Crisp-skinned salmon, no flipping
Crisp salmon skin needs strong, steady heat from below while the top cooks gently. A pan on the hob does that only if you stand over it. A preheated steel plate does it on its own: the skin crisps against the steel while the oven air cooks the fillet through, and you never have to turn it.
What you need
- Two salmon fillets with the skin on, about 3cm thick
- Salt
- A spoon of olive oil
- Lemon slices and dill, to serve
Preheat and prepare
Plate in the middle of the oven at 250°C for 45 minutes.
Dry the skin thoroughly with kitchen paper. Any water left on it turns to steam and the skin goes soft instead of crisp. Salt the skin, rub the fillets with a little oil, and salt the top lightly.
Cook
Lay the fillets skin side down on the plate, a little apart, and close the door. Seven to eight minutes for a 3cm fillet, until the flesh flakes at the thickest point but is still slightly translucent in the very centre. Thinner tail pieces take five.
Slide a thin spatula under the skin to lift them. If the skin sticks, give it another minute: it releases once it has crisped.
Serve
Serve skin side up so it stays crisp, with lemon and dill. The same method works for sea bream or hamour fillets with the skin on; take a minute or two off for thinner fish.
Bone-dry skin, skin side down, and leave it alone until it lets go of the plate.