Health & Wellness How Do I Cook Fish

Pan frying is probably the most popular way to prepare fish. Suitable for all types of fish, here are some tips for perfectly pan-fried fish fillets:

• Pre-heat the pan to medium-hot before adding a mixture of oil and butter to coat the bottom of the pan. For those on a fat-reduced regimen, use a low fat cooking liquid or a little olive oil.
• Add the fish, skin side down, only when the butter foam has subsided under medium heat.
• Leave the fillets undisturbed for 2-3 minutes to develop a nice crust then turn and cook until the fillets are almost opaque; remove from stove and let the residual heat finish the cooking of the fish. Thick fillets will need 5-6 minutes on the first side.
• Do not crowd the pan with fish fillets or they will steam instead of pan-frying; rather pan-fry the fillets in batches.
• Add finely chopped fresh herbs and seasonings towards the end of the cooking time.

Baked fish is also very popular because it is such an easy way to prepare fish. Whole fish can be stuffed and baked; fillets, steaks and medallions can be layered with other ingredients and sauces can be incorporated into a recipe dish. Great for all types of fish, here are some tips for baking fish:

• Grease the baking dish with butter or oil before placing the fish and other ingredients in the dish so that nothing sticks to the dish. For those on a fat-reduced regimen, use a low fat cooking liquid or a little olive oil.
• 180ºC is always a 'safe' choice if you are not sure at what temperature the fish should be baked.
• Cover the dish with foil to prevent the fish drying out.
• Remove the foil 10 minutes before the end of the cooking time to enable browning in the oven. Or, remove the foil 5 minutes before the end of the cooking time and finish off browning under the grill.

There is nothing more delicious and indulgent than beautifully battered succulent fish deep fried served with crunchy chips on a Friday night, when the week is done! Its not difficult to deep fry fish; perfect for white fish, here are some tips for deep-frying fish fillets:

• Deep-fried fish must be coated or protected during cooking. If not, the juices may run out, leaving the fish dry.
• The principle of coating is that the fish is first dusted with flour which absorbs the surface moisture so that coatings will stick properly.
• If using breadcrumbs, after flouring, dip the fish into beaten egg, then coat in breadcrumbs. Chill for an hour before deep-frying.
• If using a batter, after flouring, dip the fish in batter and allow any excess to drip off before deep-frying.
• Fish that is deep-fried is completely immersed in oil at a temperature of 190ºC.
• Test the oils temperature by dropping a cube of bread into the oil. The temperature is correct if the cube comes immediately to the surface and browns within one minute.
• Never overload the oil by putting in too many pieces at once or they will become soggy.
• A coated fish fillet will take 4-6 minutes to cook, depending upon its thickness.

Poaching is a moist and healthy method of cooking fish and is suited to those who require a very digestible way of eating fish and who want to benefit from the essence of the goodness of fish. Poaching fish needs extra attention in terms of making poached fish not only healthy, but delicious to eat too. Some explanation and tips for poaching fish fillets are:

• Essentially, poaching means immersing and cooking food in a liquid.
• The liquid should be aromatically flavoured with herbs and/or vegetables and other seasonings – this liquid is called a court bouillon and is a French term that means "short boil".
• The court bouillon should not be allowed to boil once the fish has been lowered into it, or the fish will break up; the liquid should barely simmer.
• See How to tell if fish is cooked above to determine if the fish is cooked through.

Grilling or braaing sturdy and fatter oily fish, such as salmon and tuna, makes for a memorable treat! Remember too that oily fish takes on robust flavourings such as tarragon, rosemary, garlic, olive oil, tomatoes and fennel.

Tips for grilled or braaied oily fish include:

• Make sure your grill is very clean and oil it lightly before adding the fish.
• Prepare your fish and once the grill is hot, place the fish fillets or steaks skin side down on the grill. Then leave them alone for 3-4 minutes. Let them develop a nice crust before turning. Then watch the reverse side cook until they are opaque to the top and the fillet is done.
• Another tip is to remove the fillets from the grill just before they become opaque all the way through – and let them finish cooking in their own residual heat.
• To prevent fish from drying out, frequently brush with a basting sauce during cooking (grilling or braaing).
• Like meat, oily fish needs to settle or rest for a minute or two before serving so that the juices are evenly distributed and the result will be succulent.

Steaming is a very healthy method of cooking fish and one which is very simple. Steaming is probably the blandest method of cooking fish and therefore healthy, complementary ingredients should be used to ensure that the best flavour is brought out of the fish.

• A bamboo steamer is a great investment if you like this method of cooking fish.
• To steam fish, place water and seasoning ingredients (everything from lemons to ginger will work) in the steamer.
• Bring the liquid to a simmer, place the fish in the steamer, do not let the liquid boil and cook until the required degree of doneness is reached. See How to tell if fish is cooked above to determine if the fish is cooked through.

The microwave cooking of fish is a quick and easy cooking option that retains the succulence of fish as long as the recipe is followed accurately. As microwave ovens vary so much, it is difficult to offer tips and hints for this method of cooking. However, we would point out that:

• Microwave ovens require that portions being cooked are even in size. Therefore, with fish fillets where there is a tail-end, this would be tucked under the fillet to create more of a thicker fish fillet.
• Allowance should be made in terms of cooking times when it comes to the temperature: of foods to be cooked: the colder the food, the longer it will take to cook.
• The greater or lesser the quantity of food placed in the microwave the more or less time it will take to cook these foods.

Essentialy en papillote is French for "in paper". Cooking fish fillets, steaks or medallions en papillote retains as much goodness and flavour as does steaming, microwaving or poaching and may well produce a superior flavour.

How to cook en papillote

Place the fish fillets on a large sheet of baking paper or parchment. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with your chosen herbs and add any other ingredients you fancy, such as thinly sliced red onion, tomato or sweet pepper. Bring together and fold over the horizontal sides towards each other, then tuck the left and right sides under each other to make a parcel. Bake in a pre-heated hot oven, 200º C for 15-20 minutes.

Its really easy to place fish on paper, add lovely ingredients on top, then fold up the paper to a parcel and bake in the oven! Opening up the parcel after cooking will reveal a steaming medley of the finest tasting fish ever!