopA complete game-changer. Ever since I saw this back in the original BA publishing, I've been using this method as my go-to for virtually any fish. The skin is transformed from a slimy undesirable to a delicate, golden, crackly crust that shatters in the mouth with the same crisp as a fine European wafer biscuit. The technique is fool-proof and reliably produces better-than-restaurant results every time. I have even omitted steps when I was short on time and skipped the refrigerator drying, the wiping out of the skillet (the salt actually adds a nice seasoning to the skin), and the pressing of the fish and still with all of this taken out, the results are still incredible. The skin is elevated to the star of the show and is easily the most delightful part of the dish—adding lovely textural contrast. I now weep every time I see recipes discard the skin, knowing what goodness I'm missing out on and almost always swap in this technique instead. Make this, and never look back.
andreayung23
Northern California
2/20/2021
this worked perfectly. The filets looked as if they came from a restaurant!. The presentation was great.
rbarron1
Long Island, NYllllll
9/21/2016
This is a great technique! I've used it with black cod and salmon, and the skin was crispy but the fish perfectly cooked.
ndchef
seattle wa
5/15/2015
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