This is one of the most popular recipes on my site.

I’ve got two versions, the original air fryer one, plus my new go-to version which I do in the pan.

Both turn out with good results, and obviously both go very well with a nice, cold martini!

A lot of people don’t eat fish skin – and I get it. It’s a completely different texture to the flesh. The skin is more likely to harbour bacteria. Some people just don’t find it appetising.

Nonetheless, if it’s fried and crunchy, some people who might otherwise leave it aside may have their minds changed.

This is a recipe that’s just for the skin. Some people might even refer to it as salmon ‘bacon’.

It’s very much what I would consider izakaya fare, which means it’s very suitable for serving alongside a nice cold martini, like a classic, a hot ‘n’ dirty or a filthy or some of the other classic variations. I make it when I’m using salmon flesh for something else (like onigiri for example).

The fat of the fish renders and the skin can even puff up with the crispiness. Seasoned with a little salt it can be an absolutely delectable bite. You’ve maybe had it in crunchy sushi rolls. I had it in a delicious salad at Eat Tokyo in Soho, London. If nothing else, I recommend giving it a go, because this little bite is very tasty.

Beware that it can get quite smokey, so turn on the extractor fan and open your windows before you start cooking.

Alternative method

Because of the smokiness, I’ve actually started preparing it a different way since I posted this. I now prefer preparing my salmon skin in a pan, and you can read about it at the bottom of this post. The end result of both methods is tasty, but I find the pan version easier and just as good.

The Air Fryer Version

If the fish hasn’t been de-scaled you will need to do this first, but this has normally already been done for store-bought or packaged salmon. Otherwise, you might want to ask your fishmonger to do this for you, or give it a go yourself, using the back end of a knife or a fish de-scaler, scraping away from you gently so as not to damage the skin itself.

Next, remove the skin from the salmon. You can use fish tweezers or a sharp knife to cut it off, although I normally just do it with my fingers. Peel it off very gently so you leave as much of the flesh behind as possible.

Try to scrape off any remaining pieces of flesh, then pat the skin dry on kitchen paper. The less flesh left attached to the skin, the crispier the end result will be.

Season the skin on both sides with salt and pepper then add it to your air fryer.

I like to use a silicon basket for this to try and stop any excess fat from dripping to the bottom of the air fryer and burning. Spray a tiny amount of oil to stop the skin from sticking to the silicon but not too much. There is enough fat in the skin that will melt and do the rest of the work.

It can help if you have a wire wrack that fits the air fryer because this can help hold the skin in place and stop it from blowing up onto the heating element, which can cause more smoke.

Pre-heat the air fryer to 200°C (392°F) then add the salmon skin and cook for about 6 minutes. Check on it and make sure it hasn’t stuck to the bottom. A gentle shake of the air fryer basket might be all you need.

Add it back to the fryer and cook for another 5 minutes, check again and either stop cooking there or keep going, checking every 2 minutes to make sure the skin isn’t burning.

When it’s lightly browned, curled and crispy, place the cooked skin on the same wire wrack to cool down.

You can either serve as soon as you can, when it’s warm, crunchy and tasty, although it might be worth letting the smoke clear and cleaning the kitchen as much as possible before you serve so you can sit down with a cold martini and the salmon skin with a sense of completion and relaxation but try to be quick!

Alternatively, if you let the skin cool completely, you can store it in an airtight container for at least 48 hours but bear in mind that it can lose some of its crunch from then on, plus the fishy taste will become stronger.

I would recommend doing it 1-4 hours before you intend to serve, let it crisp up and cool down, go about your day, then serve it with your end of the day martini as a nice, satisfying reward.

The Pan Fried Version

This is now my preferred method for preparing this dish.

De-scale then remove the skin. Clean it, pat it dry and season it as above.

Heat a non-stick pan to a medium-low heat. You don’t need to add oil, as the salmon fat will render – just like bacon.

Place the salmon skin into the pan, with the flesh side down. Let it cook slowly. The fat will start to render out of the skin.

When it starts to turn brown in patches, use tongs or a spatula to flip the skin over so it can cook and crisp up for a few more minutes on the other side. You might want to press down on the skin with a spatula to make sure it cooks more evenly.

Don’t worry if it doesn’t seem completely crunchy. It will crisp up as it cools. Once it seems nicely browned on both sides, but not too brown (you might have to practise this a few times until you get the feel for it) transfer the pieces of skin to a paper towel sitting on a cold dinner plate or alternatively onto a wire rack to cool down and crisp up.

It’s ready to eat right there and then, or you can store it in an airtight container until martini o’clock. It will keep for at least two days.

The pan-fried version doesn’t curl up like the air fryer version, which can make it more suitable for sushi rolls.

Whichever way you choose, I hope you enjoy it!