The main mistake of a cook who decides to cook fish is choosing a bad specimen. Unfortunately, fish is a very capricious product. Its meat becomes tough from multiple defrosts, which occur if the manufacturer, carrier or store does not comply with storage conditions. If storage and transportation conditions are not met, fish can spoil very quickly. Since most of the fish we sell is frozen, it becomes very difficult to determine the quality when purchasing. Therefore, buying good fish is perhaps the most important thing if you want to have a delicious dish at dinner.
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Mistake #1: Wrong fish
Before you go to the market or store for fish, you need to understand what you want to cook. Because fish under marinade is not at all the same as fish fried in breading or baked in the oven. And lightly salted, for sushi or ceviche - this is a completely different world.
You can buy very good fish and cook it according to all the rules. But if you choose excellent cod at the market, and then decide to make it lightly salted, then no matter what rules you follow, no matter how proven recipes you use, the end result will be something strange and tough. Because the ideal cooking method for cod is baking. For quality cod. And here we move on to the second point.
Herring in Korean
You will need: 2 kg of herring (I take frozen), 3 large onions, 3 large carrots. Filling: 1 tbsp. l. salt with top, 3 tbsp. l sugar with topping, 300 ml cold boiled water, 1 tsp. l with a slide of red and 1 tsp with a slide of black ground pepper, 100 ml of soy sauce (natural, not synthetic), 100 ml of vegetable oil, 1 tbsp. l. 70% vinegar essence. Mix everything. Preparation: Cut the herring into thin pieces, cut the onion into rings, grate the carrots. Pour the marinade, onions and carrots over the herring, stir, put in the refrigerator. After 3 hours you can try. But the longer it sits, the better it tastes. The recipe is incomparable for spicy lovers.
Mistake No. 2. Second freshness
Fish is a rather difficult product to choose. Most often it is sold frozen; it is quite difficult to determine its quality. In any case, you need to look very carefully. And also - rely on your nose.
“Any fresh fish should be almost odorless. If the fish develops a characteristic fishy aroma, it means it is not fresh,” warns Grigory Chunikhin, chef of the Cutfish bistro restaurant .
“It is much more difficult to determine the quality of frozen fish; visually it should be without visible damage, not have an unpleasant odor, and there should be no traces of re-freezing,” agrees with his colleague Rostislav Ereshko, sous-chef of the restaurant “ERWIN.RiverMoreOcean” .
Mistake #3: Fish on ice
Often in stores you can see a noticeable layer of ice on fish, the so-called glaze. Sellers usually claim that there is nothing wrong with the glaze, it’s just a way of freezing, but in fact the glaze protects the fish from damage.
It's better not to believe. “Buying fish frozen in a glaze is always a lottery. You can only trust trusted companies. - says Grigory Chunikhin. “Icy-glazed fish cannot be checked for quality without defrosting it.”
In addition, glazed fish is often frozen, rubbery and tough after defrosting. This suggests that the fish was defrosted and frozen several times and it lost a lot of moisture. To be fair, we note that dry-frozen fish, without glaze, can also sometimes be tough and overfrozen. So it is best to identify a manufacturer and store that offers good fish that has been stored without temperature changes. Then the likelihood of buying frozen fish will greatly decrease.
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A simple and tasty vegetable side dish for fried fish
A bright, delicious side dish that contains only two main ingredients. Prepare this dish, it won’t take much time, but it will be very, very tasty.
We will need:
- Large red bell pepper – 2 pcs.
- Red salad onions – 3-4 pcs.
- Olive oil - to taste
- Sugar – 0.5 tablespoon
- Garlic – 2 cloves
- Hot pepper – 0.5 pcs.
- Vinegar 6% - 2-3 tbsp. spoons
- Salt - to taste
Preparation:
Peel the onion, wash it, and chop it into half rings.
Wash the pepper, cut out the stalk, chop it into thin, long strips, and place it in a bowl with the onion.
Peel the garlic, pass it through a press, and transfer it to a bowl. Finely chop the hot pepper and place in a bowl.
