Main Ingredients:

See below ingredients and instructions of the recipe

Cooking Preparation of the Recipe:

Text only

Cooking Fish

When cooking, always be careful to avoid overcooking. Fish is done
when it loses its translucence and appears milky-white. It should
flake easily when tested with a fork. Handle cooked fish as little
as possible since it falls apart easily due to the minimal amount of
connective tissue.

Deep-fat frying is a method of cooking where the fish is immersed in
oil. It produces tender meat coated with a crispy crust. To deep-fat
fry, fill the fryer halfway with oil. Place breaded fish in the fry
basket one layer at a time and lower it into fat heated to 350 F.
Fish should be tender and lightly browned which usually takes three
to five minutes. Use absorbent paper to drain.

Although the taste of fish oven-fried is similar to fish fried in
oil, the processes are quite different. The first step in oven-
frying is to dip servings of fish in milk and bread them. The next
step is to place the breaded servings on a greased cookie sheet. Drip
melted fat over the fish and bake at 500 F. for ten to twelve minutes.

To pan-fry fish, heat about 1/8 inch of fat in a frying pan. Place
the breaded fish in a single layer leaving small spaces between them.
Fry until the side is light brown, then turn carefully and continue
cooking until the other side is light brown. Total cooking time
should be between eight and ten minutes.

Planking is a method to cook whole fish, steaks, or fillets. It is a
two-step process. First oil a hard wood board or plank and heat it
slowly in the oven at about 225 F. Remove it from the oven and raise
the temperature to about 350 F. Place the fish on the warm plank.
Brush with fat and bake until the fish flakes easily when touched
with a fork. You may then serve the fish on the plank.

Charcoal broiling is a method of cooking over hot coals. Baste the
fish with basting sauce before, during, and after cooking. To
eliminate sticking, grease a long handled grill. Place the fish on
the grill about five inches from the hot coals and turn once.
Depending upon the thickness, cooking time should run from ten to
twenty minutes.

Baking utilizes dry heat. First, grease a baking dish. Cook the
fish in an uncovered dish at 350 F for a short period of time. Baste
several times. Steaming involves cooking by steam, generated from
boiling water. Use a steam cooker or deep pan with a tight cover and
a rack to prevent the fish from touching the water. The water may be
seasoned or enhanced with wine. Boil the water, and place the fish
on the rack. Cover the pan with the lid and cook for five to ten
minutes.

Broiling utilizes dry heat in the preparation of fish. The heat is
direct and from one source. To broil, place the fish in a single
layer on a greased broiler pan about three or four inches from the
heat. Baste at least once during the cooking process for fat fish;
baste more often for lean fish. Allow six to ten minutes for
fillets, and six to sixteen minutes for steaks. Be sure to turn
thick pieces and whole fish.

Poaching is cooking fish in a simmering liquid. A shallow fry pan is
used Be sure that it is wide enough so that the fish don't overlap.
Lightly cover the fish with a liquid such as water, seasoned with
spices, milk, or a mixture with wine. Cover the pan and simmer about
five to ten minutes.

Fish can be smoked by hot smoking or kippering, and cold smoking. In
hot smoking, the fish is hung three or four feet from the fire and
smoked at temperatures ranging from 150 F to 250 F. Curing time
ranges from two to four hours. Hot smoked fish requires no
additional preparation. Since it is perishable, it should be
refrigerated and treated as fresh fish. In cold smoking, the fish are
hung farther from the fire than hot smoking and smoked at
temperatures lower than 80 F. The longer the fish is smoked the less
perishable it is. Fish may be smoked for a few days up to three weeks.

Fish may also be cooked in a microwave oven, provided the fish is
tested for doneness before the designated cooking time. This will
prevent the fish from being overcooked. Allow three minutes for
every edible pound of fish. Fish should be covered with a plastic
wrap, leaving one corner up so that steam can escape. Breaded fish
should be cooked uncovered to avoid sogginess, or lightly covered
with paper towels to avoid splattering. To insure an equal
distribution of heat, the dish should be rotated during heating. Fish
can be baked, boiled, poached, or steamed in the microwave oven.
Frying is not recommended.

About the Author

Adam Starchild has combined business travel with discovering the
delights of native dishes from Hawaii and Hong Kong to Russia and the
Caribbean. He is the author of The Seafood Heritage Cookbook (Cornell
Maritime Press), co-author of another seafood cookbook, and the
author of a number of food and cooking articles.
Submitted By BARRY WEINSTEIN On 08-30-95

Browse by categories