On Cooking Fish

Cooking fish is perhaps one of my favorite things to do. As a chef, with around 20 years of experience in the seafood restaurant business, I have had the luck to work with hundreds of varieties of, and many many different ways of cooking fish.

Every day cooking fish is exciting for me, as I never know what I will find in the markets or the docks, and never know what I will do with what I find. Whether it is create a new dish with roasted halibut, or make a tequila, cilantro, lime, and pomegranate sauce for a grilled sockeye salmon, or even just a fish and chips with cod, every new day is an adventure. Cooking fish is an adventure!

Cooking Fish Like a Chef

It doesn’t matter if you have very little experience in the kitchen, or have been cooking for many years. There is always a different way cooking fish. The flavors you can combine are endless. The presentation is only limited by your imagination. Just a little knowledge will be all you need to get started making seafood masterpieces that will rival a chef’s.

Grilling fish is a great way to cook meaty fishes, especially during the summer months. Cooking a hearty, yet light piece of salmon or swordfish on an outside grill with a cold beverage is pure bliss. Whether you are cooking fish over an open flame, electric grill, or plancha, the outcome will be amazing.

Poaching fish is another way of cooking fish and bring out flavors, and also add aroma from the liquid used, such as a court-bouillion.

Baking fish is a very popular way to cook fish, especially during the colder months. Using a little bit of liquid and or fat, and other ingredients, you can have a wonderful piece of fish that will not only warm the house but the body as well. Cooking fish in the oven is a a great and quick way to prepare a meal.

Roasting is pretty much the same as baking, but generally at a higher temperature.

Frying is another great way for cooking fish, not only in the summer, but all year round. Changing the subtle flavors of the batter, while keeping the moisture of the fish sealed inside, and a bit of sour from a lemon and tartar sauce, this is surely one of the most popular ways used for cooking fish.

Sauteing, Searing, and Pan Roasting involve cooking fish in a pan over medium to high heat. One of the great benefits of this type of cooking is not only making a nice crispy outside and soft center, but also using the drippings in the pan to make a sauce with a hint of flavor from what you just cooked.

These are just the most common ways for cooking fish. As you learn more and more, don’t be afraid to get creative, and perhaps even discover new techniques of cooking.

Cooking Fish in Your Home

Don’t let the above methods of cooking fish sound out of bounds for you. Cooking fish in your own home is just as easy as in a restaurant kitchen. The only real difference being you probably do not have as many ingredients or other foods available on hand. Most household kitchens have a stove and an oven. Right there, you are good to grill, poach, bake, roast, and saute. You can even fry, but getting a household fryolator would be a good and inexpensive addition to your home. That would cover all the methods above, and you can be cooking fish any time you want.