How to buy a whole fish
Sea bass is the best for whole-fish cooking. Also called a bronzini (bronch zino)
How to tell that it is fresh
- Fish should be whole and fresh.
- If you know your butcher, you can just ask for sushi-quality fish, but otherwise buy a whole fish.
- Eyes should be clear. Cloudy eyes indicate an older fish.
- Gills should be bright red.
- Fish should never smell fishy or like bleach.
- Flesh should be firm, not be mushy.
- If you are using meat from a large fish, you can tell it is fresh by the firmness and visual texture of the flesh.
- It should glisten.
- Go shopping with a cooler because it will degrade really quickly.
- Should have bulging, but clear eyes
- Scales should be close to the body – tight, not relaxed
- Fish body should have no bruises or soft spots
- Buy your fish at a market that does a big volume, otherwise you may get older fish
- Trust your fish vendor. Ask
– What is in season
– What do you have that is local
– Is this wild or farmed (Wild is better)
– What do you have that is line-caught - If you are buying squid, it should be shiny, have clear eyes, and the ink should not be dried
How to handle fish
- Cut off all fins (except the tail) early so you don’t stick yourself. A fish wound gets easily infected.
- Scale and clean fish immediately. Store fish on ice in a baggie, but allow it to drain. You DO NOT want your fish to set in water for any time at all. If it is properly handled, a fresh fish could last for six months
- Scale fish outside, or somewhere that the zillions of scales will not cause a problem. Just hold it by the tail and go back and forth with a knife held perpendicular to the body.
Fish that are high in oil
- Smelt, mackerel, herring and orange roughy
- Rinse, dredge, fry in film of peanut oil 3-4 minutes per side, then drain
- Serve with slices of lemon
- To dredge: dip in lemon then roll in crumbs with salt and pepper (or toss)
Fish that are good for the grill
- Whitefish or trout is the best choice for PLANK COOKING
- Soak wooden plank overnight, using brick to keep submerged.
- Grill with INDIRECT HEAT at 375-400 degrees and cook until wood begins to char (about 20 minutes)
- Internal temp will be about 125 degrees
- Serve right on the plank
Good summer fish
- Flounder and fluke are good fish to eat in the summer
Good round fish
- Snapper, porgy, tile fish, sardines, mackeral
What types of wood should I use
- DO NOT USE plain wood, as it may have chemicals.
- Make sure your wood is natural, untreated and kiln or air dried.
- Good woods are: Cedar, alder, maple, hickory, cherry, pecan, apple, white oak, mesquite
Fish Characteristics
- Slow moving fish (such as grouper) have a light meat and subtle mild flavor. They also overcook very easily.
- Fast fish (such as tuna) have an oily steak-like texture. Sharks and Tuna are examples of fast fish
- Striped bass is the most versatile, and is firm but stil flakey
- Shark and Tuna are long-lived fish, and will have a higher concentration of mercury in the meat.
Processing
- To scale, run your knife against the scales
- Gut the fish and run under cold water
- Pat the fish dry
- Remobe the gills
