Whether you sear, grill, or bake your salmon, achieving a crispy skin — one of the key features of restaurant-status salmon — doesn’t require a restaurant-quality cook or cookware.

Before you can even start to master the cooking process, it’s crucial to prime the fish for the ultimate crispy skin. All you need is a plate, the fridge, and an hour of your time.

The dryer the skin of your salmon is, the better it'll crisp up. While many cooks prefer patting their salmon dry, chilling it in the fridge helps dry the skin more effectively.

Before seasoning and cooking, put the salmon skin-side up on a plate and refrigerate it uncovered for at least an hour. You can even chill it overnight, salting it for a dry brine.