Garlic thyme crispy skin steelhead with creamy potato salad

[jamisonace]

Caught a keeper steelhead recently and tonight was the night to start enjoying it. I always let salmon and steelhead age a few days before cooking it. The aging process gives you a much more flaky and moist end product. Then, a few hours before cooking, I generously salt it and let it sit.

This steelhead was scaled so I could crisp the skin in the skillet. After the skin was crisped by placing it in a ripping hot skillet and avocado oil. I flipped it, turned the heat down and added butter, thyme and garlic. The potato salad was a great side. I added thinly sliced sweet onions and dill pickles to the potatoes and I kept the sauce separate so it was also a sauce for the fish.

My mistake was plating the fish skin side down. Shoulda been skin side up to preserve the crispiness of the skin. Lots more to eat so I'll have another chance tomorrow.

 

[LazyBrewer]

Caught a keeper steelhead recently and tonight was the night to start enjoying it. I always let salmon and steelhead age a few days before cooking it. The aging process gives you a much more flaky and moist end product. Then, a few hours before cooking, I generously salt it and let it sit.

This steelhead was scaled so I could crisp the skin in the skillet. After the skin was crisped by placing it in a ripping hot skillet and avocado oil. I flipped it, turned the heat down and added butter, thyme and garlic. The potato salad was a great side. I added thinly sliced sweet onions and dill pickles to the potatoes and I kept the sauce separate so it was also a sauce for the fish.

My mistake was plating the fish skin side down. Shoulda been skin side up to preserve the crispiness of the skin. Lots more to eat so I'll have another chance tomorrow.

I'd put that in my mouth.

 

[Shaun Solomon]

Yeah that’s the drill for sure. I’m a relatively recent convert to the idea of “aging” fish because when I was a kid we didn’t bleed them, and you need to cook them fresh if you don’t bleed them. I’m totally convinced that not bleeding them is the reason for everyone being convinced that you either cook them ASAP or freeze them. I guess you’re never too old to learn a new trick.

Looks delicious for sure!

Do you cut first and if so, do you let them rest skin up or skin down, on a rack or…?

I am not sure about steelhead, I’ve never caught one, but I don’t bother scaling trout and the skin gets plenty crisp for me as long as it is good and dry. Do you have a scaling tool or do you use a butter knife or something? I’ll try it on the next trout and see if it helps. I always scale warmwater fish and anything with big scales like rockfish or surf perch or whatever.

 

[jamisonace]

Yeah that’s the drill for sure. I’m a relatively recent convert to the idea of “aging” fish because when I was a kid we didn’t bleed them, and you need to cook them fresh if you don’t bleed them. I’m totally convinced that not bleeding them is the reason for everyone being convinced that you either cook them ASAP or freeze them. I guess you’re never too old to learn a new trick.

Looks delicious for sure!

Do you cut first and if so, do you let them rest skin up or skin down, on a rack or…?

I am not sure about steelhead, I’ve never caught one, but I don’t bother scaling trout and the skin gets plenty crisp for me as long as it is good and dry. Do you have a scaling tool or do you use a butter knife or something? I’ll try it on the next trout and see if it helps. I always scale warmwater fish and anything with big scales like rockfish or surf perch or whatever.

I scale bigger fish because of scal size but yeah, trout I don't bother either. I do cut it first and I rest them on a cooling rack so air is all around. I rested this fish skin down. If I was resting on a plate or something that didn't have airflow on the bottom I would rest skin up.

 

[Shaun Solomon]

Exactly my method. Must be on to something.

 

[jamisonace]

Skin turned out better tonight.

 

[Shaun Solomon]

There it is. That “planed board” look is what I’m after for the skin.

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