As I kid I thought that fish=frozen fish sticks or tuna noodle casserole. I hated fish. (I still hate tuna noodle casserole.) I did eat shrimp, but only fried, with extra cocktail sauce, thank you. I don't even know when I began trying it prepared different ways, but it was around the time of my undergraduate years. Then, I was fortunate enough to get a job at a well regarded seafood restaurant. I learned more and tried more there than I did in many of my classes.
I learned that:
- All fish are not created equal. Some have a stronger flavor but some are soooo mild. Tilapia and mahi are very mild. Salmon is very strong flavored (even when fresh it will have a distinctive smell and taste, see next bullet.)
- Fresh fish should NOT stink. If you think fish smells, you have not had good fish. (Other seafood does smell, mussels in particular.)
- The flavor of fish can change the longer you cook it. A well-done tuna steak will be grey (sooo appealing), and taste much like the canned junk. (Although I do have one recipe for the canned junk that makes it edible. Will post later, I promise.) If you leave it less cooked than medium, it will have a totally different flavor. You may like it, you may not. But I have seen many fish newbies take a bite of seared tuna with a red center and smile with surprise and delight.
- Many fish taste like chicken, only better. I know it is the golden child of nutritionists everywhere, but I hate chicken. Even if I weren't a vegetarian, I wouldn't eat it very often. A fresh fish filet like tilapia, grouper, mahi, etc can be prepared in many of the same ways chicken can, but will have more flavor and won't be tough or dry (if cooked properly.) In fact, if you think you don't like fish but you eat chicken, I dare you to try a good tilapia filet with your eyes closed. You'll probably think its the best poultry you ever ate. Again, you may not, but you never know until you try.
- Fish is not hard to prepare. My favorite way to cook it is to sear it in a hot pan then finish it in the oven. In other words, you get a pan nice and hot with a little oil. Then you plop in the fish. When it's a little brown on the bottom, flip it and brown the other side. But don't leave it too long and don't let it cook all the way. Then, you put the whole pan in the stove (make sure your pan is able to be in the oven...some will melt), until the fish is to the desired doneness. If you don't have a heat proof pan, you can delicately transfer the fish to an oiled baking sheet and use it. Now that I have a grill, I'm going to start grilling more fish using a similar principle. You can also bake it, broil it, or put it in a nice soup. Or, once in awhile, you can fry it. Have you had fried grouper sticks???? Yum!
- The taste/quality of your fish depend on where it came from and where you bought it. If you can, I would buy fish at a seafood market or specialty store like fresh market, earthfare or whole foods. Ask the fishmonger about the fish, where it comes from, what's in season, etc. You can request the cut you want and the size you want. You don't have to settle for what they have on display. And they often know some ways to prepare it or might have some tips about fish in general.
And what inspired all of this? What reminded me about the fishy business of fish preparation and consumption? I took a cooking class with an expert on the stuff. My friend sitting next to me shared that the fish we ate in the class was more than she had ever eaten and that she had no idea it tasted that good and could be prepared so easily. She even ate cured Salmon like a champ. She left inspired! And I hope you will feel the same now.
I thought about including a recipe here, but I'd rather not. Honestly, the manner of cooking a fish filet that I described earlier is my favorite preparation. You don't need any extra bam! or fancy ingredients. You can add a sauce if you like, but none is needed. I will, however, include a few recipes in the future. And stay tuned for a canned junk recipe. ;)
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