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Do you descale salmon fillets? (lemm.ee)
submitted 3 years ago* (last edited 3 years ago) by to c/askuk@feddit.uk
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So all (that I've bought from) supermarkets sell their salmon fillets with scales on. Do you descale it before pan frying?

Sainsbury's; morrisons; tesco are the supermarkets I've bought salmon fillets from mainly

Edit: Please stop assuming I'm a dumbass who doesn't know what scales look like. We have established that YES, SCALES ARE PRESENT, I AM NOT MISTAKING SKIN FOR SCALES BECAUSE I HAVE EYES. They are on the fillets, and if you haven't noticed them, then feel free to not participate in this post.

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[–] 0 points 3 years ago (1 child)

I've never taken them off, grill / pan fry skin side down, flip, remove skin and discard. Flip back over to finish with butter and rosemary. Down the hatch

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    • [+] 0 points 3 years ago (1 child)
    [deleted]
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  • [–] [S] 1 point 3 years ago* (1 child)

    The skin is still on, but I'm pretty sure the scales are still on. I take a knife to the back and scrape across and they pop off. I'm not sure they're quite reflective as much as they are slightly translucent and yeah the mess is exactly why I made this post lol I was sick of having to do it in the sink before cooking each time

    Edit this is what I'm talking about, the stuff on the knife

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    • [–] -2 points 3 years ago* (last edited 3 years ago) (1 child)

    What you're describing as scales are not, in fact, the scales. It's just the skin of the fish The scales are removed before the fish is butchered. And yes you can eat it, it's not uncommon.

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  • [–] [S] 0 points 3 years ago (1 child)

    The stuff on the knife here isn't scales?

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  • [–] -2 points 3 years ago* (1 child)

    Yeah the stuff on the knife is scales, but the silver on the fish is just the skin. The scales are attached to that.

    I'd be really surprised if you're finding any fish in big supermarkets that still have scales, even on a whole fish but particularly on a fillet.

    You will typically find skin on or skin off fillets, and depending on the fish recipes might instruct to cook them skin side down so you can have a nice crispy texture alongside the softer flesh.

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  • [–] [S] 0 points 3 years ago* (last edited 3 years ago) (2 children)

    Yeah the fillets (all 3 linked in original post) I buy from Tesco Morrisons or Sainsbury's all have scales. I take them off with a butter knife and have to wash them sink down after so there aren't scales everywhere.

    I'd be really surprised if you've bought the fillets and not noticed the scales before.

    Edit so yes, to your first comment,

    What you're describing as scales are not, in fact, the scales. It's just the skin of the fish

    I was, in fact, describing scales. Not just the skin of the fish. Go be a pseudo know-it-all elsewhere please.

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  • [–] -3 points 3 years ago (1 child)

    I think you must be getting confused, salmon is not sold in UK supermarkets with the scales on. Just the skin.

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