Fish Cooking
Basics
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Still wondering what the hell you should
be doing with those fish you caught? Here are the basic techniques
on turning those fish into food.
10 Minutes to
the Inch
Whether you are grilling, frying, baking, poaching, steaming of broiling
your fish, the basic rule is that it will take 8-10 minutes of cooking
time for every inch of thickness. The biggest mistake most people
make in cooking fish is to over cook it. Now if the fish is
frozen, count on 20 minutes per inch.
It starts at the
water
Fish can degrade quickly after you catch it. One thing you can
do to prevent this is kill the fish as quickly as possible.
Smack it in the head with a club, then cut the gills with a knife.
This will bleed the fish out quickly and slow down spoilage.
You caught it, you clean it
OK, so you probably know this already, but you need to clean the innards
out, using a sharp knife and your thumb or narrow spoon. The
longer you leave that stuff in there, the more chance it will have
to start messing with the fish's flavor.
When is it
done?
The classical definition is that fish is done when it hits 160°
and the juices run clear. Stick a fork into the thickest portion
and twist gently. It should be flaky, but dear God, don't let
it cook into dry nastiness.
Cooking
Methods
NUKING (MICROWAVING) FISH - Fillets, 1" thick steaks
Yes, this is a valid fish cooking method! Microwaves cook by
exciting (heating up) the water in whatever you put in there.
Now call me crazy, but fish are just full of moisture. Gee...
Wonder why... Here are the proper steps for nuking fish. Allow
6 minutes per pound of fish, and remember that no two microwave ovens
will be the same so adjust accordingly.
- Arrange the fish with the thickest parts towards the edge of
the plate, and tuck and thin parts under so they don't get overdone.
One layer deep only please.
- Cover with plastic wrap, but pull one corner bask just a little,
or punch a little hole in it to vent steam.
- Don't blast it! Cook at 70% of full power.
Again, we are looking for just flaky.
- Let the fish rest for three minutes after you nuke it.
PAN FRYING (SAUTÉING) - Fillets less than 1-1/2" thick,
scallops, large shrimp
The old standby by for cooking fish, there are countless variations
on how to pay fry fish. The basics are to heat butter or oil
over medium heat in a pan big enough to comfortably hold your fish.
Then cook on one side till brown then turn over and brown the other
side. This shouldn't take long so don't over cook them!
What you do with them before you drop them in the pan is what matters
the most. To be a purist, you can pat them dry and just lightly
season them with salt and pepper. Of course you can always coat
them with egg and bread them with flour or bread crumbs. Then
we get into seasoning of the breading and things get really complicated.
Have fun, experiment.
BROILING FISH - Fillets &
Steaks 1/4" to 1-1/2" thick, Scallops & Shrimp
Think of broiling as blast cooking your seafood. Put the top
rack ~4 inches below the broiling element and preheat that puppy.
Broiling can suck the moisture right out of fish, so you have to make
sure it doesn't dry out and get nasty. Fish like Salmon, Tuna
and Swordfish have enough oil already to keep them moist, but think
about marinating other fish.
So drop your fish on the broiling pan, season it lightly and get it
under the broiler. Keep a watchful eye on it though. Broilers
will take food from done to crispy in the blink of an eye.
STEAMING SEAFOOD - Fillets, Steaks, Whole Fish and Shellfish
Steaming is about as easy and healthy as it gets. No added oil
is needed, just a little salt and pepper. If you like, you can
steam your veggies right along with your fish! Just remember
the 10 minutes to an inch rule and go for it.
BAKING SEAFOOD - Fish Fillets, Steaks, Shellfish & Whole Fish
Baking is the tame version of broiling. Set your oven for 450°
and away you go! As for the fish, arrange them one layer deep
in a lightly oiled pan, tucking any thin parts under so they don't
burn. Variations include breading, coating with oil/butter,
and topping with fruit and/or veggies.
POACHING (NOT BOILING) SEAFOOD - Whole fish, Steaks, Fillets,
Shrimp, Scallops
Basic poaching technique is to cook the seafood in a broad, shallow
pan filled with enough hot, but not boiling liquid to completely cover
it. Any liquid will do, from plain water to concoctions of water,
wine, herbs and stock. The liquid should be brought to a boil
then turned down till you see movement, but no bubbles breaking on
the surface. Carefully place your food in the water and cook
the required time. Another very healthy way to cook your seafood!
STIR-FRYING - Chunks and strips of firm fish, Shrimp, Scallops,
Squid
Stir frying is broiling from the bottom effectively. This is
because to correctly stir fry, your wok should be blisteringly hot.
As such, food will cook very quickly. To ensure even cooking,
make sure that your pieces of food are fairly uniform. Here
is the basic stir frying technique.
- Heat the wok over high heat with oil till the oil starts to
smoke. Add your vegetables if any and stir constantly.
Cook until they are just a little tender and then set aside.
- Add oil and reheat the pan if needed. Cook the seafood,
stirring constantly so it doesn't stick. Cook until it is
browned slightly and opaque in the center.
- Add the veggies back in along with some sauce and any other
seasonings you like. And you are done!
GOOD OLD GRILLING - What can't you grill?
Whole encyclopedias could, and probably have been written about grilling.
It must tap into some primal spot in our soul to be outside, cooking
or burning a piece of meat over some hot coals. Here are the
main points to remember.
- Keep your grill clean! Dirt grills cook unevenly and dirty
grates are more likely
to have food stick to them
- Oil your grill grates! It will help keep the food from
bonding to them.
- Grilling can dry food out like broiling does, so use fatty fish,
and consider using a marinade or oiling and seasoning your fish
before grilling.
- For fish that is small, or might fall apart, use aluminum foil
on the grill.
- Once you put the food down on the grates, don't mess with it!
As my cooking hero Alton
Brown says 'Just walk away!' Granted, not for long but
don't fiddle with it till it is time to turn it over.
So there you have the basics of cooking fish. Best of luck in
your cooking adventures! |
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