Heat the frying pan, pour in olive oil, it should cover the bottom. Add onion and bell pepper and fry over medium heat until soft. Add sugar, fry for a couple of minutes.
Add garlic, hot pepper, salt, vinegar, mix the ingredients of the side dish well. As soon as the smell of vinegar evaporates, our dish is ready. Taste for salt and add if necessary. Transfer to a flat dish with the fish, bon appetit!
Mistake #4: Refrigerated is best.
If you decide that it is easier to buy chilled fish than frozen fish, then to some extent you are right. You can smell the chilled fish, look into its eyes and gills. There's just one problem. “Unfortunately, in Moscow (and in other Russian cities far from the seas - editor’s note) they often try to sell high-quality defrosted fish under the guise of chilled fish,” said Grigory Chunikhin. — Without extensive experience working with fish, it is very difficult at first glance to distinguish chilled fish from properly defrosted fish. Clear signs of chilled fish are elastic meat, clear eyes, bright pink gills, and a subtle pleasant smell of the sea.”
If they tell you that chilled cod or salmon came from Murmansk or the Far East, do not believe it. We don't have any unfrozen fish from there. Fishermen freeze fish while still at sea, immediately after catching it. And she goes to the center of Russia frozen.
If you find chilled fish from fish farms (that is, not wild, but grown in pools), then, according to Rostislav Ereshko, you should first of all pay attention to the following 5 factors:
1) The eyes should be “glassy”, not cloudy (but this is not always an indicator for wild fish, since the eyes can become cloudy during air transportation due to pressure changes).
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2) The abdomen should be dense, without a yellowish tint.
3) The gills should be pink or dark red (should not be gray or black). In fish, the gills and entrails are always the first to spoil. Thus, if they are removed from chilled fish, then this should alert you.
4) Pressing on the back of the fish should not leave any marks. If traces remain, it means the fish is stale.
5) Mucus on chilled fish is an indicator of freshness; it retains moisture.
Herring in tomato marinade with apples
Ingredients for the recipe:
Herring fillet - 300 g. Apple - 1 pc (1/2 for filling and 1/2 for garnish) Onion - 1 pc (1/2 for filling and 1/2 for marinade). Tomato paste (for filling) - 1 tbsp. l. Sugar - 2.5 tbsp. Vinegar (for marinade, I used grape vinegar, 5%) - 0.5 tbsp. Water (for marinade) - 3/4 tbsp. Spices (for marinade: allspice, cloves, bay leaf). Salt (for marinade) - 1 tsp.
Prepare the marinade: 0.5 cups of vinegar (I used grape vinegar, 5 percent), 3/4 cup of water, 2.5 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp. salt + spices: allspice, cloves, bay leaf. Boil everything together. Cool. Grind the apple and onion into a paste (you can use a grater or you can use a blender). Add tomato paste and sugar and mix with the cooled marinade. Place herring fillets and apple slices in rows and pour over the resulting mixture. Leave for 24 hours. Before serving, wrap a pickled apple slice in a piece of fillet and secure with a skewer. Serve the sauce separately or pour on top.
Mistake #5: Live fish
Buying live fish has its own nuances. Not all fish are sold in this form. Most often these are river fish: carp, pike perch, catfish. Small sturgeons are often sold in aquariums. This fish is not from big rivers, but from farms. And you need to understand that river fish needs to be well cooked, since even for farmed fish there is still a danger of infection with parasite larvae. Therefore, such fish is not eaten raw or half-raw. This is the first.
Second point: fish in aquariums often fall asleep. And sleep for a fish is practically death. How long she “sleeps” in this aquarium is unknown. “When choosing live fish, it is very important that it shows signs of life,” Grigory Chunikhin shares his experience. - Just because it is in an aquarium does not guarantee that it is alive. When purchasing live fish, it is advisable to have it cleaned and gutted in front of you, without taking it to another room.”
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Mistake No. 7. Cutting quality
“If you put a lot of pressure on the fish during the process of cutting, cleaning and gutting,” says Grigory Chunikhin, “it will then fall apart. Therefore, to cut fish, you need to have a sharp knife at hand.”
