The Trick for Cooking Salmon Perfectly Every Single Time, According to a Chef

It’s the only technique I use.

I may have graduated almost two decades ago, but there are a few key lessons from culinary school that are forever seared in my memory. Season as you go, maintain a clean station, and always keep your knives sharp. This advice has served me well over the years, but there is one piece of wisdom I have all but abandoned when it comes to cooking salmon. 

In school, we were taught to cook salmon—and all protein for that matter—presentation side down. What that means is that whatever surface of the food will be facing the diner on a plate should be introduced to the heat first. For example, skin-on chicken breast would go into the pan skin-side down, while a skin-on salmon filet would be cooked skin-side up. 

The theory behind this is that you want to get a really nice sear and beautiful brown crust on the side of the food that will be facing the diner. After all, we eat with our eyes first. However, salmon is not a forgiving ingredient. It can stick, it can overcook quickly, and it can be hard to know when the first side is ready to flip. 

Cook Your Salmon Skin-Side Down

For many years, I worked as a private chef in Manhattan and my clients requested seared salmon at least once per week. Like the rule follower I am, I used the ‘presentation-side’ down method many, many times, but found very little success. During these busy evenings, I was usually juggling many different items at once, all on my own. As they say, sometimes you have to sink before you swim, or in this case, cook your salmon skin-side down and break all the rules. 

Here me out, when you cook the salmon skin-side down, it gives a visual and audible cue of when the fish is ready to flip. When the skin hits the pan, you can see it start to shrink up and render fat. You’ll also notice the oil bubble when you first add the fish to the pan. Once it starts to quiet down, you’ll know the skin has released and you are ready to flip.

Plus, it’s much easier to get a spatula under the crispy skin, rather than the delicate flesh, when you go in for the flip. Last but not least, since the pan is already nice and hot, the 'presentation side' cooks evenly without any sticking, and you still get the beautiful brown sear after all.

What If You Like To Bake Your Salmon?

If you prefer to bake your salmon, the same tip applies. The skin helps protect the salmon from sticking to the pan during the slow cooking process. The only downside of this method in the oven is the skin will not crisp up, but I usually just serve it without the skin in this case. Sometimes it pays off to be a rule breaker in the kitchen.