Crispy Skin Salmon 2 Ways: Pan Fried and Broiled

These recipes for crispy skin salmon 2 ways, pan fried and broiled, are ready to be added to your weeknight dinner routine!

Buttery salmon with crispy skin is faster and easier to make than you might think, not to mention delicious and healthy.

These easy salmon recipes will get dinner on the table in less than 15 minutes. Let’s do this!

(As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Some of the links on this page may be affiliate links. If you purchase a product through an affiliate link, I’ll automatically receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.)

Why this recipe works

There’s just something about salmon with crispy skin. The buttery fish with it’s crispy cape is like a superhero for dinner: easy, fast and delicious.

And once you know how to cook salmon with skin, it’ll become part of your weeknight routine. It’s fast and easy to prepare and goes perfectly with many different sauces and sides.

I’ll walk you through everything from how to buy salmon, how to cook it, how to reheat it and what to do if you don’t like or want the skin.

 

How to buy salmon

Look for salmon with pink, firm, moist flesh. If it looks dry, faded or wrinkled, skip it. Once you’ve picked it out, ask the fishmonger if you can smell it. It should smell fresh and almost briny like the sea, if it smells at all. If it smells fishy, it’s already starting to go bad.

 

Farm raised vs. wild caught salmon

You’ll notice two types of salmon:

Farm-raised salmon: This is exactly what it sounds like – salmon grown in, yep, farms. They’re contained in cages or pens. Farm-raised salmon are given a processed, very questionable diet to produce bigger fish:

Farmed salmon are fed pellets made out of fish oil and smaller fish, ground-up chicken feathers, poultry litter (yes, that’s poop), genetically modified yeast, soybeans and chicken fat. (Tampa Bay Times)

Also, the cramped conditions makes it easier to spread contamination and parasites, which then requires antiobiotics which results in antiobiotic-resistant organisms.

Compared to wild caught salmon, they have higher levels of saturated fat and omega-3 fatty acids (which fight inflammation), but also much higher rates of omega-6 fatty acids (which promote inflammation).

So all that doesn’t sound great! But luckily, there are fish farms getting it right, with smaller populations of salmon in large pens, no antibiotics, pesticides or growth hormones, and traceability to track the salmon’s source.

Wild caught salmon: Wild caught salmon are found in their natural environment, eating other organisms. They have less saturated fat and omega-6 fatty acids than farm-raised salmons and higher levels of zinc, potassium and iron.

This information isn’t to judge anyone for buying farm-raised salmon or dissuade people from eating salmon. But I believe in learning where our food comes from and how it’s raised. Information makes us smart and being smart is cool! (10-year-old me is cringing at current me right now.)

How to cook crispy skin salmon

For pan-fried salmon:

Step 1: Heat a medium/large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2-3 tbsp. avocado oil (depending on the size of the pan) and let it get hot until it shimmers and runs around the pan when you swirl it by the handle.

Step 2: Pat the fillets dry and season the flesh side with the fine sea salt. Add them to the hot pan, skin side down. (Be careful with the hot oil.) Cook for 4-5 minutes, until the skin gets darker and crisp but not burnt.

Step 3: Use a thin spatula and one other utensil (fork, wooden spoon, etc.) to help flip each fillet. The oil might splatter as the fillets land on the flesh side. Cook for another 4-5 minutes. The flesh should change from a bright pink to a softer pink.

Step 4: If your fillets are especially deep, you might be able to tell from the sides that they’re not cooked through yet. To finish them off but avoid overcooking, carefully tip each fillet over onto its side to make sure all surfaces are cooked. Cook the sides as necessary for one minute. A thermometer (probe or instant) inserted in the thickest part of a fillet should read 125°.

Step 5: Remove the fillets from the skillet and let rest for 5 minutes. Sprinkle the skin with flaky sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and a squeeze of lemon or lime, if desired.

For the broiled salmon:

Step 1: Heat the broiler to high.

Step 2: Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with avocado oil spray or spray of choice.

Step 3: Pat fillets dry and season the flesh side with fine sea salt. Broil skin-side up for 4-5 minutes. The time depends on how close your food is to the broiler. Check at 4 minutes to be safe. The skin will have some darker, bubbly spots and look crisp but shouldn’t be burnt. If it doesn’t look much different, continue to broil, checking every 2 minutes.

Step 4: Flip the fillets and broil flesh-side up for 4-5 minutes. The flesh should change from a bright pink to a softer pink. If your fillets are especially deep, you might be able to tell from the sides that they’re not cooked through yet. To finish them off but avoid overcooking, carefully tip each fillet over onto its side to make sure all surfaces are cooked. Broil the sides as necessary for 1-2 minutes. A thermometer (probe or instant) inserted in the thickest part of a fillet should read 125°.

Step 5: Remove the baking sheet from the broiler and let rest for 5 minutes. Sprinkle the skin with flaky sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and a squeeze of lemon or lime, if desired.

 

What to serve with crispy skin salmon

You can serve similar sides with either pan fried or broiled salmon. If you can’t use your oven and broiler at the same time, you can still roast veggies and then broil your salmon when they’re done. The salmon takes so little time the veggies will still be warm by the time it’s done.

An simple side dish would be this Easy Roasted Asparagus with Lemon.

Or if you want something more fun and vibrant, there’s this Rainbow Crunch Salad with Almond Butter Dressing.

I couldn’t pass up recommending these Bacon Ranch Crispy Smashed Potatoes. If you get some of the bacon and ranch dressing on the salmon, all’s the better.

Or this refreshing orange avocado salad would turn this salmon into a colorful, refreshing and filling meal.

Any one of these 4 ways to cook parsnips would also be great. Crispy skin salmon atop buttery mashed parsnips is not a bad way to unwind on a Tuesday.

If you want to top that salmon with a delicious sauce, here’s 10 sauce recipes you can make while the salmon is cooking.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Other recipes you might like:

1. Potato Chip Crusted Salmon
2. Sheet Pan Lemon Salmon with Pesto
3. Spiced Butter Baked Cod with Green Beans
4. Creamy Mustard Pork Chops with Asparagus
5. Creamy Lemon Chicken, Olives and Artichokes

For more recipes, inspiration and just good stuff, join me on:

Instagram,

Facebook,

TikTok

and Pinterest!