Is it ok to eat the skin off of cooked salmon?!
Is it ok to eat the skin off of cooked salmon?
When you cook a salmon filet, a lot of recipes say to leave the skin on. Does this mean you are supposed to eat it? Will it hurt you if you do? Does it contain any extra nutritional value?
Answers:
One of my favorite sushi recipes calls for salmon skin, actually.
Salmon has no scales, so it is perfectly fine to eat. Leaving the skin on holds in moisture, keeps it from falling apart (helpful if you are grilling it), and has a lot of flavor. It also holds a lot of the Omega 3 fatty acids.
Also, being able to see the skin can give you a lot of clues as to how fresh the fish is, and whether or not it has been previously frozen. Frozen salmon never has skin, and if it is fresh the skin should be firm, elastic, and colorful. Never slimy or smelly.
After cooking with it on, you can either eat around it if the look or texture isn't to your liking, put it's perfectly fine to eat it.