Crispy Restaurant Style Sauteed White Fish Fillets | Homemade Process

JD

October 04, 2019

0

tasty-fish-recipe, tasty-food-recipe

Sautéed fish fillets seem simple, but in reality they are rarely executed well. Attempts often result in dry, overcooked fillets, especially with thinner cuts. Yet sautéing adds a delicate, crispy texture and flavor to fish
fillets that you can’t get with other techniques. The trick to our method was to brown the fillets undisturbed on the first side, in the fat and with assertive heat, until the edges and a thin border turned opaque, resisting
the temptation to check doneness constantly. (All that activity can cool down the food, meaning the fish won’t brown and will be more likely to stick to the pan.) Thickness determines in part how long fillets must
cook. This recipe gives cooking times for both thin and thick fillets. Do not use fillets thinner than ¼ inch, as they will overcook very quickly. These fish fillets can also be served with Grapefruit and Basil Relish, Cherry
Tomato Salsa, Salsa Verde, or one of the savory compound butters on this blog.

Serves: 4
Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

½ cup all-purpose flour
4 (6-ounce) skinless thick white fish fillets, ½ to 1 inch thick, or 8 (3-ounce) skinless thin white
fish fillets, ¼ to ½ inch thick
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Lemon wedges

Cooking Procedure

1. Place flour shallow dish. Pat fish dry with paper towels. Season both sides of each fillet with salt and pepper; let stand until fillets are glistening with moisture, about 5 minutes. If using any tail-end fillets, tuck thin, tapered end under to create even thickness. Coat both sides of fillets with flour, shake off excess, and place in single layer on baking sheet.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until shimmering. Place half of fillets in skillet in single layer and immediately reduce heat to medium-high.
3. FOR THICK FILLETS Cook, without moving fish, until edges of fillets are opaque and bottoms are golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Using 2 spatulas, gently flip fillets. Cook on second side until thickest part of fillets is firm to touch and fish flakes easily, 2 to 3 minutes.
4. FOR THIN FILLETS Cook, without moving fish, until edges of fillets are opaque and bottoms are lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Using 2 spatulas, gently flip fillets. Cook on second side until thickest part of fillets is firm to touch and fish flakes easily, 30 to 60 seconds.
5. Transfer fillets to serving platter and tent with aluminum foil. Repeat steps 2 and 3 with remaining 1 tablespoon oil and remaining fillets.
6. Place second batch of fillets on platter with first batch; tilt platter to discard any accumulated liquid. Serve fish immediately with lemon wedges.

ONE FISH, TWO FISH, WHAT IS WHITE FISH?

White fish is a marketing term that encompasses many species of deepwater saltwater fish, all of which are mild-flavored and whitefleshed. It’s a big group (sometimes lumped together under the label “scrod”) that includes cod, flounder, grouper, haddock, hake, halibut, pollack, sole, and many others. The term “white fish” is often used to differentiate these species from oily fish, a designation that includes meatier, moister fish such as salmon, swordfish, and tuna. (Confusingly, “whitefish” is used for a second and entirely different

sort of freshwater fish—which we’re not referring to here—that is often smoked and used for whitefish salad at delis.)

Because of its flaky flesh, white fish can be tricky to cook. Here are some tips for keeping it from falling apart when cooking on the stovetop:

• Always use a nonstick skillet to keep the fish from sticking, and be sure to preheat it properly so that the oil is just shimmering before you add the fish to the pan.
• We recommend a two-spatula turning method, which supports the fillets as you flip them. We like slotted fish spatulas for this job. They have long, thin, pliable metal blades that can easily shimmy underneath delicate fillets. And these spatulas are good for way more than just fish; they’re actually our favorite all-purpose spatulas in the test kitchen.
• Overcooked fish is more likely to fall apart, so check the temperature of your fish at the start of the time range and immediately transfer the fish to plates once it’s done.

Oven-Roasted Fresh Salmon - Hotel Restaurant Style make your own at home

JD

October 04, 2019

0

tasty-fish-recipe, tasty-food-recipe

Oven roasting is a simple, hands-off way to tackle fish, which can be intimidating to inexperienced cooks. To get a browned exterior and perfectly cooked interior on salmon fillets, we used a method where we preheat the oven and a baking sheet to 500 degrees, then turn down the heat just before placing the fish on the sheet. The initial blast of high heat firms up the exterior of the fish, which then gently cooks as the temperature in the oven slowly drops. To ensure uniform pieces of fish, start with a whole center-cut fillet and cut it yourself. Cutting several slits in the skin helps the fat render. If your knife is not sharp enough to cut through and slash the skin easily, try a serrated knife. It’s important to keep the skin on the fillets during cooking; remove it afterward if you want.

Serves: 4
Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

1 (1¾- to 2-pound) skin-on salmon fillet, 1½ inches thick
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
Lemon wedges

Cooking Procedure

1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position, place rimmed baking sheet on rack, and heat oven to 500 degrees.
2. Meanwhile, cut salmon crosswise into 4 fillets. Make 4 or 5 shallow slashes, about 1 inch apart, on skin side of each fillet, being careful not to cut into flesh. Pat salmon dry with paper towels, rub with oil, and season with salt and pepper.
3. Reduce oven temperature to 275 degrees and remove baking sheet. Carefully place salmon, skin side down, on rimmed baking sheet. Roast until centers are still translucent when checked with tip of paring knife
and thermometer inserted into salmon registers 125 degrees (for medium-rare), 9 to 13 minutes. Transfer salmon to plates and serve with lemon wedges.

Cook with a twist | Oven-Roasted Salmon with Grapefruit and Basil Relish

Omit lemon wedges. Cut away peel and pith from 2 red grapefruit, then separate segments and cut into ½-inch pieces. Place grapefruit pieces in fine-mesh strainer set in a bowl and drain for 15 minutes. Pour off and discard all but 1 tablespoon grapefruit juice from bowl; whisk ½ minced small shallot, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, 2 teaspoons lemon juice, and 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil into juice in bowl. Stir in
grapefruit segments and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with salmon.

SHOPPING FOR SALMON

When you see the labels “Atlantic” and “Pacific” on salmon, you probably assume they refer to the places the fish were caught, but those names are a little misleading. Once upon a time, Atlantic salmon did originate in the Atlantic Ocean. But nowadays most Atlantic salmon sold in the United States is raised on farms in Norway, Scotland, Chile, and Canada. The fish called Pacific salmon—which includes sockeye, coho, and Chinook (also called king)—originated in the North Pacific Ocean. Most Pacific salmon sold in this country is still wild-caught in the American Northwest, British Columbia, and Alaska. Pacific salmon has a more assertive flavor and a lower fat content than farmed Atlantic salmon. With its naturally firmer flesh and lower fat content, wild Pacific salmon is better cooked to a slightly lower temperature than farmed Atlantic salmon (120 degrees versus 125 degrees) for the ideal tender, moist texture.