Fish

[brigid]

I'm a pretty decent cook (and baker) but have no experience with fish other than "buy fish frozen, cook according to directions" or "open can of tuna, mix with mayo etc."

Do you have any helpful fish tips, advice, or instruction? Any favorite fish recipes, the simpler the better?

Comments

[norabombay]

I'm a big fan of shrimp. Which oddly, you should buy frozen - they will be fresher.

Defrost.

Toss in a vat of boiling water with spices, a lemon etc. With shell on, cook 4 minutes. Will be perfect.

Or toss in a pan with butter and/or oil. Cook until pink and the texture has changed- about the same time period.

They are easy enough to break into small portions, so you can try different approaches without spending a fortune.

For fish? I've had good luck just baking it.

[zana16]

This is the only fish dish I know, and I kind of made it up so it's not really an exact science:

Chop an onion. Chop a fennel bulb into thin strips. Put in a baking pan with olive oil on the bottom. Lay a fillet or two of tilapia on top. Pour some lemon juice over the tilapia, then put herbs and/or spices on top along with some ground pepper. Bake at somewhere between 350-400 degrees for ten or fifteen minutes, until done.

I like it a lot, and 50% of the (two) people I've served it to have liked it. :)

Oh! And I know how to broil salmon. Turn on the broiler, rub olive oil and maybe soy sauce over the top of the salmon with some herbs (I'm sure there are better marinades, but I can't afford salmon often enough to know, yet), and cook for 5 to 7 minutes. Very quick and easy!

[ilyena_sylph]

Most of my fish recipes involve beer batter (one cup flour, one cup beer, one egg, one teaspoon of paprika & one of salt, an eighth to a fourth of a cup of cooking oil, mixed well), fresh fish fillets, and enough hot oil to fry them in... *grins wryly* Missouri country girl, here.

Or they're the kind of complicated that baking a whole king salmon is.

Wish I could help more.

[ar]

Speak of the devil! A couple days ago, I found what looks like a really great blog on fish--it's written by someone who apparently teaches cooking classes and stuff, and it covers specific kinds of fish, how to buy, how to cook, everything. I haven't had a chance to use my newfound knowledge yet, because I currently don't have my own apartment, so I'll have to live vicariously through internets strangers. ^_- Enjoy!

[rydra_wong]

My ridiculously easy sort-of-poached salmon:

http://boilingwater.dreamwidth.org/8289.html

A lot of fish can be cooked nicely by wrapping it in tinfoil (like a little parcel) and baking it; the tinfoil keeps it moist.

Flattish fillets of fish can be pan-fried quickly in a little olive oil or butter.

How do you feel about raw fish? If you're okay with it and have a good source of very fresh fish, it can be a lovely lazy option.

I do a summer salad with raw salmon, mango, diced onion, a bit of vinegar, and a sprinkling of coarse sea salt.

[zebee]

One I like involves marmalade....

Either
1/2 cup orange marmalade and a tablespoon of grated ginger (or a teaspoon of dried ginger)
or
1/2 cup ginger marmalade

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon vinegar
1kg (2lb or so) of white fish.

combine marmalade, ginger, mustard and vinegar. Put 'em in a small bowl and mix 'em into a paste.

spread some of this onto the fish, and grill (broil) 5 min or until the fish flakes off easily with a fork. Don't over sauce, you want to see lots of fish between sauce bits.

Serve with steamed greens (a min or so covered in the microwave is worth a try) and the rest of the sauce in a bowl to season the greens with to taste.

You might want some rice or other grains too.

(of course I have no idea how easy marmalade is to get where you are!)

[lassarina]

Salmon! It's pretty awesome because if you get really good salmon it won't be horrifying if you don't quite cook it 100% (unless you are at higher risk for foodborne illness in which case IGNORE THAT.)

What you need:

--A broiler (and broiler pan)

1 lb salmon, cut into filets

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
pinch pepper
2 cloves garlic minced
1 tsp rosemary (better if fresh! In which case you use more; double or triple, depending on how much you like it.)

Mix up all the stuff that's not salmon. Spread it generously on the salmon. (A pastry brush is awesome for this, and they sell kickass silicone ones now that are dead easy to clean.) Put the salmon 4 inches from the heat of your broiler and leave it there for 4-6 minutes per inch of thickness. Eat.

(Alternatively, put salmon on a double thickness of aluminum foil, put on marinade as above and add a little bit of butter, some sliced onion, and sliced tomato if you like it. Fold the foil up into a packet. Put it under the broiler for about the same amount of time as above. It gets all steamy and tasty.)

[mercredigirl]

A general steamer solves all woes, I think. :P

Seriously, any kind of fish, my family we buy it frozen, let it thaw, and steam it (with butter and tomatoes, mostly).