3 hours, 35 minutes | Serves 4 (16 crisps) | Ingredients | Equipment | Preparation
Ingredients
6 oz. Salmon Skin, whole, scales on (fresh or thawed, skin from one side of salmon)
1 qt. Peanut Oil (or other oil suitable for high temp frying)
1 T. Salt
1 T Cracked Pepper (combine salt and pepper for dusting after frying)
3 oz. Kewpie Mayonnaise (available online from Japanese specialty stores)
3 oz. Cured Salmon Roe – Ikura (available refrigerated in jars at high-end grocery stores or online)
1 oz. Togarashi Spice (available online from Japanese specialty stores)
16 ea. Dill Sprigs for garnish (approximately ¼ bunch, rinsed and patted dry)
Equipment
- Medium size bowls,
- Spoons,
- Knife & cutting board,
- Kitchen thermometer,
- Large pot,
- Pan or rack for drying,
- Parchment paper.
Method of Preparation
- Confirm that salmon skin is cleaned of all flesh. Using a dull kitchen spoon or bench scraper, scrape all remaining flesh from skin, holding skin from tail side with a dry towel to keep it secure. Be careful not to tear skin. Cut skins into 1 inch wide by 12-inch-long strips.
- Bring one gallon of water to a gentle boil, add 4 ounces salt to the water and stir, add skin to the water and simmer for 8-10 minutes. This step converts the collagen to gelatin which helps to make them crispy.
- Place the salmon skin in ice water to shock and chill. Pat dry with paper towels.
- Transfer to a well-greased sheet tray with parchment paper. Place in a 250°f oven with the fan off. Dehydrate for about 15-20 min then flip. Flip every 15 minutes until the skin is almost all the way dry but is still pliable so it has a small % of residual moisture. TIP: That small amount of moisture helps with the puff as the water expands to steam while frying.
- Fry at 380°f, transfer to a dry towel to absorb excess oil. Frying too little will result in a chewy tough cracker, whereas overcooking can make the cracker bitter.
- To serve: Lightly dust crispy skin with blended salt. Pipe small dollops of Kewpie Mayonnaise (Japanese rice wine mayonnaise) onto each crispy skin. Garnish with salmon roe, and dust with Togarashi spice (a mixture of dried red chili pepper, ginger, sesame seeds, Japanese pepper, seaweed, and orange peel). Finish with sprigs of dill.
Note: this recipe is delicious but a bit technical. Our goal is to utilize as much of the salmon as possible, so we love making these crispy and delicious skins rather than throw the skin away.
All our Salmon recipes utilize widely available ingredients that are often prepackaged for safety and hygiene, are easy to prepare, nutritious, and delicious. If you have questions email us at information@chileansalmon.com