Scrambled Eggs, Cheese, and Avocado Tortilla Bowl Recipe
September 16, 2025
Crispy Skin Fish Recipe
Pan-searing to realize a crispy pores and skin is likely one of the most scrumptious and fast methods to prepare dinner a chunk of a fish! To nail shatteringly crunchy pores and skin each time, you simply want dry pores and skin, scorching oil and press down frivolously to assist the pores and skin contact warmth because it cooks. I’m making a Crispy Pores and skin Barramundi immediately, however this recipe can be utilized for any fish with pores and skin that goes crispy.
Barramundi is one in all Australia’s favorite fish. It’s beloved over right here for its meaty, juicy flesh and its fantastic pores and skin, which crisps as much as kind a implausible glass-like sheet of golden fish crackling when cooked correctly.
It helps that barramundi is offered in all places lately akin to all of the mainstream grocery shops, and is likely one of the higher worth fish round. After all, as with every seafood, brisker and higher high quality fish prices extra however is at all times value it!
In the present day, I’m sharing a recipe for the best way to prepare dinner barramundi with crispy pores and skin. However the methodology utilized on this recipe will work for any fish with pores and skin that may go crispy (no, not all fish will get crispy pores and skin!).
Fish, oil, salt and pepper!
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Fish fillets with the pores and skin on – Sure, stunning, I do know, we’d like fish fillets with the pores and skin on! 😂 It ought to come pin boned (ie. all bones eliminated together with the tiny ones alongside the lateral line), scaled, clear and able to prepare dinner. This work is why we pay a premium for fish fillets at seafood outlets, in comparison with shopping for an entire fish that we now have to wash and fillet ourselves!
As talked about above, I’m utilizing barramundi immediately. For different fish, see the listing right here: Fish With Pores and skin That Goes Crispy. That web page additionally features a listing of fish that may not go crispy.
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Olive oil, or different cooking oil of alternative.
Anyone who tries to inform you that crispy pores and skin is feasible with butter is mendacity to you as a result of butter is ~15% water, which stops the pores and skin from going crispy. Ghee and clarified butter, then again, is one other story and makes a splendidly flavoured cooking fats for fish!
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Salt and pepper – Not only for seasoning, the salt additionally helps the pores and skin go crispy because of its dessicating impact.
Dry pores and skin. Scorching oil. Put fish in pan pores and skin facet down. Press down frivolously to make the pores and skin seal. Straightforward, proper?
Word: When you’re cooking salmon, use this recipe as an alternative: Crispy Pores and skin Salmon.
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Dry pores and skin – Pat pores and skin dry with a paper towel or clear tea towels. The drier the pores and skin, the higher the crisping. Crispy something doesn’t like moisture as a result of the moisture has to evaporate first earlier than crispiness can begin to occur, which takes a number of vitality.
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Slit pores and skin (really helpful for thick fillets) – A really helpful however not crucial step to make sure extra even cooking of the flesh and pores and skin, is to chop some shallow slits within the pores and skin. This additionally helps forestall pores and skin curling and shrinking away from the perimeters which is a typical pitfall folks expertise when cooking fish.
That is notably really helpful for thick fillets, such because the barramundi pictured in publish.
Pores and skin scoring is a really helpful somewhat than must-do step as a result of skilled cooks can possible prepare dinner virtually any fish simply as properly with out with out slitting the pores and skin. However for much less skilled cooks, it undoubtedly does assist with extra even cooking.
The right way to rating fish pores and skin – With the fish flesh facet down, use your fingers to squeeze the thick “hump” of the fish fillet to tighten the pores and skin. This makes it simpler to chop the slit.
Utilizing a pointy knife, minimize slits within the pores and skin, as follows:
– 4 cm lengthy, 1 cm aside, 3 mm deep (1.6″ lengthy, 0.4″ aside, 0.1″ deep)
– Minimize by the pores and skin and a tiny bit into the flesh. Don’t fear, slits will not trigger the fish to lose moisture and dry out!
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Season fish – Sprinkle each the flesh and pores and skin facet with salt and pepper simply earlier than cooking. Don’t season the fish forward of cooking as it would draw moisture out of the fish pores and skin, making it moist → compromises crispiness!
