lifted off the pan will barely cook at all. This is not an ideal
state of affairs.
To counteract this problem, I use a thin flexible metal fish
spatula to hold the fillets firmly in place as their bottom
sides cook. This is of utmost importance during the first
minute or two of cooking. After that, the fillets’ shape will
be set and they will continue to cook evenly.
Perfect Fish Tip 4: Slow and Steady
In order to get perfectly crisp skin, three things need to
happen simultaneously: fat needs to render out, water needs
to evaporate, and proteins need to set. Cook too hot, and
your water will evaporate too fast. The temperature rapidly
climbs, and the proteins set and start to burn before the fat
has had a chance to render out properly. You’ll end up with
fish skin that is slightly crisp in spotty patches on the surface
while still gelatinous, greasy, and fatty underneath.
Preheating the oil over a relatively high heat to prevent the
sticking problems explained in Tip 1, then immediately
reducing the heat once the fish is added solves the problem.
The result is shatteringly crisp, perfectly rendered, brown
crunchy skin, just like the best pan-seared chicken.
And here’s another bird to kill with that same stone: slow
and steady cooking also leads to a more evenly cooked
finished result. Say good-bye to coagulated albumin!
Perfect Fish Tip 5: Don’t Flip Until It’s Ready!
If there’s one most important trick I’ve learned about pan-
roasting foods in all my years cooking, it’s this one: never
force your food out of the pan. It’ll come on its own when