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Cooking Fish
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Published: October 30, 2006
Whether it is a salmon caught fresh from the stream or bought from the local grocer, there is nothing quite like a home-cooked fish dinner.
Fish provide even the most health-conscious person with a comforting, tasty meal. Certain fats found in fish are thought to prevent heart disease, stroke and even Alzheimer's.
Cooking fish is hardly a difficult process, although not many people seem to take the initiative to do so in their homes. However, here are a few tips to cooking fish the proper way:
1. If you are not going to eat your fresh fish right away (as in, over the course of a day or two) wrap it up and put it in your freezer. Fish perishes quickly; leave it in your refrigerator for too long and it will begin to stink. When you are ready to cook the fish, thaw it in the refrigerator, under cold running water or in the microwave. Once it has thawed, be sure to cook it immediately.
2. Perhaps more than with other foods, there is a fine line between perfectly cooking fish and overcooking fish. Be wary of this. Remember, once you turn off the range, the pan will still hold heat and continue to cook the fish for a short time longer. To get the best results, cook the fish until it looks to almost be ready, then turn the stove off and let the residual heat from the pan do the rest. In general, due to the natural tenderness of fish, they do not require as much cooking as other meats.
There are many different methods of cooking fish. Each of them yield a different taste, so experiment and find the way you enjoy the most. Here are a few suggestions:
Grilled Fish. This process involves cooking a fish in an oven at a set temperature. Fish such as salmon, tuna, swordfish and shark all make excellent grilling material. Clean the grill well, oil it slightly, then put the fish on it and watch the fish develop a nice crust which it will hold the taste. A tip: to prevent the grill smoke from over-seasoning the fish, keep the cover of the grill open while cooking.
Steamed Fish. This process will yield a different flavor of fish. To begin, place a saucepan on the stove filled with water or stock. Add seasoning and wait for the contents of the saucepan to come to a boil. Put your fish into a steamer and place it over the simmering water. Caution: do not let the contents of the saucepan boil. Otherwise, the fish will cook too quickly.
Broiled Fish. Make sure the fish is well-seasoned before it is put into the broiler. Once you put it in, keep it about six inches away from the broiler and watch carefully. Only fillets thicker than one inch should need to be flipped halfway through cooking.
Roasted Fish. Turning up the heat past 400 Fahrenheit and putting your fish in the oven is a technique for maximizing the flavor of the fish by caramelizing sugars on the surface. Glaze with seasonings and cook until done; lemon juice or dry white wines make excellent glazes.
Sautéed Fish. For this tasty option, all you need is your fish and some olive oil. Sprinkle olive oil on a pre-heated pan before letting the first side cook for about two to three minutes on medium heat. Turn over the fish and cook for another minute or two. While cooking, leave the fish undisturbed to develop a crust. For thicker fillets, double the cooking time.
Cooking fish is a healthy dinner option often overlooked by the everyday chef. If one of the above ways for cooking fish does not suit you, experiment with other methods and recipes. Experimenting is fine as long as you remember the general rule of cooking fish: do not overcook and remember the effects of residual heat from the pan. In most cases, you know a fish is done cooking when it becomes opaque and flaky.
Sources:
Larsen, Linda. How to Cook Fish. Busy Cooks on about.com. 26 October 2006.
Fish Cooking Techniques.
Fish provide even the most health-conscious person with a comforting, tasty meal. Certain fats found in fish are thought to prevent heart disease, stroke and even Alzheimer's.
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Cooking fish is hardly a difficult process, although not many people seem to take the initiative to do so in their homes. However, here are a few tips to cooking fish the proper way:
1. If you are not going to eat your fresh fish right away (as in, over the course of a day or two) wrap it up and put it in your freezer. Fish perishes quickly; leave it in your refrigerator for too long and it will begin to stink. When you are ready to cook the fish, thaw it in the refrigerator, under cold running water or in the microwave. Once it has thawed, be sure to cook it immediately.
2. Perhaps more than with other foods, there is a fine line between perfectly cooking fish and overcooking fish. Be wary of this. Remember, once you turn off the range, the pan will still hold heat and continue to cook the fish for a short time longer. To get the best results, cook the fish until it looks to almost be ready, then turn the stove off and let the residual heat from the pan do the rest. In general, due to the natural tenderness of fish, they do not require as much cooking as other meats.
There are many different methods of cooking fish. Each of them yield a different taste, so experiment and find the way you enjoy the most. Here are a few suggestions:
Grilled Fish. This process involves cooking a fish in an oven at a set temperature. Fish such as salmon, tuna, swordfish and shark all make excellent grilling material. Clean the grill well, oil it slightly, then put the fish on it and watch the fish develop a nice crust which it will hold the taste. A tip: to prevent the grill smoke from over-seasoning the fish, keep the cover of the grill open while cooking.
Steamed Fish. This process will yield a different flavor of fish. To begin, place a saucepan on the stove filled with water or stock. Add seasoning and wait for the contents of the saucepan to come to a boil. Put your fish into a steamer and place it over the simmering water. Caution: do not let the contents of the saucepan boil. Otherwise, the fish will cook too quickly.
Broiled Fish. Make sure the fish is well-seasoned before it is put into the broiler. Once you put it in, keep it about six inches away from the broiler and watch carefully. Only fillets thicker than one inch should need to be flipped halfway through cooking.
Roasted Fish. Turning up the heat past 400 Fahrenheit and putting your fish in the oven is a technique for maximizing the flavor of the fish by caramelizing sugars on the surface. Glaze with seasonings and cook until done; lemon juice or dry white wines make excellent glazes.
Sautéed Fish. For this tasty option, all you need is your fish and some olive oil. Sprinkle olive oil on a pre-heated pan before letting the first side cook for about two to three minutes on medium heat. Turn over the fish and cook for another minute or two. While cooking, leave the fish undisturbed to develop a crust. For thicker fillets, double the cooking time.
Cooking fish is a healthy dinner option often overlooked by the everyday chef. If one of the above ways for cooking fish does not suit you, experiment with other methods and recipes. Experimenting is fine as long as you remember the general rule of cooking fish: do not overcook and remember the effects of residual heat from the pan. In most cases, you know a fish is done cooking when it becomes opaque and flaky.
Sources:
Larsen, Linda. How to Cook Fish. Busy Cooks on about.com. 26 October 2006.
Fish Cooking Techniques.
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