Whenever you prepare salmon, you are used to removing your skin. And if you prepare your fish with it, you never consume it, once served on your plate. Grosse error, according to dietician Julie Boët. “”Salmon skin is a real nutritional gold mine: it concentrates quality proteins, precious omega-3 with anti-inflammatory effects, as well as essential vitamins and minerals such as vitamin D and selenium “ she explains to us.
Skin full of health benefits
We also find astaxanthine, the antioxidant which gives salmon its pink color. “”This antioxidant helps protect our aging cells and supports cardiovascular, cerebral and skin health“, She adds.
Eating salmon skin is therefore enjoying a concentrate of nutrients often overlooked. In addition to its nutritional intake, it offers a crisp texture that transforms a fish net into an even tastier dish.
Watch out for the origin of the chosen salmon
If you want to taste the salmon skin, the next time you prepare it, choose its origin well. Julie Boët recalls that it is better to favor a wild salmon rather than raised intensively, because “The skin can contain more environmental pollutants such as heavy metals, PCBs or dioxins“. These substances tend to accumulate in fatty tissue, which makes the choice of the origin of the fish.
For this reason, some people must still limit their consumption: pregnant or lactating women, young children and immunocompromised people.
How to cook salmon skin?
On the kitchen side, salmon skin lends itself to many gourmet preparations. The easiest way is to cook the fish on the skin side first, over high heat, without moving it, to obtain a perfect crisp.
“It is also possible to detach it, cut it into strips and make it grill separately to make homemade salmon crisps“says the dietician.”These crisp pieces can then be added to a salad, to a bowl of rice or simply tasted in nutritive and original snacks “.