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 Fish:
It’s easy to prepare, frighteningly healthful and boasts a broad
palette of flavors. There’s a reason why people serve it with
the head still on — so it can smile back at you.
Thanks to the wonders of modern transportation, lots of people
can sup on nearly fresh denizens of the deep year-round.
Happily, fillets and steaks are plentiful, and they’re as
easy to cook as a chicken breast. No gutting necessary.
A fillet of fish is a section or a full side of a fish. A steak
(archaic name: darnes is a cross section of the whole fish. Steaks tend to be thicker.
Fillets generally come with the skin on; steaks are usually
skinless.
Freshness is key in fish selection.
If you want to become a fish authority, one of the most important
skills you’ll need is ascertaining freshness.
Fresh fish doesn’t smell "fishy." That makes
cooking much more pleasant and helps minimize the first complaint of many a nonfish-fan:
that it stinks.
Eyes are the windows to the souls and, with fish, they’re
indicators of how long the fish carcass has been lying around. Look for bright and clear
eyes — pass on any cloudy ones.
Gills should be deep red, not pink or brown.
Pass on slimy fish, too. If fish are properly iced, they’ll
have bright and clear scales be free of goo.
The fish's flesh should be firm to the touch.
Now, inhale. If it smells "fishy," goon to the next
fish.
if you going for fresh fillets or steaks opt for those that are
freshly cut and on ice.
Wrapping them in plastic can trap bacteria and speed their slide
into non freshness.
Fish can be frozen for up to three months. Wrap it well in two
layers of freezer paper.
Use the lowest defrost setting to thaw it in the microwave. Once
fish is thawed, don’t refreeze it. It destroys the flavor and texture.
If you’re unsure whether the "fresh" fish
you’ve bought has been frozen and then thawed, put it in water — fresh fish
should float. If it sinks, you know you need to use it right away. If it floats, you can
freeze it and use it later.
Use your fresh fish within a day or two. If you re wondering how
much to buy, the proper serving size is 1/2 to 1/3 pound per person of steak or fillets;
3/4 pound per person if you're cooking it with fins and skin still on.
Before you cook if, be sure to remove as many bones as possible.
For fillets, run your finger lightly but firmly across the flesh, feeling for bones. When
you feel them, use a tweezers or a pair of need needle-nose pliers (a great kitchen tool
and a small investment) to pull them out.
If you or a guest gets a bone yow missed, the official old wives'
remedy is to eat bread. Theoretically this pushes the bone down so you don't choke on it.
Now, to cooking: Fish cooks quickly and with little heat.
You can toss a few whitefish fillets say, sole or flounder —
onto a broiling with just a sprinkle of lemon and dill have a somewhat sophisticated meal
in about five minutes’ worth of oven time.
Fish is done when its internal temperature reaches 140 degrees,
but most cuts of fish are too small to use an oven thermometer.
So, follow the Canadian Rule (why Canadians get credit for this,
I know not): Cook for 10 minutes per inch of thickness at the cut’s thickest point.
Depending on your oven and your tastes, you may want to make that a minute longer or
shorter.
The flesh should flake easily when pricked with a fork. If it
won’t, cook it more.
Fish continues cooking if left in a hot pan or over hot liquid
— so be sure to remove it promptly. Don’t overcook it.
Shellfish have easy indicators: The shells of clams, mussels and
oysters will open when they’re done. Don’t cook one with a shell that is already
open.
Lobsters turn bright red; scallops turn opaque; shrimp turns
pink.
Don’t bother with fussy sauces until you’re more
confident cooking the fish itself. Simple works. Salsa makes a great topping, as does any
pedestrian honey-mustard concoction. Lemon pepper is about all any whitefish needs.
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Strong and acidic
flavors such as lemon, wine, vinegar, ginger, onions and garlic also minimize fishy tastes
or smells.
For fishy smells on your hands, rub them with lemon, vinegar or
salt before washing with soap.
To remove any lingering fish smells from plastic utensils after
you store fish in them, soak them in a mixture of 1 teaspoon baking soda to 1 quart of
water. Wash plastic in hot, soapy water, then rinse again in hot vinegar you have heated
in the microwave.
POACHING
Poaching starts with a simmer.
Doesn’t "poach" sound terribly sophisticated?
Wouldn’t you pay a dollar or two more for a restaurant dish prepared in such a
worldly way?
Don’t. It’s not so worldly. Poaching. is, in essence,
simmering. You take your fish fillets or steaks (or cleaned whole fish, if you’re
really adventurous) and place them in a few inches of steaming liquid with the surface
just barely moving, and poach (it’s now a verb!) for a few minutes.
Then you turn off the heat and let the fish sit in the still-hot
liquid for a few minutes longer until it’s done.
Easy, huh?
Poaching is especially well-suited to fish, but also is great for
eggs and chicken.
Watching the clock is an important part of poaching. Don’t
overcook the fish. And don’t let the liquid reach more than a simmer while the fish
is in it. If it starts to boil, you’ll break up the fish’s flesh.
To poach a whole fish, wrap it in cheesecloth. This keeps the
fish intact and makes it easier to remove. The only fish unsuitable for poaching are very
soft ones such as sablefish.
The liquid you use for poaching will impart its own subtle
flavor. If you don’t want extra tastes, use plain, salted water. You can add some
white wine. Other liquids that work well are broths. Try adding some fresh herbs, lemon
halves and aromatic vegetables such as carrots, onions and celery.
A nice liquid to consider is a court bouillon. That fancy name
just means a liquid that will be cooked only a short time.
Because the poaching liquid gains flavor from the food, you can
use part of it to make a sauce. Or save it for soups.
You don’t have to buy a big copper fish poacher. Use a
skillet or saucepan large enough to hold both food and enough liquid to cover it. Woks
work well. Try to use the smallest pan that will hold the fish and the liquid. If you use
too big a pan, the amount of liquid you’ll need to cover the fish will dilute the
flavors.
Don’t put a lid on the pan while you’re poaching.
BROILING
Broiling works especially well with stronger-fleshed fish. The
flesh of most white fish is too tender and delicate to stay together during broiling; the
darker, stronger, oily fish will do much better. Broiling is also a natural choice for
other meats and hardier vegetables.
Broiling means cooking under a hot oven coil or flame, as opposed
to grilling, in which foods are cooked over a heat source.
To broil, preheat your oven. Most have a broiler or a broil
setting. If not, just turn the heat all the way up.
You’ll want to place your oxen rack about 3 inches from your
heat source. Remember that broiling is best-suited to relatively thin cuts of meat or
fillets. Otherwise, the heat will brown or even char the surface while the middle of the
cut remains uncooked.
If you’re bent on broiling a thick fillet, place the rack 4
to 6 inches below the heat source to give the heat more time to penetrate without charring
the surface.
Spray a broiling rack with nonstick cooking spray before you put
food on it. |
