3 common mistakes when preparing salmon
Preparing salmon at home can be a tricky business. Before you know it, you’ve turned your beautiful piece of fish into an overcooked, fallen-apart and inedible object. Such a shame. Make sure you don’t make these three mistakes, and you’ll soon be known as the salmon pro.
Handling the skin incorrectly
It starts with removing the skin. Why? When prepared properly, the skin is crispy, salty and I’ll even dare say that the skin is the tastiest part of the fish. So next time, ask the fishmonger to leave the skin right where it is. To fry the skin as crispy as possible, you only need one thing: patience. Fry the salmon skin-side down over medium heat and however much you want to turn it over: don’t. Only turn the fillet during the last half minute. If all goes well, the skin will come out of the pan completely intact and über-crispy.
Using the wrong pan
Everyone who fries salmon has wrestled with stuck pieces of fish or a salmon steak that completely falls apart at some point. What a horror. That’s why you should always use a non-stick pan. As much as we love our cast-iron skillet, our carefully selected salmon fillets will never go anywhere near it.
Overcooking it
The perfect salmon is completely cooked on the outside and warm but still translucent inside. How do you know when that moment has arrived? On average, a salmon fillet needs about 3–4 minutes on the skin side and half a minute on the other side before you let it rest for about 10 minutes. Do you have a meat thermometer? Then the salmon should be around 55°C in the thickest part before you take it out of the pan.
You can also insert a satay skewer into the salmon and then feel how warm it is with your lower lip. If it’s cold or only slightly warm, the salmon needs a little longer. As soon as the skewer comes out properly warm, turn off the heat. Take the salmon out of the fridge 15–20 minutes before frying to bring it up to temperature. When you put cold salmon in a hot pan, it curls up and is more likely to cook unevenly.
Also read:
- What is that white stuff coming out of salmon?
- Recipe: green pea fritters with smoked salmon
- Recipe: salmon poke
