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Fish in 15 minutes, quick, easy, fresh, low in fat, high in essential minerals and protein: we've all heard the good news about fish. Even fresh shellfish has come up from the deep for their culinary kudos recently. Yet the bulk sold is canned or made into fish sticks. The trick is neither to lard them with fat nor to weigh them down with bread crumbs. Instead, bind them with just enough spices and herbs to let the fresh taste of the fish or shellfish come through. They're delicate, so take care when flipping them or transferring from the pan or grill to the plate.
Rub the fish with lemon juice, then rinse it under cold running water. The lemon juice (an acid) will convert the nitrogen compounds that make fish smell "fishy" to compounds that break apart easily and can be rinsed off the fish with cool running water. Rinsing your hands in lemon juice and water will get rid of the fishy smell after you have been preparing fresh fish.
Defrost plain frozen fish in the refrigerator or under cold running water. Prepared frozen fish dishes should not be thawed before you cook them since defrosting will make the sauce or coating soggy.
Salted dried fish should be soaked to remove the salt. How long you have to soak the fish depends on how much salt was added in processing. A reasonable average for salt cod, mackerel, haddock (finnan haddie), or herring is three to six hours, with two or three changes of water. When you are done, clean all utensils thoroughly with hot soap and hot water. Wash your cutting board, wood or plastic, with hot water, soap, and a bleach-and-water solution. For ultimate safety in preventing the transfer of microorganisms from the raw fish to other foods, keep one cutting board exclusively for raw fish, meats, and poultry, and a second one for everything else. Finally, don't forget to wash your hands.
Fish are usually sold cleaned and cut into pieces steaks or fillets, ready for cooking. However, you may have to deal with a freshly caught fish, and it is useful to know how to clean it. To dress a whole fish, remove the scales. Then remove the entrails of the fish and cut off the head, tail and fins. Thoroughly wash the fish under running cold water then drain and blot it dry with paper towels. Filleting or cutting into steaks should be left to the end.
