How to Remove Skin From Salmon
If you've never removed the skin from salmon before, it might seem a bit intimidating. But lucky for you, my whole family LOVES salmon, so I've had plenty of practice perfecting the method! I have three easy and effective ways to remove the skin - which one will you try first?
Ingredients
- 1 side salmon, see notes
Instructions
Use your knife to remove salmon skin before cooking
- Dry the salmon using paper towels and then place it on a cutting board, skin-side down, with the narrow end facing you. Note: if your cutting board tends to slip around easily, place a damp tea towel underneath it to make it slip-resistant.
- Check for pin bones by feeling down the ridge of the salmon. If you feel one, use use kitchen tweezers to pull it out. Place your fingers around the pin bone to protect the meat and then pull out the bone in the same direction it's laying in.
- Now it's time to remove the salmon skin! Using a very sharp knife, make a cut straight down through the flesh at the narrow end of the salmon, stopping at the skin.
- Grab that little piece you've just cut and turn your knife so that it is at a 45-degree angle to the cutting board, facing away from you. Pull that little piece towards you while slowly moving your knife back and forth while pushing the knife away from you.
- As the skin comes away, pull it to one side and make sure to keep it taut. Adjust your grip on the skin so that you are holding it close to the knife to make it easier. If it is too slippery, use a piece of paper towel to grip the salmon skin. That's it! You've just skinned your salmon fillet!
The boiling water method
- Set a wire rack over a baking dish and put the salmon on top, skin side up.
- Pour boiling water over the salmon skin until it starts to shrivel up.
- Now all that you have to do is peel off the skin!
Deskin salmon after cooking
- After baking salmon skin side down, slid a fish spatula between the meat and the skin. Transfer the meat to a plate and the skin will stay on the baking sheet.
Notes
It is easiest to remove the skin from a whole side of salmon rather than a single-serving fillet. But it is possible to remove the skin from a smaller piece. If your piece of salmon is cut from the middle section, where there is not a smaller end piece, carefully cut a little piece of the skin away from the meat at one end, then continue with step 4 in the instructions.