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Scorching oil and a light-weight press – Warmth oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high warmth till scorching. Search for shimmering oil and little wisps of smoke as an indication it’s scorching sufficient. As quickly as you see them, place the barramundi fillets in pores and skin facet down.
Utilizing an eggflip or spatula (versatile is finest), press down frivolously on the fish for 10 seconds. This forces all the pores and skin to contact the pan’s warmth, which is able to quickly “set” the pores and skin and flesh benath, stopping the fillet from curling and thus selling even cooking of the pores and skin.
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Prepare dinner pores and skin 2 to three minutes till frivolously crispy – Prepare dinner the fish pores and skin facet down till it’s mild golden and fairly crispy (elevate as much as peek). For this barramundi, we’ll end cooking within the oven throughout which era the pores and skin will get totally crispy.
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Oven 10 minutes for THICK fillets – For thick fillets, switch the fish to the oven within the skillet. Don’t flip, go away the fish pores and skin facet down.
For skinny fillets, simply flip the fish and prepare dinner the flesh facet within the pan.
Basic be aware – I don’t end crispy pores and skin salmon within the oven as a result of it’s served medium-rare (50°C/122°F) as properly being an oily fish which implies it’s extra forgiving. However for different fish, we goal a barely increased inside temperature so it’s finest to complete within the oven so it cooks by extra evenly.
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Take away from oven – Prepare dinner the fish within the oven for 10 minutes or till the interior temperature is 55°C / 131°F on the thickest level. That is when the fish is totally cooked however at optimum juiciness. When you don’t have a meat thermometer (however you must, it’s the twentieth century! I take advantage of a Thermapen), verify to see if the flesh flakes simply.
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Relaxation 3 minutes – Place the barramundi on a rack pores and skin facet up to relaxation for 3 minutes. Resting permits the juices within the barramundi to redistribute all through the flesh so it’s juicier when consuming. When you skip the remainder, the juices will run in all places while you minimize into it somewhat than staying within the flesh and ending up in your mouth … unhappy!
Resting finished, time to eat! See under for recommendations for sides.
There’s two large guidelines right here:
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All the time serve crispy pores and skin fish with the pores and skin facet up; and
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Solely sauce it simply earlier than serving! Fish pores and skin is definitely fairly delicate, it gained’t maintain crispiness for so long as, say, crispy baked chicken or chicken wings.
Saucy Sides
I prefer to serve crispy pores and skin fish with “saucy” sides that do double responsibility as a sauce and facet dish. And generally, they cowl my starch + vegetable quota too, such because the Lentil Ragout pictured all through this publish!
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French Lentil Ragout (as pictured in publish)
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Straightforward no-stir Lemon Herb Risotto (as pictured in publish)
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Pea Puree – vibrant inexperienced color seems terrific in opposition to the fish!
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Creamy mashed cauliflower – Very high-quality eating restaurant worthy. Blitz completely to get it as easy as doable. You would even move it by a high-quality mesh strainer!
Sauces for Crispy Pores and skin Fish
And here’s a choice of sauces for fish
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Creamy white wine sauce*
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Bearnaise Sauce
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Garlic butter for fish*
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Lemon butter for fish (Beurre noisette)
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Lemon Cream Sauce (use slider to scale recipe down)
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Dill Garlic Herb Sauce* for fish (scale recipe down)
* Make these in the identical pan whereas the fish is resting.
When you do this recipe, inform us what you made within the feedback part under! What fish you used, what sides and what sauce. Different readers love getting new concepts – as do I! – Johnsat x
Ingredients
- 180g/6oz x 2 barramundi or other fish fillets , skin on, pin boned (Note 1)
- 2 tbsp olive oil (or vegetable, canola or grapeseed oil)
- 3/4 tsp cooking/kosher salt (or 1/2 tsp table salt, Note 2)
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- Sauces and sides – see Note 7 below
Instructions
- Thick Fillets definition: Fish > 2.5cm / 1" thick at the thickest point. Best finished in the oven. (Note 3)
- Pan type: Non-stick pan, an oven proof one if you have Thick Fillets. (Note 4)
- Preheat oven (for Thick Fillets): Preheat oven to 200°C/390°F (180°C fan).
