The Secrets of Cooking Fish

There are plenty of different ways of cooking fish and it is fun to try different methods. Depending on whether you are using a whole fish, steaks of fillets, you might like to try braising, deep or shallow frying, steaming or even cooking the fish on a wood fish board. Stuffed fish tastes delicious and adds texture.

Round fish are the best for stuffing because the body cavity is larger. Most stuffing is made from breadcrumbs, which expand when they cook, so do not use too much. If you are using sea bass, a parsley and walnut pesto makes a great stuffing. If you have fillets, you can sandwich them with stuffing or roll them, then oven-bake them.

More Ways of Fish Cooking Steaming is a good, easy way to cook fillets, whole fish, and steaks. You need to put the fish in the steamer over boiling water and have a tight-fitting lid on it. Poaching is another healthy way of cooking it, in which you add seasoning, cream or another thickener and herbs.

This gives you a sauce to serve with the fish. Roasting or oven baking is great for fillets or whole fish. You need to use an ovenproof dish and can add some butter or oil, herbs, seasoning and white wine.

To get very moist and tender flesh, you can cook fish "en papillote", which means you place the fish in sealed foil or paper, so it cooks in its own steam. You can add white whine, lemon or limejuice and fresh herbs to the parcel before cooking. You can also braise fish in the oven, by placing it on top of sauted vegetables in an ovenproof dish, adding bouillon and white wine, covering the dish with a lid and cooking for approximately 20 minutes.

If you are using fillets or small, whole fish, grilling is another cooking method. If your fish are whole, make a few slashes through the skin on each side of the fish and brush it with olive oil or melted mutter. Turn the fish halfway through cooking and baste it if you want. You can also wrap the fish in foil with herbs, lemon juice, and olive oil before placing it on the grill.

Some fish can be cooked without being heated. Ceviche is an example of this, when you soak white fish, such as sole, flounder, scallops, or snapper, in limejuice, chili, and herbs. The acid in the citrus juice cooks the fish. Wood Board for Cooking Fish This is another great method for cooking fish.

You can use just about any kind of wood to cook fish on, as long as it is untreated and pest-free. The wood must be completely waterlogged before cooking, to ensure the wood generates enough steam and smoke to cook the fish, so it needs to be soaked for at least an hour beforehand. Cedar is a common wood for fish boards but you can also use alder, maple, cherry, apple, or oak. A wood fish board is for one use only and you can get one from a specialty food store or online.

To stop the fish sticking to the board, brush the fish with oil first on one side. You will not need to flip the fish during cooking because it cooks indirectly. Season the fish and place it on the fish board, which you then put on the grill.

Make sure you are using a low fire so as not to ignite the board and baste the fish during cooking with anything non-flammable. Using a wood fish board to cook the fish results in a wonderful flavor. The wood will smolder, making the fish deliciously smoky. In addition, since you only use the board once, it really cuts down on washing up!.

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