What use is salting salmon skin?

Question

When cooking salmon, I often see recipes instructing to salt both sides, including the skin.

If I’m not planning to eat the skin, does this serve another purpose?

Answer 1

Salt is a curing agent, it draws moisture out of the fish. If the recipe calls for salting the fish and then leaving it for some amount of time then the purpose is to firm up the fish before cooking or smoking it, and salt can work through the skin of the fish.

If the recipe calls for salting both sides and then immediately cooking it then it's just for surface flavor, and if you don't plan to eat the skin you can skip salting the skin side.