- Dry skin: Pat skin dry with paper towels. For extra precaution, leave the fish fillets in the fridge skin side up, uncovered, for an hour. (I rarely do this)
- Scoring skin (Note 5): For Thick Fillets, score the skin by cutting slashes into the skin as pictured in post. 4cm slashes 1cm apart, 2 – 3mm deep, through the skin and ever so slightly into the flesh (1.6" long, 0.4" apart, 0.1" deep)
- Season fish: Sprinkle the flesh and skin with the salt and pepper just before cooking.
- Heat oil well: Heat oil in a non stick pan over medium high heat until you see the first small wisps of smoke.
- Press fish down: Place one fillet into the pan skin side down, then use your fingers or spatula to press down lightly for 10 seconds to allow the skin to seal flat against the hot surface. Repeat with the other fillet (PROS: Do both at the same time!).
- Cook skin 2 – 3 minutes: Cook the skin side for 2 to 3 minutes until it's crispy in the centre and golden. Lift up to check.
- Transfer Thick Fillets to oven: Transfer to oven for 10 minutes (do not flip, keep skin side still down – goes crispier!) or until the internal temperature is 55°C/131°F. (Note 6)
- Thin fillets: Turn and cook the flesh side in the pan.
- Rest 3 minutes: Transfer fish to a rack with the skin side UP. Rest for 3 minutes.
- Serving: To serve, place on a plate skin side UP. Do not pour sauce on the skin until just before serving else it will soften the fish skin. See ingredients above for suggested sauces and sides!
Notes
1. Fish – 180g/6oz is a standard portion size per person for fish.
Fish with skin that goes crispy that can be used for this recipe – see full list in the Fish With Skin That Goes Crispy post. Here’s the most common fish:
Barramundi – as used in this recipe
Bream
Blue eye cod / trevalla
Cod
Jewfish
Ocean perch
Orange roughy
See Bass
Salmon – see Crispy Skin Salmon recipe
Snapper
Tilapia
Trout – Ocean trout and river trout
If you are filleting your own fish, I will be impressed – brag in the comments below and tell me what you caught!
If you using store bought fillets, they should already come pin boned (ie bones removed) and descaled (ie scales scraped off). But it’s always wise to check, just in case!
2. Salt – All my recipes use cooking salt (same as kosher salt) which are larger grains that table salt so they are easier to handle for cooking purposes. So if you only have table salt, use less for the equivalent saltiness.
3. Thick fillets – For fillets > 25.cm / 1″ thick, it is best to start on the stove then finish in the oven so the flesh cooks through evenly. If you don’t, you will end up with a thick band of overcooked flesh before the middle cooks through. Also best to keep the skin side down – it’s the optimum way to achieve the balance of ultra crispy skin with the most evenly cooked flesh.
Exception – Salmon which can be entirely cooked on the stove because it’s an oily fish and also because it is best served medium rare (ie slightly less cooked than white fish). See separate recipe for Crispy Skin Salmon.
4. Oven proof pan – If you don’t have one, transfer the pan seared fish to a pre-heated tray for the baking part. Make sure the tray is preheated well then take it out, spray with oil and put the fish skin side down on it. Bake per recipe.
5. Scoring skin – Easiest way to do this is to grip the flesh on either side of where you want to cut the slashes which will tighten the skin which makes it easier to cut. See video at 16 seconds.
6. Cooking time will vary depend on the thickness of the fillet. The 2.5cm / 1″ thick barramundi fillet weighing 180g/6oz took exactly 10 minutes in the oven. Note: thin fillets can be cooked entirely on the stove.
7. Serving options:
Sides that act as a sauce for the fish:
French Lentil Ragout (as pictured in post)
Easy no-stir Lemon Herb Risotto (as pictured in post)
Pea Puree – vibrant green colour looks terrific against the fish!
Creamy mashed cauliflower
Sauces
Creamy white wine sauce*
Bearnaise Sauce
Garlic butter for fish*
Lemon butter for fish (Beurre noisette)
Lemon Cream Sauce (scale recipe down)
* Make these in the same pan while the fish is resting.
Did You Make This Recipe?
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