Rostislav Ereshko advises gutting and cleaning chilled fish immediately before cooking. But if you are going to store it for some time, then it is better to immediately remove the entrails and gills.
By the way, about cutting chilled fish. You can ask for it to be cleaned and gutted on the spot; markets usually provide such services when purchasing chilled or live fish. And often even for free.
Delicious side dish of pumpkin stewed with sour cream for fish
An excellent, very light side dish for fish. Try it and you will definitely like this combination.
We will need:
- Pumpkin - per frying pan
- Sour cream – 3 tablespoons
- Salt - to taste
- Seasonings and herbs - to taste
- Sunflower oil - for frying
Preparation:
Peel the pumpkin from skin and seeds, cut into small pieces. Pour sunflower oil into a frying pan, heat it up, add chopped pumpkin, stir so that each piece is coated with oil. Simmer for 5-7 minutes, the pumpkin should become soft.
Mistake No. 8. Bet on lemon
For a long time, lemon juice was considered an indispensable tool when preparing fish. It removes the unpleasant fishy smell, it improves the quality of the fish, it makes the fish fall apart less... There are a lot of such tips on the Internet. In reality, everything is somewhat different. As we said above, a strong fishy smell is a sign of stale fish. You should not fill it with lemon, but buy fresh fish. “It’s difficult to say that lemon juice improves fish; it would be more correct to say that it changes it. - says Grigory Chunikhin. — Let’s say that when preparing classic raw fish dishes, such as ceviche, lemon juice is added. It cooks the fish a little due to acidity and enriches it with citrus notes. The process produces a new product in both flavor and texture.”
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“Lemon makes fish more refined and goes well with all types of fish and seafood, but in limited quantities,” confirms Rostislav Ereshko. “When cooking fish with tender (not dense) meat, it is recommended to marinate it with lemon juice, which will give the meat density and help it not fall apart during cooking.”
The best side dish options for different varieties and types of fish - the most delicious recipes
Once the basic principles for choosing a side dish have become clear, it’s time to share recipes for preparing the most successful side dishes for various types of fish.
Fish salad made from apples, pears and celery
List of necessary ingredients to prepare 2 servings:
- one pear;
- one green apple;
- celery – 150 grams;
- olive oil – 3 tablespoons;
- lemon juice – 2 tablespoons;
- parsley;
- black pepper to taste;
- salt to taste.
The step-by-step cooking recipe is as follows.
- All ingredients should be rinsed well with running water before cooking. Apples and pears must be cut into small pieces or thin slices.
- Finely chop the parsley and celery.
- In a deep bowl, mix all the ingredients, adding lemon juice, olive oil, pepper and salt to taste.
Fruit salad
List of necessary ingredients to prepare 2 servings:
- one apple;
- canned pineapple – 150 grams;
- two oranges;
- red onion - one small onion;
- cilantro – 50 grams;
- lime juice – 2 tablespoons;
- salt to taste.
The step-by-step cooking recipe is as follows.
- All ingredients should be rinsed well with running water before cooking. The fruits must be cut into medium-sized pieces, and the cilantro and red onion must be chopped.
- Mix all ingredients in a deep bowl, season with lime juice and salt to taste.
Garnish for fish, potatoes and mushrooms
To prepare 6 servings you will need the following ingredients:
- potatoes - 7 pieces;
- champignons – 300 grams
- sour cream – 200 grams;
- two onions;
- vegetable oil;
- cream – 1 glass;
- hard cheese – 150 grams;
- salt to taste.
The step-by-step cooking recipe is as follows.
- Potatoes must be peeled and cut into thin slices. While we are working on other ingredients, you need to put the potatoes in cold water, as they may darken.
- Chop the onion and cut the champignons into cubes. In heated vegetable oil, fry the onion until transparent, then add the mushrooms and keep on the fire for another 10 minutes.
- Add sour cream and salt to the mushrooms, reduce heat and simmer under the lid for another 5 minutes.
- Place potato slices on the bottom of a deep form and add salt, and add mushrooms on top. Sprinkle everything with pre-grated cheese and pour a glass of cream. Place in the oven for 45 minutes at 180 degrees.
