When cooking the fish skin-side down, be sure to coat the pan completely with oil, and to watch the fillet closely.

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Begin by laying the fish, skin-side down, into a hot pan.

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But what he pulled up from the depths looked more like a lizard than a fish, with greenish-brown skin, a snub nose and tiny legs.

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They would split the fish, secure it skin-side down to a wood plank and place the plank vertically, facing the fire but outside the fire ring, to slowly cook.

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To achieve a perfect sear on the fish's skin, Mr. Schwartz recommends a hybrid oven-and-stovetop preparation that crisps the surface beautifully and allows thicker fillets to cook through.

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Try beach pedicures in Bali, leg-hair threading in Vietnam or having your dead skin nibbled off by doctor fish in Hong Kong.

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Drawn in by easy-to-digest prices and a traditional take on fish and chips, cabbies are known to queue up here for thick slices of fresh cod, fried skin-on in beef fat.

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