Best way to cook fish?
 

I'm on spring break and my family is in D.C, so I decided to give cooking a try. Actually, that's a lie. This girl that I'm kinda sort of in love with is coming over and I wanna become a master chef. ;)

Anyway, I would love some input, as I have no idea what I'm doing.

Got a kitchen exhaust fan or can you cook outdoors in any way? If so, blackened fish. Orange roughy stands this treatment to excellent effect, but any particularly firm-fleshed fillets can do.

But the method is exceedingly smoky so you need an efficient way to keep the kitchen clear and not set the smoke alarm off. The cast-iron frying pan is heated so much it stops smoking (it'll smoke again (a lot) when the fish fillets go in) and shows white ash on its bottom, and the cooking time is quite brief -- about a minute or two on a side. Paul Prudhomme's blackened fish seasoning mix recipe is about the only one worth using: every other one I've tried is the sorriest of pale imitations. Use the stuff Louisianans like, not the wimp-mixes. Don't be afraid to try revving an unsatisfactory mix with some cayenne. You literally can't get the seasoning mix or the skillet too hot for this one.

The fillets get brushed or dipped in melted butter (not margarine!) and hand-sprinkled with the blackened-fish seasoning first on the first side to cook, then while the first side is cooking upon the top side, a quick sear either side, then out onto a plate where they may be kept warm until serving. You sort of need an assembly line setup to prevent fumbles.

The dish is zippy enough to go with a zinfandel or a lightbodied red wine, but you may prefer a robust beer instead. For vegetables, a green salad, and slices of robust-flavored wholegrain bread and butter. Simple, powerful, macho, and thoughtful too.

A rundown on the technique -- read this first.

Paul Prudhomme's Blackened Redfish

The seasoning mix, with both paprika and cayenne -- you may prefer this mix instead of the milder one above. For a given value of "mild..." :D

just broil them.

:yum: blackened salmon.

Can't fail to impress with a French method: en papillote.
Look for "parchment" paper at the grocery store.

• It can be prepped ahead of time (keep refrigerated)
• It's easy to clean up
• It's very tasty and can be made very healthy, depending on how much oil/butter & salt you choose to use
• It gets your veggies and fish in one dish -- serve with lovely crusty bread to sop up the juices

Serve each pouch piping hot from the oven on plates, and let your guest rip into it, releasing the wonderful aromatic vapors just before eating.

...And, best of all, It's French!

A George Foreman grill or such device cooks salmon PERFECTLY.

With enough booze, frozen fishsticks will do. :haha:

Um, Brucie? He's trying to impress her, not just get her drunk enough to have his evil way with her... :rolleyes:

(Right, 'pollo?)

Sorry Pie, "I wanna become a master chef" is secret guy code. :p

..but if she's still impressed the next day, perhaps she'll come back for seconds? Maybe?

My secret for fish is don't sweat about the cooking--just pop them in a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes. The real key is to drizzle them in a really tasty sauce before putting them in the oven. It's all about the flavors, not whether the texture of the fish is just so.

My favorite go-to sauce at the moment (this is plenty for two filets plus some extra sauce for the veggies, because it's really that good: )

1/4 cup grey poupon (yes, other dijon mustards will work, but they are not as good.)
1/4 cup honey
1 TBS lemon juice
1/2 tsp. mustard powder
1/2 tsp. dill
1/2 clove garlic (I get mine pre-minced in a jar, so that's not a difficult measurement. You could convert to garlic powder instead if you want, but you'd have to look up how much to use, I don't know.)

Don't forget to spray the baking dish with cooking spray.

What type of fish? broiling works pretty well for most fish filets -make a made-to-measure "dish" to keep the juices in so it doesn't dry out. Takes about 15 miutes. Use a touch of black pepper and a squeeze of fresh lemon to get fancy.

I'm not a fish cooking expert, but this line made me laugh! "Secret guy code," eh?

Find yourself a good cookbook and follow a recipe. Or, that en papillote is easy, too, and parchment paper is pretty easy to find these days. Don't overcook it.

The secret to appearing to be a master chef is doing the recipe twice. The first time, you just do it to try it, to see where the dish can go wrong.

I've been burned trying to do a new recipe for pot luck and whatnot. First time out there is a much greater chance of a muff. The onions are cut too thin and they turn to mush. The spatula you have isn't thin enough to turn the dish without mashing it. The recipe adds too much cinnamon. You just never know until you have a go at it.

ooh, very good tip!

