Are you a fan of fish skin? While some people remove it completely before cooking with fish, others enjoy the crispy bite that it can add to your meal. Even more, there are others that haven’t given fish skin that much thought. There are many interesting topics in the world of seafood — check out some interesting facts and thoughts about fish skin.
An Overview on Fish Skin
Like humans and other animals, the skin of fish serves many purposes. It provides physical protection, contains many sensory receptors, and even plays an important role in a fish’s osmotic balance. Fish skin also contains mucous glands and functions in the respiratory system. The part about fish skin that most people are familiar with is the scales. Fish scales serve as protective purpose and help with movement through the water. They are small, rigid plates that are made of bone.
Cooking and Eating
When you purchase fish at the grocery store, many people describe the texture as smooth and slightly slimy. For these reasons, it’s often seen as unappetizing, because of the texture. When it comes to eating fish skin, it’s all about preparation. When cooking, think of fish skin in the same way that you think of chicken skin. Avoid soggy and unappealing fish skin by cooking it in a crispy way. You can achieve this by pan searing the fish. Unlike other meats that you would sear on both sides, you’d focus on searing the skin-side of the fish. Make sure that your fish skin is nice and dry before cooking and use a spatula to press down on the fish with the skin-side down to ensure an even crisp.
Kinds of Fish Skin
Not all fish skin is created equally. The most popular fish skins for crispy searing are salmon, branzino, sea bass, snapper, flounder, and mackerel. Be sure to avoid tuna, skate, swordfish, and monkfish skin.
YOUR SEAFOOD DESTINATION THIS SUMMER
Costas Inn has been a Baltimore tradition since 1971. You may recognize our restaurant, which was recently featured on the Food Network with Michael Symon on Burgers, Brew, and ‘Que! We were also voted the 2015 #1 Baltimore Seafood Restaurant by USA Today, as well as #1 Crab Restaurant 2014 in the Baltimore Business Journal. You may have also spotted Costas Inn during one of our 9 appearances on the Today Show or heard one of our many interviews on WJZ TV Channel 13 with Ron Matz and Marty Bass.
You can enjoy our famous crab cakes in-house or order them online for any time eating. We also provide some of the best seafood catering in the Baltimore area! You can also get your fill from Costas even when you’re not in our dining room: follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, and YouTube!