Crispy Salmon Skin "Bacon"

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• Healthy salmon skin snack
• How to remove scales from salmon skin
• Are salmon scales edible?
• How to remove skin from salmon
• Prepare salmon skin for cooking
• How to make salmon bacon
• How to serve crispy salmon skin bacon
• Crispy Salmon Skin "Bacon"
• Reviews

Healthy salmon skin snack

We LOVE salmon around here, and we also love using every part of the animal and reducing food waste, especially when that involves eating DELICIOUS, HEALTHY crispy salmon skin bacon. NO need to twist my arm here.

By the way, if you're interested in more recipes that reduce food waste, be sure to try these crispy cauliflower leaves!

Salmon skin is really high in omega-3 fatty acids (one of the good fats) and high antioxidants. The healthy fat on the salmon skin is what makes the salmon skin get nice and crispy (just like the bacon fat is what makes bacon crisp up).

This salmon skin recipe works whether you're starting with cooked salmon skin from a salmon recipe or with raw salmon skin. Any of the salmon recipes I link to in this blog post will work GREAT for using the skin from the salmon to make salmon bacon.

It's worth mentioning that I tried this same technique using trout skin (after making my trout tacos), and it didn't turn out as good. The trout skin seemed a lot tougher and did not get nice and crispy, it stayed too tough and chewy.

Related recipe: Blacked Salmon Rice Bowls

How to remove scales from salmon skin

The first step to making crispy edible salmon skin is removing the scales from the outside of the salmon. Do this before you cook your salmon.

I highly recommend asking your fish monger to remove the scales. It's definitely the easiest way to go that requires the least fuss from you.

However, if you buy pre-packaged salmon, you can remove the scales from the skin yourself. It's not hard, but it takes a few minutes of work and gets a little messy. I like to do this in a clean sink, so that if any of the salmon scales splash, the mess is contained in the sink.

Just use a knife to scrape the scales off by scraping the knife AWAY FROM YOU (for safety) in the opposite direction of the scales until most or all the scales are removed. Make sure to use a scraping motion instead of a slicing motion—you don't want to slice into the filet.

Related recipe: Pan-Fried Salmon with Apricot Relish

Are salmon scales edible?

Salmon scales are actually edible (when cooked), but they do have a rougher texture that most people don't like. The way to make them the most edible is to cook them until crispy.

Luckily, that is exactly what this crispy salmon skin recipe does. So if you have a few pieces of scales remaining on the salmon skin, that is OK. They will get crunchy and you likely won't notice them on the salmon bacon pieces.

Related recipe: Blackened Salmon with Mango Black Bean Relish

Related recipe: Salmon Bites

How to remove skin from salmon

The easiest way to do this is to cook the salmon with skin on, and then simply remove the salmon fillet from the skin. Once the salmon is cooked, the salmon just separates from the cooked skin so easily. You'll still need to crisp up the salmon skin, and I'll show you how to do that soon. 

This works better with pan-fried salmon recipes that are not drenched in sauce, such as this blackened salmon rice bowls. Otherwise, the salmon skin comes out a little soggy and will need extra time to crisp up. For example, this mayo baked salmon fillet often comes out with soggy skin, so I recommend removing the skin first if you plan to use it to make salmon bacon. But these salmon steaks have a thinner sauce so the skin will crisp up quite easily even if you use cooked skin.

If your salmon recipe calls for cooking salmon without skin, you can use a knife to separate the skin from the salmon meat. However, I really recommend cooking the salmon with the skin on because it's just so much easier. Most salmon fillet recipes can be cooked with the skin on (pan-frying salmon, oven-roasting salmon).

Related recipe: Crispy Fried Chicken Hearts

Prepare salmon skin for cooking

Once you have the salmon skin removed from the salmon fillet, you need to remove any extra salmon meat from the skin. This is a necessary step whether you're starting with cooked salmon with skin on, or with raw salmon skin separated from the salmon before cooking.

The more bits of salmon meat you remove, the crispier your salmon skin bacon will be.

Related recipe: Homemade Lox (the skin from homemade lox makes extra delicious extra salty salmon bacon!)

How to make salmon bacon

Finally!! The instructions you're here for.

Step 1: Prepare the salmon skin for cooking: Remove the scales and remove any excess bits of meat or fat on the inside of the skin.

If you are starting with raw salmon skin or salmon that was only seasoned on top while cooking, sprinkle the salmon skin with a little sea salt. If you are starting with cooked salmon skin and you cooked your salmon in a flavorful sauce, you don't need to season the skin more. If you have really large pieces of salmon skin, slice them into more manageable pieces or strips. Kitchen scissors are the easiest way to cut salmon skin because a knife can pull and break the salmon skin.

It's OK if the salmon skin tears and gets holes in it.

Step 2: Preheat a non-stick skillet over medium-low heat and place the salmon skin down into the skillet with the scale side up (meaty side down). No need to add oil because the healthy fats in the salmon skin have enough oil already. 

Step 3: Cook over medium low heat, using a spatula to gently press down every once in a while to squeeze out excess fat and make sure that the salmon skin cooks evenly. Cook for a few minutes taking care not to burn the salmon, and reduce heat if needed if the salmon skin is turning too brown but still looks uncooked/un-crisped in some spots.

Related recipe: Air Fryer Salmon and Asparagus (make sure to use the skin from this recipe to make crispy salmon skin!)

Step 4: Use a spatula or tongs to flip the salmon skin and cook on the other side for a few minutes, or until mostly crispy. Again, use a spatula to press down so the skin cooks evenly. Transfer to a plate with a paper towel and allow to cool. The salmon skin will crisp up as it cools.

Related recipe: One-Pan Salmon and Orzo

How to serve crispy salmon skin bacon

Honestly, I usually eat the salmon skin with my hands right off the paper towel as a snack. It does not make it out of the kitchen. 

Salmon skin also makes an AMAZING addition to a sandwich (try a tomato mayo sandwich + salmon bacon sandwich, or a pescatarian take on BLT). It's also great crumbled on top of a salad for a little crunch and flavor, or on top of your salmon fillet to add some texture. 

You can also crumble salmon bacon on top of a seafood chowder or salmon chowder.

Will you give this a try??

Related recipe: Fried Anchovies

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