Source: CanolaInfo | Story Posted: May 01, 2011 | Category: Health & Nutrition, Media Releases, Recipes & Cooking

Carla Hall from "Top Chef" presents Go Fish With Canola Oil

FISH TIPS

1.    Selection:

  •  If you’re buying a whole fish, look at the eyes. If they are cloudy, don’t buy the fish.
  •  The flesh of fresh fish should always be firm and adhere firmly to the bone. The flesh should spring back when touched. 
  • When buying a fillet, it should have sheen, not slime (unless it’s catfish, which is usually always slimy).
  • Fish should smell fresh, like fish, but the odor shouldn’t be too strong.
  • The fish shouldn’t be dry. If it is, that means it was exposed to air and wasn’t packed correctly.

2.    How much fish to buy:

  • Whole round fish: 3/4-1 lb per person
  • Dressed - Cleaned: 1/2-3/4 lb per person
  • Fillets or Steaks: 1/3-1/2 lb per person

3.    Marinating:

  • Always marinate fish and shellfish in the refrigerator, never at room temperature.

4.    Bone removal:

  • Many fish, including trout and salmon, have a double rib cage, so the fillets may have small pin bones. You can remove them by pressing the flesh with your fingers and removing the bones with a tweezer.

5.    How to tell if a fish is undercooked/cooked by skin appearance:

  • Since the meat of the fish is somewhat translucent, it begins to become opaque as it cooks, which is one method of visually checking for doneness, especially for fillets that are most often not as thick as fish steaks.
  • Flaking generally indicates the fish is becoming dry or overcooked.

6.    To thaw frozen fish or seafood:

  • Thaw fish slowly in the refrigerator for 24 hours, never at room temperature for food safety reasons.
  • If you're in a hurry, run tightly wrapped fish under COLD water. Cook it as soon as possible to minimize the loss of juices.
  • Try not to thaw frozen fish completely before cooking or it may make them very dry and mushy.

7.    Leftover fish:

  • You can keep it about three days. To reheat it, wrap leftover fish in aluminum foil. Put it in the oven at 350 °F for around 15 minutes.

8.    How to eliminate fishy odors when cooking:

  • Put drops of lavender on cloth or put out a small bowl of white vinegar in the kitchen.
  • Recipes that include green onion, lemon juice, vinegar, wine and rice wine neutralize the fat in fish. When the fat is neutralized, the fish odor disappears.

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