The Fish Skinning Hack That Only Requires A Carving Fork
While many people delight in the full flavor of crispy fish skin, not everyone is a fan of the stuff. Whether it's the visual presentation that gives them the ick factor or a matter of texture, some people would prefer to eat their fish filets without any of that delicious skin. If that's the case for you or anyone you are cooking for, you'll be relieved to learn about this super-easy skinning hack that can be done in a matter of seconds with nothing more than a carving fork.
Aside from being super simple, the great thing about this hack is that you won't lose any of the cooked flesh in the process. The skin should also peel off in one strip, so you won't have to worry about any bits and pieces sticking to the filet. And for those who usually love crispy fish skin, this hack also works for steamed fish, where the skin takes on a soft and unappetizing texture instead.
How the fish skinning hack works
Removing the skin from a cooked filet of fish is as simple as choosing a corner, peeling back just enough of it to begin wrapping it around the tongs of a carving fork, and then twirling the fork so that the skin continues to wrap around the tongs. Think of it as similar to how you would twirl pasta around the head of a dinner fork. You'll have to help the skin get started, though, holding it to the fork until it's wrapped around a couple of times. But after that there should be enough tension that it will wind around the tongs without issue as you continue to twirl the carving fork.
If you're hoping to give this hack a try while the fish is still raw, you'll be disappointed to learn that it won't work. For fish that will be coated in batter — or that you don't want to cook with the skin on for some other reason — you'll have to use a knife to remove it instead. Technically, you could peel the skin off after pouring boiling water over it, but that will partially cook the fish in the process — and that's not the best way to start your filets off.
What to do with leftover fish skin
It might be tempting to toss the fish skin straight to your cat from the carving fork, but it's probably not a good idea. While cats can eat fish skin, and your feline friend would no doubt be overjoyed to take it off your hands, it's not recommended to feed your cat anything that has been cooked with oil or seasonings. So unless you steamed or poached the fish completely plain, you probably shouldn't feed any of it to your cat.
A better use of the skin would be to repurpose the leftovers into a versatile textured salad or as a crispy salad topping. This will require broiling or frying it until it is well done and crunchy (and then crumbling it into smaller bits if using it as a topping). It can also be tasty in soup or sprinkled on top of rice. But if you didn't like it well enough to eat with your fish, this might not be an option you want to consider. If you do enjoy the skin and only used this hack to remove it for someone else (or removed it from steamed fish), then you're in luck as you can save it for one of those purposes.