Tips for Cooking Fresh Fish

1. The most important consideration when cooking fresh fish, they say, is using the freshest possible product. Fresh fish should have the aroma of an ocean breeze, a fresh sea smell - not the odor of stagnant bayside shallows or any hint of that “fishy” ammonia smell that should warn you away from suspect fish counters. If you can’t find truly fresh fish, sold ideally within two (or a few) days of catch, then look for fish that was frozen at sea. It is best, too, to cook fresh fish within one day and no more than two days after purchase. Take it home directly to the refrigerator.
2. Many recipes call for sprinkling salt on fish, along with other seasonings, before cooking. When fish is cooked quickly you may not notice any difference, but it’s best to wait and add salt after the fish is cooked, they agree. Salt draws moisture from foods, Pernot explained, and that’s the last thing you want to do to fish. Add the required seasonings, spices, marinade, whatever, and prepare the dish. Then finish it with a light sprinkling of sea salt or other sodium crystals now available in many hues and flavor nuances.
3. Fish is naturally tender, with very little connective tissue. Thus, fish is best cooked quickly at high temperature, the chefs say. That is why grilling and sauteing are so often the cooking methods of choice. Steaming is a safe option because the temperature is controlled and the moisture level maintained.
4. While the standard instruction for years has been to cook fresh fish based on its thickness, 10 minutes per inch or until “flaky,” today’s fish connoisseurs are apt to view that guideline as a measure of overcooking. Those more accustomed to eating fish, especially in fine-dining restaurants, tend to develop a taste for what by the old standards is slightly underdone fish, less dry and flaky, and slightly translucent at the center - the equivalent of medium to medium-rare in meats versus what has typically been well-done. This is especially true of fattier fish such as salmon and tuna. To better control cooking conditions and assess doneness, the chefs recommend not using large portions or pieces more than 1 inch thick. Try to keep portions uniform and geared to individual servings. Another visual clue to doneness is tiny beads of white liquid along the edges of fish that warn of moisture loss and overcooking.
5. As with beef and other meats, touch is a measure of doneness. A squishy, Jell-O-like response to gentle pressure means the fish is way undercooked. For medium doneness, Goodwin says, the flesh should be slightly resistant but “springy,” resuming its level when pressure is released.
6. Broiling, with the fish positioned 3 to 4 inches from a preheated heat source, is an indoor alternative to grilling. Brush fillets or steak cuts with melted butter and seasoning and place in a single layer on a nonstick or well-greased broiler pan.
7. Microwave baking, which cooks from the inside out, is another option. Combine this with steam in the confined environs of a covered dish and fish cooks perfectly, typically in 6 to 8 minutes, on high power. Allow 2 minutes for heat and juices to even out before serving.
8. For open baking of fresh or thawed fish in a 450-degree oven, use the 10-minute-per-inch guideline but start checking for desired doneness using visual clues and/or the touch test starting a minute or two before the estimated “done” time. Use a basting sauce, dry white wine, or plain lemon juice to moisten the fish and counter possible fish odors.

Comments

• 
  

• Tip of the Month

  June 2010

  Abdominal Workouts: Frequency, Intensity, and Duration

  Over the past 15 years, there has been countless advice on how to “properly” train your abdominals, or core.  There isn’t a fitness magazine out there that doesn’t publish a different abdominal workout each and every issue.  Opinions and research may change over time, but there are a few things you should look at before you alter your workout with each Fitness Magazine you read!
  First of all, it is important to know what your overall fitness and health goal is before designing a strength program for any body part, especially the mid-section.  For overall fitness, it is smartest to treat your abdominal muscles as you would any other muscle group.  The tried and true guidelines for most exercise programs is to work specific muscles to fatigue within a 30-60 second set time limit (intensity and duration,) while giving the worked muscle group at least 24-48 hours of rest (frequency) before working it again.  The amount of sets you do in a given workout (frequency again) can vary from as little as 4 sets to up to 12 for the average workout.  The science behind these theories is sound.  While exercising, pushing your body significantly past the 60 second mark without fatigue generally incorporates aerobic energy, thereby not stressing the muscles most efficiently.  And rest is necessary so that your body can properly rebuild the muscle fibers that you have broken down.  Additionally, you want to be at 100% energy levels for your next workout!

  click here for more »

  click here to read past tips

• Recipe of the Month

  June 2010

  Ham and Cheese Breakfast Casserole

  This healthy update of a traditionally rich ham-and-cheese breakfast strata is made lighter primarily by losing a few egg yolks and using nonfat milk. Gruyère cheese has a delicious, nutty aroma and flavor, which means that with the relatively small amount in this recipe you still get a big impact. To finish the makeover use nutritious, fiber-rich, whole-grain bread instead of white. The results: plenty of flavor, half the calories and one-third the fat of the original.

  4 large eggs
  4 large egg whites
  1 cup nonfat milk
  2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
  1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  5 cups chopped spinach, wilted (see Tip)
  4 cups whole-grain bread, crusts removed if desired, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 1/2 pound, 4-6 slices)
  1 cup diced ham steak, (5 ounces)
  1/2 cup chopped jarred roasted red peppers
  3/4 cup shredded Gruyère, or Swiss cheese
  click here for more »