Gordon Ramsay’s crispy skin salmon is a skin-on fillet seared in hot olive oil, crisp on the outside and just translucent in the middle. It takes under 10 minutes.
The method comes from his pan-fried salmon in Quick & Delicious, where Gordon keeps it deliberately simple. His rule is not to overcook it, so “the skin should be crisp but the flesh should still be a little translucent in the middle.” Most of the cooking happens skin-side down, which is what crisps it.
That timing is the trick: skin-side down for three to four minutes, then just one to two minutes on the flesh. The long spell on the skin renders and crisps it, while the short flip stops the inside drying out. Start it in hot oil, not a cold pan, or the skin sticks and steams.
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Gordon Ramsay Crispy Skin Salmon
Course: Main CourseCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy4
3
minutes6
minutes320
kcal9
minutesGordon Ramsay’s crispy skin salmon, from his pan-fried salmon in Quick & Delicious. A seasoned skin-on fillet seared in hot olive oil, mostly skin-side down, until the skin is crisp and the middle stays just translucent. Ready in under 10 minutes.
Ingredients
4 salmon fillets, skin on (about 150g each)
1 tbsp olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon, cut into wedges, to serve
Knob of butter, to finish (optional)
Directions
- Heat the pan: Place a large frying pan over a medium-high heat and add the olive oil, letting it get properly hot before the salmon goes in.
- Dry and season: Pat the salmon skin dry and season the fillets with salt, since dry skin crisps while wet skin steams.
- Skin-side down: Lay the fillets in skin-side down and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, without moving them, until the skin is crisp and golden.
- Flip: Turn the fillets over and cook for just 1 to 2 minutes more, so the middle stays a little translucent.
- Rest and serve: Take the pan off the heat, add an optional knob of butter to spoon over, and serve with lemon wedges.
FAQs
How does Gordon Ramsay cook salmon?
He keeps it simple and lets the pan do the work. Gordon sears a seasoned, skin-on fillet in hot olive oil, skin-side down for most of the time, then flips it briefly to finish.
The whole thing takes under 10 minutes, because he never overcooks it. As he puts it, the skin should be crisp while the flesh stays a little translucent in the middle. He cooks salmon plenty of other ways too, from a baked salmon to a wrapped salmon en croute.
How do you get crispy salmon skin?
It comes down to a dry skin and a hot pan. Pat the skin dry first, because any moisture steams instead of crisping, then lay it into oil that is already hot.
After that, leave it alone. Gordon cooks it skin-side down for three to four minutes without moving it, so the skin crisps into a golden crust before he turns it.
Do you eat the skin on crispy salmon?
Yes, that crisp skin is the best part of the dish. When it is properly rendered it turns light and crackly, almost like a crisp, rather than the rubbery skin you get from a gentle poach.
That is the whole reason to cook it this way. The long sear on the skin is what makes it worth eating, so it would be a waste to peel it off.
How do you know when the salmon is done?
Go by the middle, not the clock alone. Gordon wants the flesh just translucent in the centre, so it stays moist, which means taking it off while it still looks slightly underdone.
It carries on cooking in its own heat once it leaves the pan. So a fillet that looks just-done in the pan will be perfect by the time it reaches the plate.
What do you serve with crispy skin salmon?
Gordon’s own pairing is warm potatoes, but crispy salmon with crushed potatoes is the combination people love most. The soft, lightly crushed potato is the perfect base for that crackly skin, with a green salad or asparagus alongside.
To make them his way, boil waxy new potatoes like Charlotte until tender, then drain and crush them roughly with a fork. Keep them chunky, not smooth, then dress with olive oil and a knob of butter and season well. Go for full smashed potatoes if you want crisp edges, or browse the salmon recipe collection for ideas.
Can you cook it without the skin?
You can, though you lose the best part. A skinless fillet cooks the same way, seared in hot oil, but give it slightly less time since there is no skin to render.
Without the skin to protect it, the flesh dries out faster, so watch it closely. The translucent-middle rule matters even more here, since there is no crisp skin to carry the dish.
