The blog of cooking-ez.com
The skin side of the fish first?
When it comes to cooking fresh fish, if it's filleted with its skin on and you're planning to pan-fry it in a little olive oil, for example, you might ask yourself the following question: Which side, skin or flesh, should come into contact with the pan first?
16K 18 4.5
Last modified on: February 13th 2021
Keywords for this post:FishCookingSkinFleshTipThe skin side of the fish first?
You will probably read here or there that it is always the skin side first, we always grill longer on that side, and first, because we often want to get a nice crispness, when the skin is eaten, for whiting or sea bass for example.
This is often true, and for thick filleted fish, salmon for example, it allows to remove it quite easily once its side is cooked.
But for some thin fish, it is not always interesting: the skin stretches brutally in contact with the pan, and deforms the fillet into a bow.
This is very pronounced for red mullet, for example. It doesn't change the taste of the fish, but it makes it look a little less appetizing.
But if you start with the flesh side, the skin will not reach the desired crispness, or else with the risk that the fish is a bit overcooked.
You will notice at this point that even if the skin is still tense, the flesh, just seized, is much better, and your fillet does not deform, or less.
If necessary (fillet a little thick) finish with a third, short turn, on the flesh side, to finish browning well.
Another possible solution is to scarify the skin side over a few millimetres deep with a small, very sharp knife to prevent it from shrinking.
To sum up: For fine fish fillets whose skin is to be eaten, first cook the flesh side for 30 seconds, then cook the skin side normally.
This is often true, and for thick filleted fish, salmon for example, it allows to remove it quite easily once its side is cooked.
But for some thin fish, it is not always interesting: the skin stretches brutally in contact with the pan, and deforms the fillet into a bow.
This is very pronounced for red mullet, for example. It doesn't change the taste of the fish, but it makes it look a little less appetizing.
But if you start with the flesh side, the skin will not reach the desired crispness, or else with the risk that the fish is a bit overcooked.
What to do?
Try to proceed in 2 times at least: Frying pan quite hot, put your fillet on the flesh side first, let cook 30 seconds, just to seize, turn over (skin side down this time), and cook the necessary time.You will notice at this point that even if the skin is still tense, the flesh, just seized, is much better, and your fillet does not deform, or less.
If necessary (fillet a little thick) finish with a third, short turn, on the flesh side, to finish browning well.
Another possible solution is to scarify the skin side over a few millimetres deep with a small, very sharp knife to prevent it from shrinking.
To sum up: For fine fish fillets whose skin is to be eaten, first cook the flesh side for 30 seconds, then cook the skin side normally.
Lasts posts
It's spinning too fast!
When you need to grate or slice vegetables, you generally use an electric machine that does all the work: a food processor, a mixer with a "slicer" extension or similar. Are these machines really suitable? Generally speaking, yes of course, but there's one criterion that often poses a problem,...1,1255 November 12th 2023
When I was a kid, I didn't like...
Maybe you've already made this strange observation: when you were a kid, there were things you hated, but as an adult it's almost the opposite? For example, you used to hate spinach or chicory, but now you love it?1,1985 November 5th 2023
How easy is it to chop herbs?
Whenever you have fresh herbs - parsley, chervil, coriander, mint, etc. - to incorporate into a recipe, we tell you to chop them up. In this case, "chopping" means separating the leaves from the stems, keeping only the leaves, and chopping them more or less finely. It's not very complicated,...3,2255 September 12th 2023
The softness of sandwich bread
You're probably familiar with what's known in France as "pain de mie", a very white, molded and rather soft bread, widely used in cooking, particularly for croque-monsieur. Let's find out what it's all about.3,276 September 5th 2023
Cooking cauliflower
Dramatic observation: cauliflower when cooked has a bad reputation ("it doesn't smell good!" and the like), and yet it's an excellent vegetable, very Breton, that deserves to be treated well, to give the best of itself.3,5013.3 August 29th 2023
Other pages you may also like
The so-called "nervous" meats
You've probably heard this before, we're talking about "nervous" meat, or meat with nerves, to describe what is indicated by the blue arrow on the left. This is a piece of beef, and what we call a nerve is not a nerve, it is in fact collagen (chemists sometimes call it a "collagen sink"), a...19K4.5 April 16th 2021
Fruits which can ruin your jelly
There are many ways of making a fruit mousse, but one of the simplest is to prepare a fruit jelly (basically a fresh fruit coulis with gelatine) and then mix this jelly before it sets completely with whipped cream. The result is perfect for filling a charlotte, for example. But do beware;...65K4.0 March 6th 2013
What is the difference between bakery and patisserie?
This is a question that you may well have asked yourself and which I will attempt to answer. In France the two trades of "boulangerie" (bakery) and "pâtisserie" (patisserie and confectionery) have always been quite distinct, but where exactly do the boundaries lie? .115K 14.2 February 7th 2017
Candied fruits: don't get ripped off
Do you like candied fruit? You might like to nibble a handful or add it to a recipe, like a classic fruit cake or delicious Italian specialities like panettone or sicilian epiphany pie.50K 24.2 June 21th 2017
The color of the bread crumb
When you go to buy bread, at your baker's, at the time of the choice, if you hesitate of course, you will undoubtedly be very sensitive to the color of the crust, and you will be right. The color of the crust, from golden, to sometimes very dark, deep brown almost black, depending on the maturity...11K4.6 April 30th 2022
Follow this page
If you are interested in this page, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the page is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.