[westopher]

Exactly what Sonick said.
Lower heat and longer time = lighter colour, drier results.

You need to find the balance of time and temperature for the perfect skin. I drop the fish in to a ripping hot pan, lower the temp, tilt the pan and allow the oil to pool around the edge. Slid the fish into the pool and press down and pop out any air bubbles. You can get splashed with a bit of hot oil when the skin "pops."
Never put oil in a cold pan. Bring the pan up to temp, put in enough oil to coat the bottom, swirl around and drop your fish in.
I'd say for an average piece of salmon/trout I give it about one minute of sear and 4 mins in the oven at 400.
Pull it out, touch the flesh side to the pan for 30 seconds, pull out to rest, throw some chopped shallots into the pan, deglaze with white wine and lemon, reduce, pull off the heat, throw massive knob of butter in and emulsify in with spoon. Pour on the plate and place the salmon flesh side down into the sauce.
The whole process will take 8-10 minutes from start to the plate once you figure out your timing.