Oven-baked crispy skin trout or salmon
April 10, 2026
Chef Yvonne working in the kitchen at Sumac Community Food Centre
Recipe from Yvonne Dean, Chef, Sumac Community Food Centre
I live in a shared household with another family and three young kids. All the kids love fish and they especially love crispy skin, so we have it often. There are so many amazing ways to prepare fish, but our house has really adopted this method as our go-to because it requires the least cleanup and is less challenging to execute well.
You don’t have to contend with delicate fish skin sticking to the pan, or smoking hot oil when you’re juggling a million other things as a home chef (or a chef at home)! Plus, most importantly it turns out really well every single time.
Another easy way to adapt this recipe with differently prepared fish is to skin the fillets, cut them into slightly smaller pieces and poach the fish in a simple tomato sauce. Then, serve it over polenta with fresh herbs.
How it should turn out: Crispy salty skin (maintained intact)! Moist flakey flesh.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 six-to-eight-ounce skin-on trout fillets (or any other kind of fish fillet you’d like; adjust cooking times depending on size)
- Salt
- Neutral tasting oil
Method
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and adjust a rack to the bottom middle slot.
- Pat the fish dry using a clean dry cloth or paper towel, place it on a plate or rack and leave it lightly covered with a clean cloth or plastic wrap to adjust from fridge temperature. Bringing the meat’s temperature up ensures more even cooking and yields a better result.
- Place the fish flesh-side down onto a plate, drizzle some oil onto the skin and spread it to lightly coat the entire skin. Season generously with salt, then flip the fillet over and repeat this step on the flesh.
- Select a baking tray: Choose a size that fits all the fish nicely with about an inch of space around each fillet. If you overcrowd the fish, the skin will not heat and dry quickly enough to crisp before the flesh overcooks. Likewise, if you place a small piece of fish on a large tray, the pan, parchment paper, and cooking oil will overheat and may smoke. If you’re only making a small quantity, you can use a cast iron or stainless steel pan to cook the fish. If you have good new trays, do not add parchment and the skin should come off easily. If not, use parchment paper to line the bottom of your tray
- Quickly place the fish onto the middle bottom rack of your pre-heated oven and shut the door.
- Cook the fillets until the skin and flesh around the edges are caramelized and crackling, and the top flesh is opaque with some caramelization around the top of the fillet. The flesh should still be soft and moist inside when cut. Serve immediately atop polenta and fresh tomato sauce in shallow bowls.
