Seared crispy fish

Achieving a crispy golden skin on your fish is Essential to optimizing flavor.. and it may take a few tries to get it just right. Here are the basics - you must use a high heat oil - sunflower or avocado oil for example. 

A good saute pan which conduits heat well, either non stick, reinforced stainless steel or a cast iron skillet.

Add the oil to the pan first, like 1 tablespoon, and then add the finishing salt to the pan.  Heat on high.  Add the filets when the oil is shiney and almost smoking.  Add the filets skin side down and have a weight( like the oil bottle or a stainless smash burger thing) be ready to put on top of them -

gently pressing so the fish filets don’t buckle - you want the skin to stick flat on the pan and if you don’t press them down they will curl up. This is only for 10-20 seconds until the fish is flat and skin literally sticking on the pan.

Once you start to see brown around the edges and fish is half cooked - indicated by the flesh side up turning slightly white, ( 1-2 min) turn down the heat to low- medium and let the pan cool down for 30 seconds to 1 min before adding 1 - 2 tablespoons of butter, basting the fish at the same time.   Hopefully the color of the butter is light brown. If you add the butter when the pan is too hot it will burn - you want to avoid that! Trick is in the timing.. add capers, lemon juice , olive oil and parsley - for sauce meunier or make your sauce vierge separately with olive oil shallots garlic and fresh herbs.. Turn off the heat and let the pan cool 1 minute or so before flipping the filets over.  They should be light brown and crispy.