You’ll want to read on if your recipe calls for salmon with the skin removed. Learn how to remove salmon skin in less than one minute. All you need is a cutting board, a sharp knife and a fresh salmon fillet.

four portions of salmon fillet

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I learned how to remove fish skin when I was 17 years old and worked my first restaurant kitchen job as a prep cook. We had a walleye sandwich on the menu, so we went through a lot of fish! Once I learned how to take the skin off, it became one of my daily tasks. Long story short: I spent the summer skinning fish after fish after fish!

I’m sharing this basic cooking skill of salmon skin removal as part of our In The Kitchen Series. It is a technique that can be used for any fish. However today we’ll be focusing on salmon for our step-by-step tutorial. After all, it is one of our favorite proteins here at Healthy Seasonal Recipes! Try our very favorite Crispy Pan Seared Salmon!

Equipment: What You’ll Need To Deskin Salmon

Cutting Board: Place the cutting board down on a sticky mat to hold it in place and keep it from slipping. I use a square of shelf liner or a wet towel works great too.

Needle Nose Pliers: If your salmon fillet has the pin bones in it, you can use (clean) needlenose pliers to pull them out.

Kitchen Towel: It is optional to use a kitchen towel, or paper towel, to help you get a grip on the slippery salmon skin.

Knife: Chef Jon trained me on skinning fish with a Chef’s knife and to this day it is my preferred knife to remove skin from salmon. In culinary school, we used our boning knives, but I still prefer the wider blade of Chef’s knife for this task.

Tip for beginners: When you are learning how to remove the skin from fish for the first time, try it with a slightly dull Chef’s knife. If your knife is super sharp you can inadvertently cut through the skin when you press down on it.

How To Skin Salmon Step-By-Step

the salmon on a piece of parchment

Usually, your butcher or fishmonger will remove the pin bones from your salmon, but sometimes you’ll find they haven’t. It is important to remove them first before removing the skin and portioning the fish.

If your fish still has the pin bones in it, remove them now by pulling them out with your pliers. Pull in the direction they are running or they will break.

to remove skin on salmon first start by cutting to the skin

Start with the salmon filet, skin-side-down, running crosswise on the cutting board. If you have a tailpiece (shown) you’ll want it pointing toward your non-dominant side.

Cut between the fish and the skin to “get it started.” This primary cut is meant to reveal enough of the skin so that you’ll be able to grab ahold of the skin with your non-dominant hand. You may need to cut through the flesh of the fish for this first cut, to get the knife down to the skin surface.

pull the skin away from the knife with your left hand

Now, grab ahold of the salmon skin with your left (or non-dominant) hand, and pull firmly away against the pressure of your knife. If it is too slippery, use your kitchen towel to help.

pressing the knife downward and pulling the skin back

Your knife should be at a slight angle downward (here’s where having a slightly dull knife is helpful!) Gently saw the knife back and forth as you exert pressure downward and to the right while pulling the skin forcefully to the left. I like to think of it like your knife isn’t really moving forward as much as you are pulling it through your knife!

the skinless filet, skinned side up

Now that you know how to cut skin off salmon, you can use the fillet whole for recipes like Baked Salmon in Foil or you can cut it into portions. Make sure to check out our favorite Dill Sauce For Salmon too!

FAQs and Expert Tips

Can you eat salmon skin?

Yes, it is fine to leave the skin on salmon and you can eat salmon skin. Make sure to remove any scales if using salmon with the skin on. Salmon skin can get nice and crispy, which many find appealing. It does have a stronger more fishy flavor than the salmon meat itself.

What is the gray area of salmon?

When you remove skin on salmon, you may notice a grayish layer of flesh on the skinned side. This is normal and perfectly edible. Typically in restaurants, this side is plated face down because the other side is prettier.

Do you peel skin off salmon before cooking?

Unless you are trying to prepare crispy skin salmon, we recommend removing the skin from the salmon before cooking. However, you can wait to remove it from the salmon once it is cooked.

What happens if I cut through the skin by mistake?

When you are first learning how to skin salmon fillet, you may end up cutting through the skin by mistake. The best thing to do in this case is to try to keep going with the cut you have started and then fix the area you missed after the fact.

Once you take your initial sweep and find that there is still a little skin left on, flip the salmon skinned-side up. Use a sharp thin boning knife. Hold it horizontally and shave away any skin that you missed. Try not to cut downwards too much.

Salmon Recipes To Try

close up of the salmon in the cast iron skillet with the avocado mash on top and lime wedges

Easy Skillet Salmon with Avocado and Basil
maple glazed salmon on circular white serving platter

Maple Glazed Salmon
an overhead of sheet pan salmon and vegetables

Roasted Salmon Sheet Pan Dinner
a close up overhead of salmon nicoise with pesto

Salmon Salad Niçoise
close-up of roasted salmon with maple tahini marinade

Maple Tahini Roasted Salmon
the plank salmon from the side

Grilled Cedar Plank Salmon
More Salmon Recipes

Let me know what you think! If you are new here and you arrived because you were wondering how to remove skin of salmon, I would love to hear from you. Make sure you leave a comment below and let me know how this technique worked for you or if you have any questions. If you loved this tutorial, please leave a 5-star review! Or just drop a comment below to say hello!

Happy Cooking!

~Katie

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removing salmon skin with a chef's knife before cooking it

How To Remove Salmon Skin

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Description

Here are the basic steps to skin a piece of salmon. Follow along if your recipe calls for salmon with the skin removed. All you need is a cutting board, a sharp knife and a fresh salmon fillet.

Ingredients

Scale

1 boneless salmon fillet

Instructions

  1. Start with the salmon filet, skin-side-down, running crosswise on the cutting board. Make a primary cut to reveal enough of the skin so that you’ll be able to grab ahold of the skin.
  2. Pull skin firmly away against the pressure of your knife. If it is too slippery, use your kitchen towel to help. Holding your knife at a slight downward angle, gently saw the knife back and forth while pulling the skin forcefully in the opposite direction.

  • Prep Time: 1 minute
  • Cook Time: na
  • Category: Knife Skills
  • Method: Knife Skills
  • Cuisine: French

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 4 ounces
  • Calories: 150 calories
  • Fat: 5 g
  • Saturated Fat: 1 g
  • Protein: 25 g

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Thanks so much for reading! If you are new here, you may want to sign up for my email newsletter to get a free weekly menu plan and the latest recipes right to your inbox. If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review. I would love to hear what you thought!

Happy Cooking! ~Katie