Who else is super excited that Joseph’s striped bass entree made him the winner of All-Star Academy? It looked delicious (though we thought Vanessa’s did too) and judge Curtis Stone certainly confirmed that it was. But Joseph didn’t escape without some constructive criticism — the skin on his striped bass could have been a little crispier. So, in honor of Joseph attending culinary school with his winnings, here’s a little lesson in crispy fish skin.

We used salmon (it’s a fattier fish and the skin crisps up better).

• Use a large skillet: More room means less crowding and no steaming, which can make the skin soggy.
• Oil and salt: Coat the skillet with a thin layer of oil, then add a generous shower of salt (the salt helps pull moisture out of the skin while seasoning) and heat over medium-high heat.
• Restraint: Add your salmon fillet (any size or shape), skin-side down, once the oil is shimmering. Cook undisturbed, adjusting the heat if you need to so that the skin doesn’t burn. Watch as the dark color of the salmon flesh turns pink, starting from the bottom. Once the very top of the fillet has just turned pink, flip the salmon (if yours is stuck, it might just need another quick minute or so to render fat from the skin), remove the skillet from the heat and let the salmon finish cooking.