Pulling pin bones

Whether you're making our oven-baked salmon with creamy olive sauce or your own favorite salmon recipe, it pays to take the time to pull out all the pin bones so nobody runs into one when digging into the dish. Seafood purveyors don't do it for you because the process roughs up the flesh a little bit. But pulling them out at home is a simple deal.

You'll need either needlenose pliers or large tweezers with flat ends that meet tightly. You can raid your toolbox for the pliers or purchase either tool from a cookware store.

Rub your fingers over the flesh side of the salmon to locate the bones. One by one, grip them firmly with the pliers or tweezers and pull them out in the direction they grow (don't rip them up through the flesh).