The secret to perfect fish skin—and why it's brutally simple

Read in Italian

Let's be honest: we've all been there. You buy a beautiful piece of fish, put in the time, and what do you end up with? Soggy skin, dry flesh. Just plain disappointing.

You watch all those videos online where everything looks so easy. But somehow there’s always one detail missing—that one little trick that nobody seems willing to share.

Enough is enough.

I’m not going to give you a complicated recipe today. Instead, I’m going to share a few simple building blocks from my everyday cooking routine. These are techniques that work for us every day and that you can put to use right away. It’s not rocket science—it’s just good, old-fashioned craftsmanship.

Let's take some char and some black salsify and turn them into something special. Are you in?

1: Skin That Cracks

The biggest misconception is that you have to fry fish on both sides. That’s complete nonsense. The trick is to fry it almost exclusively on the skin side. That way, the skin gets nice and crispy, and the fish cooks through perfectly from the bottom.

You'll need:

• Lake char fillet with skin (approx. 120 g per serving)

• Salt, vegetable oil

• For the finishing touch: a good knob of butter, thyme, 1 clove of garlic

Here's how:

1. Use the back of a knife to scrape the skin of the fish until it is dry—the drier, the better. Season the flesh side with salt.

2. Heat a pan until it's almost smoking. Add oil.

3. Place the fillet skin-side down and IMMEDIATELY press it flat with a spatula for 15 seconds. This is important to prevent it from curling up.

4. Turn down the heat a little. And now the most important thing: be patient! DON'T DO ANYTHING. Just watch as the fish slowly cooks on its side.

5. Just before it's done, flip it over and remove the pan from the heat. Add the butter, thyme, and garlic, let it foam briefly, and pour it over the fish. Done. That's all there is to it.

2: Maximum flavor from the root

Boiling vegetables in water? You’ll lose half the flavor that way. We put the black salsify in a bag with butter and cook it in its own juices. It doesn’t get any more intense than that.

You'll need:

• 500 g black salsify

• 200 g butter

• Salt, white pepper

Here's how:

1. Wash the black salsify thoroughly (important: do not peel them).

2. Vacuum-seal all the roots with butter and salt.

3. Cook in a steamer or double boiler at 100°C for 2 hours, until they are tender.

4. Squeeze or scrape the soft flesh out of the skin. Mash it with a fork until smooth (écrasé). Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set the skin aside for the next step.

3: Turning Waste into Gold

Most people throw the peel away. We turn it into the crispiest highlight of the plate. That’s the pro move.

You'll need:

• The cooked skin of the black salsify

• Oil for deep-frying, salt

• Round wooden spoon handles

Here's how:

1. Dry the skin in a dehydrator at 55°C for 2–3 hours.

2. Fry briefly in oil heated to 160°C until puffed up.

3. Remove the hot, still pliable shell from the oil immediately, let it drain on paper towels, and place it over the handle of a wooden spoon to set, creating the curved shape. Lightly salt.

The final details

• Light and airy foam (Espuma): Blend cooked black salsify (300 g) with cream (200 ml) and milk (150 ml) until very smooth, strain through a sieve, and pour into a cream siphon. Attach a gas cartridge and keep warm. Pure elegance.

• Green Power Oil: Blend 50 g of nasturtium leaves with 200 ml of oil in a blender until the mixture gets really hot. Strain through a cloth. It gives the oil a vibrant color and a peppery kick.

• Freshness & Crunch: Roast 50 g of hazelnuts at 160°C and chop them coarsely. Cut a Granny Smith apple into thin spirals and drizzle with lemon juice. The perfect counterpoint to the earthy root vegetable.

As you can see, it’s not rocket science. Just a few simple techniques that make a world of difference. Now you don’t just have a recipe—you have some real tools for your kitchen. The know-how to cook fish to perfection. How to bring out the full flavor of vegetables. How to turn leftovers into something special. That’s what cooking is all about.

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Now it’s your turn: Which of these tricks will you try first? The fish skin? Or the crispy outer layer of the shell? I’m curious—let me know in the comments!

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