Salmon Skin Makes You Smarter, Stronger, and Better Looking. Did We Mention That it Tastes Like Bacon?

Many Sun Basket salmon fillets come with their skin intact. One reason for that is that skin-on salmon is easier to cook. The skin helps hold the meat together making it less likely to break apart when you lift it from the pan. But salmon skin is also delicious and loaded to the gills with good-for-you fatty acids. While farmed salmon may contain unhealthy levels of PCBs, the skin on our wild Alaskan salmon is something you should definitely be eating. 

Brains

Omega-3’s, salmon skin is packed with them. These superstar fatty acids offer plenty of health benefits, from easing the effects of depression to helping infant brain development to improving eyesight and warding off dementia and heart disease. And because salmon’s fat is in the layer just below the skin, when you cook a filet with the skin on, it soaks up more of this healthy fat. Salmon skin is also rich in many B vitamins, which offer a host of benefits, including mood stabilization and stimulation of blood flow to the brain.

Beauty

Especially rich in connective tissue, with one-third collagen by weight, salmon skin is wonderful for our skin health and elasticity. And those omega-3 fatty acids and B vitamins don’t just stop in the brain. B vitamins help regulate your metabolism. Niacin, in particular, makes it easier for the skin to maintain its moisture, leaving it smoother and addressing any imbalances. And the omega-3’s anti-inflammatory properties can help reduce outbreaks of acne. 

Muscles and bones

In addition to all those good-for-you fats, salmon skin is over 50 percent protein, which forms the building blocks of bones, cartilage, and muscles. Its vitamin D levels help regulate calcium absorption, which is great for bones and teeth, and salmon’s rich potassium reserves provide stamina for long workouts.

It tastes like bacon

Yes, we said bacon. Cook it right and you’ve got a crisp, flavorful piece of skin that’s a stand-in for everyone’s favorite breakfast meat.

All that fat concentrated in the skin also means that it’s full of flavor. If you render out that fat while you cook the fish, you’ll end up with an irresistibly crisp piece of skin. Follow our test kitchen’s technique for crispy salmon skin, every time.