Cook Fish Steaks The Right Way
09/10/2018
Fish is a versatile meat that can be made with potatoes and vegetables for a hearty meal, with homemade chips or wedges for a healthy alternative to a takeaway, or with a rice or vegetable salad for a light summer lunch. There are many ways to cook fish, but here are three of our favourites:
Grill
Grilling fish steaks is not a common method of cooking, but it produces moist and beautiful results. Most people are cautious of cooking fish steaks on a grill due previous bad experiences with grilling fillets. However, fillets are tricky to grill because they are delicate and flaky, whereas fish steaks are sturdier, firmer, and less prone to flaking. A fish steak should ideally be no less than 1 inch thick, so that it cooks a little slower and stays nice and moist.
Heat up a clean and well-oiled grill before placing your fish steaks on the grill tray. Don’t move the steaks for the first few minutes of cooking to allow the underside of the fish to cook first, this will reduce the chance of the fish steak sticking. Use tongs and a spatula to move and/or turn the fish steaks. Cut into the fish to check that it is done to your liking before serving.
Bake
Baking fresh fish fillets is a quick and simple dinner that tastes delicious! Perfect for any firm white fish such as cod or haddock, as well as salmon. Wrap fish in cooking foil before putting in the baking tray to seal in moisture. Additional flavouring can also be added into this cooking pouch to seal in flavour – sweet chilli sauce works well with salmon, onions are delicious with smoked white fish, and butter with some fresh parsley is tasty with haddock and cod. Be careful when removing and opening the cooking foil pouch, as it is likely to be very hot and release steam!
Pan Fry
Using a heavy-bottomed sauté or frying pan, season your fillet with some salt, pepper and oil before placing the fillet flesh-side down in a hot pan, cooking for 5-7 minutes over a medium heat. Turn the fillet to cook it on the other side, basting the top with pan juices to keep it moist. Cook for two minutes only on this side, adding any additional garnishes or cooking liquids to flavour. Continue to simmer until the fish is fully cooked – when cooking white fish, it will flake easily and no longer be translucent.