We care a lot about crispy fish here at Bon Appétit. Armed with room temperature cast-irons and chilled fillets, we’ve journeyed far and wide to help you achieve restaurant-level crackly skin and flaky, tender flesh—without treating your favorite t-shirt to a Jackson Pollock-style splatter of oil.
Many of our past methods rely on the stovetop, and with it a watchful eye for doneness. But textbook crispy fish can be achieved in the oven too, thanks to a star player you likely already have in your fridge: mayo.
Humble mayonnaise, at its essence, is “just protein and fat,” says associate food editor Kendra Vaculin. “It promotes quick browning, works like a nonstick coating to help release fish from the sheet pan, and helps seasonings penetrate better.”
Covering your fish in a layer of mayo before popping it in the oven is a foolproof method for ensuring a crispy armor and a flavorful, tender interior. Any mayo you have stocked in your pantry will suffice—if you’re a Kewpie fanatic like me, go forth and slather.
This is the key technique to crackly fish in a flash in Kendra’s Spicy Salmon Roll Bowls recipe. After cutting a fillet into cubes, you’ll coat the bites with mayo and a pinch of cayenne pepper before tossing them under the broiler, skin side up, for a quick stint. “The skin gets super crispy,” says Kendra, “but a nice crust builds on the non-skin sides too, while the center stays flaky and moist.”
Paired with slender medallions of pickled cucumbers and half-moons of avocado over a bed of fluffy rice, Kendra’s crispy salmon bites are a 10-minute ticket to dinner. Our trusty mayo comes into play again as a finishing flourish, laced with chili crisp and zig-zagged over the final bowl.
Rice isn’t the only acceptable venue for these crispy cubes—far from it. You can just as easily tuck them into tacos, toss them into a leafy salad, or lay them over a bowl of cold soba noodles.
So when next Tuesday night rolls around, and you’re stumped on supper, reach for that jar of mayo in your fridge door. It’s a one-step marinade waiting to happen.
Try the Spicy Salmon dish here.
