recipe request

[fflo]

Who can tell me how to cook fish---simply (very simply) (I'm simple about this stuff)? And how/where to buy it and how to pick it out (is it true that as long as it doesn't smell it's okay?)?

Comments

smelly fish

[masculine-lady.livejournal.com]

being vegan and all, I may not have the best advice about fish, so you can take it or leave it. :)
But, for the most part, I hear it is true that if fish smells don't buy it. It's usually best to buy it before Wednesday too, I hear, as that is when it will be freshest.
For simple cooking, it depends on the fish. Tuna steak can be cooked just like a regular steak (5-7 minutes on each side on the grill for medium). If you are breading and frying a piece of fish (whitefish, cod, pickerel, smelt, catfish are all good this way), you can cook it similarly to any other meat that you would bread and fry-only slightly less aggressively if that makes sense.
That's all I got for fish, fflo. Hope it helps.

Re: smelly fish

[fflo.livejournal.com]

Thanks, C! Especially nice for a vegan to be my enabler . . .

[wednes.livejournal.com]

Cristy is correct in saying that fish should not ever have a fishy smell. In whole fish, the eyes should be clear and the flesh firm. The fishmonger (hee hee) should be willing to let you smell the fish, if not: beware. S/he should also know where the fish was harvested, how fresh it is, and if it has been previously frozen.

I find that the easiest (read: hardest to fuck up) ways to cook fish include poaching and baking. Baked fish can be marinated simply (oil, lemon juice and herbs are fine) which will keep it moist should you overcook it. Baking is great for cod, tilapia, perch or trout. Cool until fish is opaque and flakes easily with a fork.

Poaching can also be done in the oven, but takes less time on the stovetop. I poach salmon with a bit of white wine or chicken stock, water, lemon and herbs. Bring liquid to a boil (about 1/2 -3/4 up the side of the salmon and slap a lid on it. Turn the heat off and let it hang out until it cooks thru--with salmon the color will tell you when its done.

Of course, I'd be happy to go fish shopping with you and hang around to help you cook it. Alton Brown also knows a ton about fish (and all cooking, really) so I'll tape him for ya if they replay any of his fish shows.

Re: smelly fish

[masculine-lady.livejournal.com]

glad to accommodate! I love to enable people, especially since I have so few vices myself these days {sigh}...

i am a fish lover

[vachementmoi.livejournal.com]

we eat quite a lot of fish here in my house. mainly i poach it in what here is called 'court bouillon'. it's basically a white wine vegetable broth (but i buy mine in cubes, like chicken bouillon...i'm not sure if it's available there). particularly salmon or trout. otherwise, i do what is called 'en papillote', which basically means that you take each piece of fish and you put it onto a piece of aluminum foil big enough to wrap around the piece of fish. then you drizzle on a bit of white wine, salt, pepper, lemon, parsley, and whatever other kind of herbs suit your fancy. then you wrap up each packet, pop it in the oven (or onto the grill) for a bit, take it out, and give each guest their own packet. this is my favorite way to do it because it's more versatile than the poaching. if i poach i serve with rice and a bechamel sauce, since poaching doesn't give a lot of flavor. also brocolli. if i do the papillote thing, i serve with rice, usually done a la pilaf (my own) with similar herbs and things i've put into the fish, and then a green vegetable.

and it's true what everyone else has said about the fish being fresh. i don't know about the day of the week, but whatever. there must be a recommended fish market somewhere in ann arbor. i tend to shy away (in the states) from buying fish in the supermarket.

[sprig5.livejournal.com]

damn. i wanna eat at vachmentmoi's house!

Re: i am a fish lover--I used to only eat fish meat

[maffick.livejournal.com]

M's baking way is the way I usually do it. Although to add a few other possibilities and instructions: I also like to bake them individually in foil with butter (which no one seems to have suggsted) and lemon and dill--I think that this is extremely yummy. And as for heating the oven, I set it for 325 or 350 and bake it for about a half hour. Then I check to see if it is cooked and flaky. If it's not, then I leave it in for a little while more.

[fflo.livejournal.com]

Thanks, girl! I used to watch that Alton Brown now & then when we had cable in Georgia (and the last year in Kansas). We liked his egg show.

I think I find fish intimidating cuz it's sort of expensive and mysterious and I don't want to fuck it up and waste the money. And have a lousy dinner.

One of these evenings let's coordinate for fish cooking!

Re: i am a fish lover

[fflo.livejournal.com]

Thanks, M! Sounds delish, all 'round. I can even manage a bechamel sauce. Fileting the fish is another thing...

[groovesinorbit]

Me, too. Let's go!

[wednes.livejournal.com]

Kick ass!

Eating at Vachmentmoi's--it's all it's cracked up to be and more!

[maffick.livejournal.com]

I have eaten at vachmentmoi's house, and let me tell you that it was a meal that I shall never forget :)

Re: Eating at Vachmentmoi's--it's all it's cracked up to be and more!

[fflo.livejournal.com]

Do tell!

Re: Eating at Vachmentmoi's--it's all it's cracked up to be and more!

[maffick.livejournal.com]

Well, we had a lovely Mediterranean salad. Then, we had fresh mussels and champagne pasta with a fine white wine....mmmmm. Delectable.

Re: Eating at Vachmentmoi's--it's all it's cracked up to be and more!

[fflo.livejournal.com]

Mmmmmm.