I think everyone should learn how to cook crispy skin fish at home. It’s very quick and easy, making it a great option for weeknight dinners. I’ve used salmon for this recipe but you can also use other varieties like snapper or trout. Once you’ve picked your fish, you can just add a salad, grilled greens or a white bean and kale salad like I’ve done here.
Category
Dinner
Servings
2
Prep time
5 minutes
Cook time
15 minutes
I think everyone should learn how to cook crispy skin fish at home. It’s very quick and easy, making it a great option for weeknight dinners. I’ve used salmon for this recipe but you can also use other varieties like snapper or trout. Once you’ve picked your fish, you can just add a salad, grilled greens or a white bean and kale salad like I’ve done here.
Ingredients
- 2 salmon fillets, skin on, boned (roughly 200g each)
-
2 tbsp olive oil
- sea salt, to season
-
1 tbsp olive oil
- 400g can white beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 bunch kale, leaves chopped
- 125ml (½ cup) chicken stock
- zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 3 shallots, finely sliced
-
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
-
sea salt, to season
Salmon
Kale and White Beans
Directions
Cook Crispy Skin Salmon
Pat the skin of the salmon dry with a paper towel. Season the skin with salt.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a heavy based frying pan over medium heat.
- Place the salmon in the pan, skin side down. Season the salmon flesh with salt and reduce the heat to medium low. Place a protein press on the salmon. Cook for 6-8 minutes or until the pink flesh begins to cook through.
- Remove the protein press and increase the heat to medium to finish crisping the skin.
- Carefully turn salmon over and cook for a further minute, to warm through the flesh side.
- Transfer to a rack over a tray and rest for a few minutes, skin side up.
Cook Kale and White Beans
While the salmon is cooking, heat the remaining oil in a deep frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and season with salt. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until starting to soften.
- Stir in garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes.
- Add the kale leaves and toss through until starting to wilt, then cook, stirring occasionally for 2 minutes.
- Stir in the white beans and chicken stock and stir to deglaze the pan. Allow the stock to reduce for a few minutes until it becomes a little sticky.
- Spoon kale mixture into serving bowls. Top with the lemon zest, then the salmon. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Recipe notes
Cook support
If you don’t have a protein press then you can use a heavy based frying pan to weigh down the fish. Take care when adding the fish to the pan and aim to place it down away from you to avoid any oil splatter on you.
Sourcing
I like to buy my fish from a fish monger but if you don’t have one nearby, you can go to your local supermarket and buy the freshest fish you can get.
Fish size
I like to average 200g fillet per person but you can go up to 250g if you want a larger portion.
Substitutions
You can swap out the salmon for other varieties, such as snapper, trout, mackerel, barramundi.
Storage
The fish is best eaten immediately to retain the crispy skin. The kale salad can be stored separately in an airtight container.
Serving ideas
You can add some fresh chopped herbs to the salad at the end of cooking to up the flavour, such as parsley, dill, thyme, tarragon. You can also swap out the kale and white beans for silverbeet, lentils, broccoli or asparagus. It’s up to you.
