There are few things more upsetting to me than overcooked fish—especially with soggy skin. Cooked fish skin should be so crispy it shatters, revealing rare, moist flesh—sort of like a fish crème brûlée, except not disgusting.
It's especially tragic, because cooking fish perfectly is actually incredibly easy. This method hasn't failed me yet, so I hope it works for others. And if it doesn't...my bad!
Note: I strongly recommend curing your fish filets (whether in a dry cure like I outline below or liquid brine), because it yields a perfectly-seasoned and flavor-concentrated result. Seriously, just try it at least once. If you don't see a big difference, then you could try this method without curing, and salt the filets separately instead. Also, you don't have taste buds.
Special equipment: A pan large enough to fit the amount of fish you have; a fish spatula (ideally, but any large flat spatula should work)
what you need
- Filets of fatty fish, (like Arctic char or salmon), cut into intended serving size
- 1/2 cup sugar (shitty white sugar performs just fine here—no need for the fancy raw stuff)
- 1/2 cup salt
- Canola or grapeseed oil (spray like PAM works too)
HOW TO MAKE IT
- Dry cure the fish:
- Mix equal parts salt and sugar. (1/2 cup of each should do unless you're making many portions.)
- On a tray, place the char filets (skin-side up) on top half of the salt/sugar mix; then sprinkle the rest on top of the filets. Make sure all sides receive a healthy sprinkle.
- Refrigerate for ~20 minutes.
- Rinse filets thoroughly with cold water, and dry with paper towels. Make dead sure that the skin side is as dry as possible, or it won't crisp up.
- Heat oil or spray in a pan, over medium heat. When the pan is hot enough to spit, lay fish in the pan, skin-side down. Press down each filet (lightly!) to make sure the skin is in full contact with the pan. Cook until the skin is deep golden and the flesh is opaque around the edges, about 6-8 minutes for Arctic char, and up to 10 minutes for salmon depending on how thick the filet is. Turn filets and cook for 1 minute on the other side; transfer to a platter.
- Plate the fish however you like—within a bed of sauce, salad, rice, cauliflower rice, whatever. Just make sure you show off dat sexy, crispy skin by presenting the filet skin-side up. ;-)