Should You Remove Fish Skin, and How Do You Do It?

Skin is a natural covering around muscle tissue and acts as a buffer against heat. When fish cooks skin-side down on a grill or in a pan, the flesh is not exposed to direct heat; this significantly slows the fish from falling apart and drying out. Skin also carries fat; as it melts during cooking, the fat moistens the underside of the flesh. When prepared properly, the skin turns crisp and adds a separate texture to the plate rather than just being a piece to throw away. On thick-skinned, large-scaled species, however, the skin cannot do this job because it remains tough even after scaling.

Skin is an asset with dry heat and a drawback with moist heat. In steamed, soup, and sauced dishes, the skin cannot crisp; it stays soft, slippery, and unpleasant to eat, so it is removed. Remove it for fish cakes and fillings as well. The skin is removed in all cases for some species with thick, scaly skin. The decision comes down to a simple question: will the skin turn crisp in this dish? If not, it does not belong on the plate.

Place the fillet on the cutting board skin-side down. About 1 centimeter in from the tail end, slide the knife between the skin and flesh and make a small tab to hold. Grip the skin firmly by that tab; if needed, sprinkle salt on your fingers or use a paper towel. Then hold the knife parallel to the cutting board, press down gently, and pull the skin toward the knife instead of moving the knife forward. The skin will separate cleanly, leaving no flesh attached.

Two mistakes can ruin the result. The first is angling the knife upward; this leaves flesh on the skin and increases waste. The second is rubbing the knife back and forth instead of pulling the skin, which makes the fillet’s surface wavy. Because the skin is slippery, the job is difficult from the start; drying the board and your hand makes it noticeably easier. Working with the fish cold also helps because a cold fillet holds together and stays in place under the knife. The knife should be sharp, too; a dull knife pushes the skin instead of cutting it, causing the front of the fillet to curl and tear.

The removed skin does not have to be discarded. Well-scraped, scaled skin can be fried in a pan or oven with a thin film of oil and served as a crisp garnish; it can also be added to fish stock. For fish cooked with its skin on, two things are essential: remove all the scales and dry the skin thoroughly. Wet skin never turns crisp; it only sticks to the pan, and the fillet can split in two when you try to remove it. Making a few shallow cuts on the skin side of a skin-on fillet also helps prevent curling.