Really? Is that how it works over there? :P

Soak fish in buttermilk.
Heat lard in deep cast iron skillet.
Toss fish in corn meal.
Fry

Hahaha you guys are awesome! Thanks for all your input! I'm going to take Undertoad's advice and try out some test recipes before the big day.

And it's true, "master chef" is guy code. Don't tell anyone...

Poach in 7-Up.

No, really.

Adding that one to the list.

I saw this episode of Good Eats and have it on the list to try out.

Smoked salmon

The most important thing with fish is to make sure your product is fresh, and never never ever overcook it. In fact, if you're using salmon or tuna steaks, rare is best, but make sure they're room temp before you put them on the grill or you'll end up with hot outside and cold inside.

Besides that, the best thing is to think of the flavours you like (and/or think she might like) and use them when you grill the fish. You can never go wrong with a nice garlic butter sauce with a splash of white wine over white flesh fish. Try lemon and corriander (cilantro) with salmon or a marinade of soy sauce and mayo for tuna steaks.

Those are my favs for fish, but the possibilities really are endless.

The best way to cook it is with the skin on.

wrapped in banana leaves

you should be able to score some leaves in Portland

(maybe some buds, too...)

Double-check that she's not vegan or vegetarian. Fish is kind of a risky option in Ptown, at least with the kids I know there.

Dishwasher. Really.
 

If it is a good sturdy type fillet, try cutting it up into little chunks and pan frying it in some butter and garlic. Then, take some fresh corn tortillas and heat them in some oil (olive oil works.) chop up some avocado, onions, tomatoes and cilantro. Throw the fish pieces in the tortillas, top with the chopped up veggies. Make a sauce by mixing some paprika and ranch sauce and pour into each tortilla or serve on the side. Voila, fish tacos. :) I haven't actually tried this, but we just inherited a massive amount of striped bass from my father's recent fishing trip and I plan on trying that this weekend. It seems like the closest thing to my all time favorite fish tacos, served at Tequila's in Golden. (You know it, HLJ.)

Case, instead of ranch dressing, try sour cream. Throw some lime juice on the fish, and add a ltitle diced up cabbage for texture. Yummy!

Phyllo-wrapped Halibut. Very easy. Very awesome. Very impressive.

Good luck!

I love using any sweet/ mild white fish - like barramundi or bream - and wrapping it up in aluminum foil (like a baggie) and add into the bag anything you want to make it super tasty.

i.e wrap up the fillett with lemon wedges, dill, a little mild chilli flakes, butter and lime. then seal the baggie and bake for 20 mins or so on about 180degrees - check to see its all cooked.

Whatever you do - dont leave the head on. GROSS. This could freak her out, not impress her!

hello all,
I think it will depend on the type of fish and what else you want to serve with it. Some fish like the white fish---halibut and sole are quite delicate and I like to bake them.

The amount of time to cook it is related to the thickness of the fish. I find for a nice halibut fillet, 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees; you can use a toaster oven too. Then I would serve it with some nice rice dish and some green veggie.

great way to help your day

Jill, I crossposted that to the Recipe Thread. Thanks!

You're welcome. I didn't know there was a recipe thread -- I'll definitely have to check it out!

So Apollo, what did you make and how did she like it? Don't keep us hanging!

350 degrees at 10 minutes. No wonder mine was always undercooked. Does this apply to northern pike as well. I like halibut but have allot of northern pike in the fridge that I plan to eat this week :)

I like fish cooked this way.

What? With the scales still on? Don't they get stuck in your teeth?

fish?

I like that stabby thing in the box for the chips. I've never seen those here. I have to say though, we usually don't just each one chip at a time, so probably wouldn't use them even if we had them, but they'd be handy for midgets like Max so he could blow on his chippy to get it cool enough to eat.

chips?

Ali is sayin she likes some wood to go with her fish. For stabbin.


wink wink nudge nudge? knowwhutimean?

oh, yeah. that I get.

Yeah, we don't get served a bit of wood with our fish and chips here. If you want a bit of wood, generally people expect you to prepare your own at home.

Chip fork.
Only way to eat fish & chips as a take-away (as opposed to take-home).

Also helpful with just chips, so you can eat them walking along without getting your hands salty & vinegary.

I hadn't noticed the stabby thing. Kinda like a wooden spork.

monster hates chip forks.

monster used to work in a chippy.

monster was a soundbite on BBC radio saying "Salt and Vinegar?"

Radio doesn't come with a rack.

monster does ;)

Best fish I've made in a long time.