Le Bernardin's Crispy-Skinned Fish
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Author Notes: A simple formula for doing right by fish, adapted from On the Line by Eric Ripert and Christine Muhlke (with a surprise ingredient straight out of the 1960s). - Genius Recipes
Serves 4
- About 1 tablespoon canola oil (enough to coat the bottom of the pan)
- Four 6-ounce skin-on fish fillets (like striped bass or salmon)
- Fine sea salt
- Freshly ground white pepper (black is fine too, if you don't mind the speckles)
- Wondra flour for dusting
- Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Heat the oil in a large, oven- and flame-proof sauté pan on the stovetop until the oil is very hot, but not smoking.
- Season the fish on both sides with salt and pepper and dust with Wondra flour. Blow off excess.
- Put the fish in the pan, skin side down, and press down on the fish with a spatula. (The skin immediately contracts and buckles, but you want to keep it all in contact with the pan for maximum crisping.) Sear on the stovetop over medium heat until golden brown on the bottom, about 3 minutes.
- Turn the fish over, put the pan in the oven, and cook another 2 to 3 minutes, until a metal skewer can be easily inserted into the center of the fillet and, if left for 5 seconds, feels just warm when touched to your lip. Serve immediately.
- This recipe is a Community Pick!
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11 months ago Lula Mae Broadway
Sounds great, but how do you keep the skin from sticking to the bottom of the pan, or is that what the flour does?
over 1 year ago jburseja
What side dishes and bread would go along with this recipe.
over 1 year ago Kristen Miglore
Kristen is the Senior Editor of Food52
It depends on what sort of fish you choose, but I'd say it's really flexible! There are no strong flavors in the seasoning, so it will match well with whatever you' serving -- sauteed greens, salads, roasted potatoes, you name it!
If you'd like more ideas, you could try asking the Hotline for the Food52 community's advice -- just click the banner in the middle of the recipe that says "Have a question about this recipe?".
almost 2 years ago Mary Cheng Go
what is the other alternative for Wondra flour?
almost 2 years ago Kristen Miglore
Kristen is the Senior Editor of Food52
Wondra flour is a brand name for "instant flour" -- meaning it's been pre-cooked and dried again. It has a fine, gritty texture, much like cornmeal. If you can find other brands labelled instant flour, that would be the closest substitute, but fine cornmeal or all purpose flour will also work fine with this technique -- just sprinkle lightly and blow off any excess.
almost 2 years ago johnandrewwalsh
Can you do more than one fillet at a time in the pan? How long can you let the cooked fish rest if you're making four portions? Thanks!
almost 2 years ago Kristen Miglore
Kristen is the Senior Editor of Food52
Yes, you can do as many portions as will fit in your pan without crowding (that would cool down the pan too much and they'd end up steaming instead of searing). You can also get 2 large pans going at once to give them more space. I don't think this is a preparation you can hold very long -- any attempts to keep it warm (or re-warm it) would likely overcook the fish, or make the skin soggy, or both!