How to ensure your salmon is crispy everytime

There is an unholy trinity of fates that can befall when pan searing a salmon. Whether it is fresh Norwegian salmon, or frozen fillets, if you’ve ever cooked fish on a pan with little to no care, some mess is bound to happen.

This week, Puri Pangan Utama is here to end all the salmon mishap and show you how to properly cook with our carefully selected salmon ingredients. Read on to ensure you don’t leave flaky bits behind, end up with dry flesh, and ooze out white gunk out of the layers.

Dry the fish carefully
Place the salmon fillet on a paper towel and pat it dry. The drier the fish, the easier it will cook.

Preheat oil on medium heat
There’s only one answer as to why salmon likes to stick to the metal pan: science. It’s about the actual chemical bond that occurs between the fish and the pan at a molecular level.

The key to prevent stickage is to make sure that the skin heats up as fast as possible. With a hot enough pan and enough fat in it, the skin will have heated up, causing its proteins to tighten and coagulate before it even comes into contact with the hot metal. This will make flipping easier.

Gently press the salmon down into the pan and lower heat
When oil is shimmering, lay your seasoned fish skin-side down into the pan and immediately do two things: press it gently against the skillet and turn the heat down to medium-low. Don’t move your fillet around.

Cook through one side only
Keep your pan over medium-low heat to avoid over-cooking. Resist the temptation to turn up heat or flip the fish over to speed up the process. Depending on the thickness of your fillet, this should take 7 to 9 minutes. You’re looking for nicely browned, nicely crisped skin and flesh.

Flip for just a moment.
Once crispy skin is achieved, flip the salmon and ‘kiss’ the top of the fillet with the skillet just long enough to finish cooking it. It shouldn’t be more than a minute.

Serve immediately.

Puri Pangan Utama is your dependable food distributor in Bali. Established in 1985, we are known island wide as pioneers in frozen food supplying. Order your produce from us to experience the freshest and best quality brands at affordable prices – for your restaurant business or to simply cook at home.