Warm buttery and delicious a humble plate of grilled fish is a delicious healthy treat but it does come with a few drawbacks. Fish flesh can be delicate and flaky so it’s not always the easiest to cook. There are many mistakes to avoid when cooking fish to avoid a mediocre end product but in an interview with Food & Wine chef José Andrés shared one in particular that he thinks is one of the biggest. According to Andrés many chefs miss an essential part of grilled fish. The chef shared in the interview “A lot of people don’t use the skin. They probably miss the best part.”
| Channel | Publish Date | Thumbnail & View Count | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|
 Prime Video | 2024-03-20 16:00:30 |  9,594 Views |
She's the special ingredient. | Dinner Party Diaries with José Andrés
Just as the skin of a chicken helps to retain moisture and fat which in turn imparts flavor the skin of a fish offers the exact same benefits. Fish skin helps the fish retain its natural oils during grilling. Additionally when properly seared fish skin can also provide a nice crispy contrast to the soft buttery meat of the rest of the protein. This is especially true for species such as flounder sea bass or salmon to name a few.
Fish skin is one of the healthiest parts of the fish packed with fatty omega-3 acids and protein to help the heart and brain function and promote muscle growth. It’s also packed with extra gelatin which like collagen can help improve skin health.
In addition to flavor and safety fish skin also makes for an easier cooking process. While one of the downsides to grilling fish is how easily it can stick and crumble under the heat of the grill if you leave the skin on there’s no need to worry as much. Fish skin provides a handy safety layer between the soft delicate flesh of the fish and the grill so it can increase your margin for error and prevent meat from sticking and melting on your cooking grates. Grill your fish skin-side down to prevent the meat from drying out or charring leaving you with beautifully reheated caramelized meat instead.
