When To Keep The Skin On Your Salmon Filet Depends On Cooking Technique

The exquisite aroma and sophisticated visual appeal you experience when a restaurant serves you perfectly succulent salmon is inspiring. Still, trained professionals make it look easy. People make plenty of common mistakes when cooking salmon, and one of the most notorious is removing the skin when it should be left on — or vice versa.

To find out when the skin should stay on the fish, we asked executive chef Kory Foltz of Sunseeker Resort for some tips. He took a firm stance on the issue, saying, "I generally recommend to leave the skin on, even if you don't want to eat it. Keeping it on allows for better moisture retention, gives added texture, and also contains omega-3 fatty acids with other nutrients." It's true that salmon skin contains the highest concentration of omega-3 fatty acids in the whole fish. Moreover, those nutrients can help reduce your risk of heart disease, so you may well want to keep it on for the health benefits alone (via Healthline).

But it's not all about healthy choices. Whether baking, pan-frying, or grilling salmon on a cedar plank, preparing it with the skin still attached keeps the fish juicy by shielding it from the heat. It provides a crispy contrast to a rich, buttery piece of salmon for those who enjoy it. Those who don't can easily remove it once it's been cooked. Yet sometimes, the skin doesn't serve any purpose and won't be appetizing, even to those who typically appreciate the taste.

Although you may want to leave the skin on salmon as a general rule, rules can be bent or broken based on the situation. Depending on how the fish is being prepared, it might not contribute anything beneficial to the finalized dish. Chef Foltz said, "I suggest to remove it when texture matters (like adding salmon to a salad) or a cooking method that doesn't create crispy skin (like poaching)." There are some easy ways to add extra flavor to seafood when poaching, but leaving the skin on the fish isn't one of them. Poached salmon skin is likely to be rubbery and unappetizing. Yet poaching isn't the only cooking technique that makes the oily outer layer unwelcome. Chef Foltz highlighted this saying, "One example: Eating sushi with the skin on is definitely less than desirable." 

Thankfully, taking the salmon skin off isn't very difficult for those times when it won't add anything to your dish. Grab your sharpest fillet knife (KastKing is highly rated) and set your seafood on a cutting board, skin side down. Slide the knife between the skin and the flesh slowly — keeping the fish steady with your free hand — and gently let the blade separate the two as you run it down the length of the salmon. The goal is to leave as much flesh intact as possible, so patience and a steady hand will be invaluable if the salmon skin needs to be removed.