What technique is advised to mitigate excessive white, gummy residue when searing leaner fish skin?
Answer
Lightly dusting the skin side with cornstarch or rice flour.
A common failure scenario when searing skin-on fillets, especially leaner types, involves excessive white, opaque, gummy residue bubbling up, which indicates the skin is steaming rather than crisping due to releasing too much surface moisture. To counteract this, a mitigation tip suggests lightly dusting the skin side with a thin coating of either cornstarch or rice flour before seasoning. This thin layer functions as a barrier that assists in rapidly driving off the surface moisture, encouraging an immediate sizzle upon contact with the hot pan, which is essential for achieving the desired crisp texture.

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