How To Remove Salmon Skin Like A Pro

Salmon is a tasty protein suited for many meals with plentiful health benefits. This fish has omega-3 fatty acids to help your brain omega-3 fatty acids to help your brain, and it can reduce blood pressure naturally. Many salmon recipes require you to remove the skin, but you only need a few tools and the steps below to learn how to remove fish skin.

Importance of Removing Salmon Skin Properly

Leaving the salmon skin on might result in crispy textures and unevenly cooked fish, and removing too much from the salmon can waste the delicate, delicious taste.

Tools You’ll Need

Our Awabi Damascus Chef Knife Set is an excellent addition to your kitchen, but it's not enough to remove salmon skin. You'll also need a cutting board, towels, and needle-nose pliers.

Cutting Board

You can impress your guests before dinner if you know how to fillet a fish. The right cutting board gives you a stable surface to do this cleanly.

Fillet or Chef Knife

Some culinary schools teach their chefs to skin fish using a fillet knife like our Shujin Fillet Knife. It's quite possibly the best knife for filleting salmon, but a chef knife has a wider blade that is also well-suited to the task.

Paper Towels

Getting a grip on your slippery salmon gives you more control over the process. Kitchen towels work, but they mean more laundry. Paper towels work well and can be disposed of immediately.

Needle-Nose Pliers (Optional)

Some salmon fillets have pin bones in them, so always check for these. Clean your needle-nose pliers before using them to pull the pin bones out.

Step-by-Step Guide to Removing Salmon Skin

Removing skin from salmon is necessary for most recipes and makes the fish look much better. Fortunately, it only requires a handful of steps.

Preparing the Salmon

Your butcher probably removes the pin bones removes the pin bones, but some can be missed. Look for them first, and remove them with clean pliers. See what direction they're running in, and pull in that same direction so that they don't break.

Choosing the Right Knife

You must choose a knife that you can hold securely and comfortably in your hand. You want to cut through the salmon skin but not into the meat, so effective control is crucial. A fillet knife is a good choice for individual portions, but a chef's knife might work better when dealing with an entire fillet.

The Technique

Place your salmon on your cutting board with the skin side facing down. Use a sharp knife to make a small incision close to the start of the skin. Use one hand to hold the skin tightly, and use the other hand to guide your knife gently. Once you make the first cut, visually inspect the remaining skin because sometimes, an additional cut might be necessary. A sawing motion then separates the skin from the flesh. Downward-angle cuts keep your knife close to the salmon skin; that means you remove just the skin without hurting the flesh.

Skin Fish Like a Pro With Seido Knives

Common Mistakes to Avoid: Ensure a Perfect Fillet

Two mistakes are common when preparing fish for cooking. First, make sure there aren't any bones. Most salmon packages say it is deboned, but something can always get through.

Also, don't season the fish right after you skin it. Salt and pepper are crucial for flavor, but should only be applied right before cooking. Salt starts breaking down salmon proteins and removing moisture. Save the seasoning for right before the grill, oven or pan.

Tips for Beginners

Find the right salmon to cut and cook. Fillets are easier to work with overall, but whole salmon gives you more flexibility. Shop for salmon that look vibrant and pinkish-orange instead of fish with discolored or dull patches. Fresh salmon smells clean, like the ocean; anything overly fishy isn't as fresh as you want. Don't get anything with visible bruises, and it’s also worth remembering that firm meat bounces back when you press it.

Practice Makes Perfect

The more you practice with your Japanese fish knife, the better you will get at using it. While repetition is useful in improving any skill, buying more salmon can get expensive. Check with your grocer or butcher for any freezer sales they might run when their storage units start filling up with too much product. You can also practice on similar fish that are possibly cheaper to buy, such as cod, halibut, hake, and pollack.

How to Handle Tough Spots

A great fillet knife for fish should make skinning salmon a breeze, but you might still run into tough spots. Fortunately, there's another way to do it. Get a baking dish and rack before boiling some water. Position your salmon on the baking rack so that the skin is facing up. Gently pour hot water onto your fillet, and the skin should start shriveling up. Once a moment has passed, you can pull it off easily and quickly.

Mastering the Art of Skinning Salmon

Using these steps, you can remove salmon skin and practice many different recipes and dishes. Gather your tools and throw a dinner party. You might have a guest ask you what is a boning knife? You can answer that and any other questions while showing off your Seido knife collection and preparing salmon for family and friends.

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