Quitar la piel del pescado es más fácil (y seguro) con un pequeño truco de sal

Removing the skin from a fish is a tricky task, given how slippery it is. It's easy to lose your grip and cut into the meat (or, worse, slice your hand!). Luckily, we got some expert intel on this subject from a conversation with Costas Spiliadis, founder of Estiatorio Milos. He told us about the best methods to skin a fish, and what kind of tricks can make it easier.

We started by asking him about the salt trick, or dipping your fingers in salt grains to get a better grip on a fish's slick skin. "That sounds like a good idea!" Spiliadis said. "Also a dry cloth or a paper towel will help with that." Even fish skin that has been patted dry can be slippery and difficult to get a grip on with just your bare hand. However, fine grains of salt or a towel add a bit of extra traction, similar to the culinary school dish towel trick for slippery cutting boards.

This gripping trick may be useful, but you can't always just grab a handful of skin from any fish, rip it off, and have a clean filet ready to cook. According to Spiliadis, scaled fish in particular are hard to skin this way. "When you descale a fish you will notice the skin becoming like a net," he said, "and the parts where the scales are attached are lighter in color and tend to snap easily." So what kinds of fish should you pull the skin off of? It mainly depends on its texture.

Flaky fish can be easier to skin, while others require knife work

Costas Spiliadis notes a difference between fish you can pull the skin off of, and ones that need a knife. "When we talk about pulling it, it is usually easier with a fish without scales or a flat fish like a Dover sole," he told us. To get the outer layer ready for peeling, boiling water is a game change for removing skin from salmon and other delicate fish, and this trick only takes a couple minutes. Even if you don't want the skin on your filet, you can always save it for later to make something like deep-fried salmon skin.

However, Spiliadis cautions to consider your cooking method before you go for the peel. "Thinking about grilling a fish, I would suggest not to remove the skin of any flaky fish," he said. "It would probably fall apart." He advised to "Make the skin crispy instead with a little olive [oil]," for "flavor and texture at each bite." For crispier grilled fish, prep its scales, too, and reduce its surface moisture as much as you can.

"For other fishes like tuna, really the knife is the only option as the skin is very thick," Spiliadis added. While you may not be able to pull the outer layer off, the salt trick is still a great way to grip a tuna's skin while you cut it away. Getting a good hold and pulling the skin taught is the best way to slice it cleanly from meat, leaving you with a smooth filet that's ready to cook (or a lovely whole fish ripe for the butchering).