Fish can be prepared in many ways. From frying to grilling, various methods can be employed to make that perfect fish, either for your family or for guests.
At the end of the day, who does want an amazing and healthy meal consisting of delicious fish items that make us whole and full? However, you might get confused about what kind of fish to choose and, more importantly, how to cook fish.
Since there are so many ways to cook a fish, which fish should be grilled while which one should be fried can come to your mind. Hence, we outlined eight different ways to cook fish to ease your worries. Read this article to learn more!
8 Different Ways to Cook Fish
Grilling Your Fish in Summer
Getting the grilling equipment out of storage and grilling meat and fish is one of the best parts of summer.
While meat is an excellent item for grilling, fish is also a great alternative to the standard hotdogs and burgers to grill. But before you fire up the grilling equipment and toss some salmon steaks, there are several things you should know.
Taking precautions is necessary when you are grilling fish. This may include defrosting your fish beforehand so you can have a good fish texture when it is cooking time.
Take your time defrosting or thawing your fish; do not place it in the grilling equipment right out of the refrigerator.
Cooking meats and seafood over high heat as well as over an open flame has been related to the development of several substances that are involved in conditions including heart disease and diabetes.
And that’s why it’s recommended to grill your fish using healthy ingredients and add considerable greens on the side to overcome the possible health risk it might create, resulting in a perfect meal!
Baking – The Healthiest Method
Among the best methods for cooking fish is baking. This method not only helps preserve the fish’s essential minerals and omega-3 fatty acids but is also ideal for those occasions when you are very tired and do not feel like cooking.
However, cooking times and temperatures could change depending on the type of fish you’re preparing.
This makes it a perfect alternative for hectic days when you simply do not want to spend so much time in the kitchen and have had one of those bad days. It also makes it a healthy option for putting something good on the table or for meal prepping on a budget.
A decent rule would be to allow your fish to bake for five minutes for every half inch of thickness in a preheated oven. In order to obtain the nicest texture, you’ll also want to defrost frozen fish before putting it in the oven.
Baking also has another fantastic advantage. If you wrap your fish in foil or parchment, you’ll have fewer dishes to wash after the meal. Hence, via baking, you can have a great meal for your family and friends.
Broiling Is a Great Option
The process of broiling is very much like that of grilling. However, there might be a few significant changes. Unlike grilling, the heat source for broiling is at the top. Also, broiling fish in the oven is simple and convenient all year round.
Generally speaking, broiling is a much-preferred method for preparing fish because there aren’t any extra calories or fat from oils involved.
While it’s possible to choose to brush a little oil on your fish before baking it, it’s not required. You can eliminate using oil by substituting something like roasted tomatoes or red peppers.
Broiling can take a lot of time, but the process of doing it can be a lot of fun, so you can enjoy a good time with your family and friends while broiling the fish.
Hence, broiling is a good alternative to grilling at times. Furthermore, broiling can be much healthier than grilling. So, this is the method you should consider if you are more of a health enthusiast.
Broiled fish often cooks in less than ten minutes, which is a time-saving method we can all support. However, the time may vary depending on the type of fish you are preparing for the meal.
Fish Frying Can an Amazing Method
It is claimed that frying has been shown to reduce the amount of beneficial omega-3 fatty acids and that the high temperature of deep-frying oil has been shown to release unfavorable compounds that, when consumed frequently, can also lead to significant health problems.
It turns out that this technique is one that you really should avoid, even though there are steps you can take to make this not nearly as bad, such as omitting the breading that traps the oil, choosing healthier oils, and pan-frying rather than deep-frying.
But at the end of the day, fish frying is a great method for having fish in your meal if you choose the oil carefully. You can also look into different oils to deep fry fish to select the one that will be the best and perhaps the healthiest for you.
Restaurant-Inspired Chinese-Style Steam
You may have encountered unique and elegant fish dishes at many different fancy restaurants and wished that you could have prepared something for dinner at home sometimes.
Well, you might be in for a treat because Chinese-style steamed fish is one of those famous ways to prepare a fish, and now you can do it at home.
In essence, it’s a fish that has been steam-cooked from head to tail. People who love to prepare fish this way or love cooking using this method vouch that it keeps the fish’s natural flavor, which is important to all those people who love fish for its flavor.
Any white-fleshed fish can be used for this specific technique, but there is a small catch. Since you’ll be boiling it whole when using this method, it is important that you go for fresh fish before going for this method.
It’s crucial to say that if you are attempting such a method using frozen fish, you will get an improper texture, and we all know that no one wants a fish with a dubious texture.
The time taken for this procedure is also less than ten minutes and is very efficient in case you have guests in your house suddenly.
Oven-Smoking the Fish
If you want to enjoy smoked fish, you might assume that you must purchase it already smoked. However, making smoked fish is simpler than you might think, and you can make some excellent smoked fish in your home using your oven.
The key is in the procedure, which includes preheating both your oven and the fish. Fish that have been rinsed and dried after being cured in a salt solution is excellent for smoking.
Regarding the oven, placing a tray of fresh wood chips just inside the door will duplicate the effects of a bigger, specially designed smoker. But you can’t just use any kind of wood chips; you need wood that is specifically designed to be used in a smoker.
Poaching Your Fish
Poaching should also be considered by anyone searching for a quick and healthy method of preparing fish.
It only requires a short time and is perfect for thinner fish such as bass and swordfish. All you have to do is cook your fish until it turns a bit light in color in a saucepan of water that has been heated to about 140 degrees.
After only about five minutes, you can prepare a plate with an amazing fish as the side or main dish. However, we suggest not boiling your fish in water when poaching it, as it may get a weird texture.
Micro-Steaming Is Another Terrific Option
With all the gadgets and appliances in your kitchen, frying fish in the microwave may initially seem a bit extreme or weird since you may not have heard about it.
But if you trust the process, we can guarantee it will be an amazing fish-cooking method you will be trying. As a matter of fact, the microwave is exactly the device you need to use, and there are lots of good reasons why.
Among many reasons, one of the main reasons is that steaming fish inside the microwave only takes about five minutes, and since fish already has a ton of liquid within it, it’s very simple. And you can have nice and nutritious fish in your meal right after the micro-steaming!
Conclusion
Fish is such an important item for our day-to-day meals. And preparing it in different ways is always fun and helps bring about changes to how it is eaten. Mostly because if you only choose to eat fish in one way, it might get boring in the long term.
We hope the eight different ways to cook fish you just read here have inspired you to cook your favourite fish in different methods and enjoy varied, delicious, and nutritious meals at home!
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