Recent Articles

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.