If you haven’t yet, get over and read the first part of “Here fishy, fishy!” This is Part II of the two part series about fish. My main focus will be on cooking fish, but I will also hit points on quality of fish.
I have to start off by saying that the information on fish is so vast - I’m barely scratching the surface here. I’m going to pass along a few general guidelines on how to cook fish, but as you will come to realize, each fish should actually be treated differently when it’s cooked due to its fat content and its firmness.
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| From: http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/member-recipes/Cooking%20whole%20fish/103 |
When purchasing fish there are only a couple factors you need to consider - visual appeal and aroma.
With your eyes, take a look at the skin, the eyes, and the flesh. The eyes should be clear, not cloudy. The skin will glisten and shimmer if it is fresh. If it is dull and wrinkled, chances are it’s on special and they are trying to clear out their stock. The flesh should also glisten and look normal, meaning there should be no breaks or tears, no blood, and no organs. Oh yes, the flesh should be vibrant in color. For example, Salmon should be vibrant orange (orange due to a diet high in crustaceans) and Halibut should be vibrant white, and so on.
With your nose, smell the fish. Stick your nose as close as possible to the fish. What do you smell? Well, you should smell the ocean!!! Most of the fish we eat comes from salt water. If it’s a freshwater lake fish, it might smell like crushed green leaves. The fish shouldn’t have a pungent fishy smell. Only slight.
Now you just bought this piece of fish, you’re probably holding it like a 12-year-old boy holding a baby. Confused, lost, and a little scared. Storage is so important. (For the sake of this, I’m going to continue writing in terms of a piece of fish without skin). Just as most things, your fish needs to be refrigerated, but more importantly it needs to go on ice. Crushed ice is better than large cubes (this is the logic of surface area, the more ice touching the fish the colder it will stay). It is also important to consider the melting ice to ensure that your fish doesn’t sit in the ice water as the ice melts. So if you have a food saver, use it so your fish will be safe from the water. If you don’t have one, put some ice in a container, salt the top liberally, put your fish on top (in the packaging is fine) and change the ice daily. (Your fridge is 40F on average. Keeping fish on ice will keep the fish around 32F despite the 40F fridge. This lower temperature will slow bacterial growth, but will not stop it. Your fish can last 1-3 weeks depending on the kind of fish, but honestly, buy it and eat it within 5 days, no matter what!).
Fish is not meat. If meat is masculine, (dense, rough around the edges, and can tolerate a lot of heat) then fish is feminine (light, flaky, sexy, and needs to be treated with two hands). That being said, whenever moving your fish make sure to support the whole piece. The connective tissues in fish are much weaker than those in meat. Connective tissues break down with heat. What can we infer? Fish doesn’t need the same harsh heat that meats benefit from! In order to cook fish well, it takes much finesse. I remember a chef yelling at me once, “ERIC, HAVE A LITTLE MORE TOUCH WITH YOUR FISH!”
Now that we’ve hit some of the points regarding purchasing, storing, and quality of fish, let’s move on to the fun part – cooking and eating it!!!
Many different ways to cook fish: grilled, broiled, baked, low temp baked, high temp baked, en papillote, sous-vide, poached, gumbo shrimp, fried shrimp, Asian shrimp, Etc. It’s similar to the Forest Gump scene that talks about shrimp.
So let’s cook the fish!!! Take your fish (using two hands always) and put it on to your counter. If it is wet, pat it dry with some paper towels. Next, preseason your fish for 5-10 minutes. This seasoning helps removes some surface moisture (good ol’ Harold McGee taught me this one). Believe me, excess moisture on the outside of your fish can lead to sticking in your pan. What kind of pan should you use? I like to use one of those black cast-iron pans. But for home cooking, a non-stick or coated pan will do just fine. I suggest no more than medium heat. A nice slow sear is best for the fish. No need to get your pan smoking hot and drop in your fish and cook it in 45 seconds. Over medium heat, place the fish in the pan. If you’re using a non-stick or black pan, there shouldn’t be a problem with sticking. Depending on the size of the fish, leave the fish cooking on one side until a golden brown crust begins to develop. Flip (using a spatula and your other hand to cradle the fish) and continue to cook for 60-80% of the first side (remember with fish you are looking for an internal temp around 120F whereas meat is 140F for medium-beef). Be patient with your fish, caress your fish, love your fish, and then devour every bite.
This is a long post…. ALMOST DONE!
Exceptions - thinner filets will need a hotter pan to develop that golden brown crust and larger filets will need a lower heat. There are so many exceptions and each fish is different! I could write forever. Seeing as there are numerous contrasting types of fish, here is a general rule of thumb: for halibut, salmon, and sea bass, the above procedure (60-80% on side 2) will suffice, and for tilapia, flounder, trout, white fish, and perch, use the exception.
Tuna – debate, debate, debate! Eat it hot on the outside, cold in the middle? Eat it raw? Warm in the middle? It is completely up to you. I’m not even going to discuss this fish. I will, however, give you a simple technique to cook it. Get the pan almost smoking hot, add your oil making sure to not burn it, count slowly to five (let that oil heat up), and place your tuna in. Once it starts to gray up slightly around the side, check for a golden crust. Once the crust forms, flip and wait for side two to develop a crust. Once the crust forms, done. Rare tuna. Luke warm and cool center.
Another note to consider: Fat vs. Protein as conductors of heat.
Protein is a great conductor of heat whereas, fat is not so great. Inference: Leaner fish will cook faster. Example: Sockeye salmon will cook faster than Alaskan wild-caught salmon.
Any other questions or need for clarification feel free to leave a comment and I’ll be sure to answer!
E
Edited by JDC Inc.
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