Fish weight vs burger press vs cast iron pan: What actually works for crispy fish skin?

If you've gone looking for a way to get crispy fish skin, you've probably wondered whether you really need a dedicated fish weight, or whether something you already own will do the job. A burger press? A heavy pan? A brick wrapped in foil? We're going to give you an honest answer.

The short version: some of these work better than others, and one of them works properly. Here's the full breakdown.

The fish weight

A fish weight is a flat disc of stainless steel, typically around 1.6kg, with a handle. It was designed specifically for this job. You place it on a skin-on fillet as soon as it hits the pan, and the weight holds the entire surface in full contact with the hot pan.

The key word is entire. A fish weight covers the whole fillet: edges, centre, and tail. Every part of the skin is in contact with heat at the same time, so you get even colour and consistent crispiness across the whole surface.

It's also 316 food-safe stainless steel, so it won't react with acidic fish, won't rust, won't transfer flavours, and handles dishwasher cleaning without issue.

The Cook’s Edge fish weight is 1.6kg of solid 316 stainless steel. Available in satin, polished, gold, and rainbow finishes. Works on all surfaces including induction. Ships same day.

The burger press

Burger presses are designed to flatten raw ground meat into patties, so they're typically lightweight, around 300 to 600g, and often made from aluminium or plastic with a non-flat base profile.

Two problems arise when you try to use them on fish. First, they're too light. A 400g press doesn't provide enough downward force to hold a fish fillet flat as the protein contracts from heat. The fillet curves away from the pan faster than the press can compensate, and you end up with the same curling problem you started with. Second, many burger presses have a slightly ridged or textured base, which means they only touch the fish in places, leaving gaps where the skin doesn't get direct contact.

A burger press is not a fish press. Using one as a substitute is like using a cheese grater as a colander: same rough category, completely different tool.

The cast iron pan

This is a popular workaround. Just put another heavy pan on top of your fillet. And it does sort of work. A cast iron pan is heavy enough to hold a fillet flat. But several practical problems emerge:

• Cast iron pans are awkward to balance on a fillet. They tip, slide, or only contact one edge.

• The handle sticks out and gets in the way, especially on smaller cooktops.

• Cast iron retains heat, so you're essentially putting a second heat source on top of your fish, which can cause the top of the fillet to cook from above rather than below, drying it out.

• They're heavy to safely lift off a hot pan without knocking the fillet.

If it's what you have, it's better than nothing. But it's a workaround, not a solution.

The spatula method

Using a fish slice or spatula to manually press a fillet flat is the oldest method and the one most home cooks default to. The problems are that your arm gets tired after about 30 seconds, a spatula only covers part of the fillet at once, and you can't sustain consistent pressure across the whole surface while also monitoring your cooking.

It works better on small fillets. On anything larger than a palm, you're fighting a losing battle.

Side-by-side comparison

The verdict

If you cook fish regularly, or even occasionally, and you want the results that actually look like they came from a good restaurant, a dedicated fish weight is the correct tool. It's not an expensive kitchen gadget that does one thing poorly. It does one thing extraordinarily well, and it also works on steaks, chicken skin, pork belly, smash burgers, sandwiches, and vegetables.

The alternatives all involve compromise. A fish weight doesn't.

The Cook’s Edge fish weights start from $79 AUD. Available in multiple finishes. In stock and ships same day across Australia. No pre-order waitlists.