The Basics of Cooking Fish
Before diving into the recipes, it’s essential to understand some basic tips for cooking fish:
- Choose Fresh Fish: Select fresh fish products so that you can reduce your likelihood of using low-quality fish. For selective purchasing, especially when following white fish recipes, choose white meat that feels firm and has only a slight odour. Fish in particular should not have a strong fish smell.
- Preparation: Make sure that the fish is washed and that water is drained before it is cooked. This comes in handy when you want to sear the food nicely if you are working with a pan.
- Cooking Methods: Fish can be deboned and cooked in an oven, fried in a pan, grill, or needle-sticked and boiled. All these methods are best combined with various sauces, and you should select one that will fit the dish best.
- Doneness: Fish should be perfectly cooked and tender so when poking with a fork, the fish should flake and the internal temperature should read 145°F (63°C).
- Pairing Sauces: What kind of fish should be paired with the sauce? Thin sauces are ideal for white fish, whereas thick sauces complete oily fish kind of fish perfectly.
Top Fish Recipes to Fry in Sauce
1. Pan-seared salmon and Lemon Butter Sauce
Ingredients: 4 salmon fish fillets, 1/4 cup unsalted butter, 2 cloves garlic, minced, Juice of 1 lemon, Salt and pepper to taste, Use fresh parsley, chopped, for garnishing the food.
Instructions:
- Apply salt and pepper on both mass-filtered portions and rub carefully across the portions of the fillet prized.
- Over medium-high heat melt a tablespoon of butter in a skillet. When the butter has melted fry the salmon skin side down. It should take about 5 minutes for each side or until the salmon comes out fully cooked.
- Add the remaining butter and chopped garlic in the same skillet. Saute for about 1 minute and then set it aside to incorporate some crushed nuts into the recipe. As soon as the butter has melted add the lemon juice and give it another stir.
- After that, you have to equally pour the lemon butter sauce over the salmon and garnish with parsley. Best eaten with vegetables or rice to complete the meal.
2. Tomato Basil Sauce for Grilled Cod
Ingredients: 4 cod fillets, 2 cups cherry tomatoes; halve each of them, 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped, 2 tablespoons olive oil, Salt and pepper to taste 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar.
Instructions:
- Sprinkle the cod fish fillets with salt and pepper
- Make sure your grill is preheated to medium-high heat. Take the cod fillets brush them with olive oil and grill on each side for approximately 4-5 minutes or until done.
- Into the remaining olive oil in a saucepan, set to medium heat, and pour the cherry tomatoes on it. Take around 5 minutes until the tomatoes wilt a little. Add the basil and the balsamic vinegar, and mix it for about another 2 minutes.
- Put the grilled cod on a plate and pour this tomato basil sauce on top. Accompanied well by quinoa or couscous on the side.
3. Coconut Curry Sauce for Tilapia
Ingredients: 4 tilapia fillets, 1 can (14 oz) coconut milk, 2 tablespoons Red curry paste, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, 1 tablespoon lime juice, and Fresh cilantro, for garnish.
Instructions:
- You only need to season the tilapia fillets with a small quantity of salt to your taste.
- Place the tilapia fillets in a skillet and heat on medium. Fry for approximately 3-4 min on both sides until they turn clear and can be easily shredded.
- In the same fry pan add the coconut milk, red curry paste fish sauce, and lime juice. Mix for a while to blend and allow for the ingredients to boil for approximately five minutes.
- Serve: Lay the tilapia on a plate and then pour the coconut curry sauce over the fish. Garnish with fresh cilantro. These can be best served with steamed jasmine rice.
4. Garlic White Wine Sauce for Shrimp
Ingredients: 1 pound large shrimp, shelled and butterflied, 1/2 cup white vinegar, 4 cloves garlic, minced, 1/4 cup butter, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, Salt and pepper to taste, Fresh parsley, for garnish.
Instructions:
- When doing the preparation, season the shrimp with salt and pepper.
- Put on the stovetop over medium heat and let the butter melt in a skillet. Finally, stir in the minced garlic, and stir it for approximately 1 minute until its raw smell disappears. Add the shrimp in and fry until they turn to pinkish colour, which should take roughly 3-4 minutes.
- Add the white vinegar and lemon juice, stirring within the pan. Let it simmer for 2-3 minutes as a way of allowing the ingredients to mix up well.
- Serve: Set the shrimp onto a serving platter and then pour the garlic white vinegar sauce over it. This dish can be complemented with crust bread or pasta.
5. Honey Soy Sauce for Baked Mahi-Mahi
Ingredients: 4 mahi-mahi fillets, 1/4 cup soy sauce, 2 tablespoons honey, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, 1 teaspoon ginger, grated for garnishing use sesame seeds and green onions.
Instructions:
- First, preheat the oven to 375F or 190C.
- In a small bowl combine the soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, and ginger, grated.
- Place the mahi-mahi fillets in one baking dish and then pour the marinade on the fillets. Allow it to stand for approximately fifteen minutes.
- Cook the mahi-mahi on the grill for about 15-20 minutes or until you’re done with it, and it can be easily shredded.
- Serve: It should be garnished with sesame seeds before serving also garnish with green onions on top of the beef. This dish has to be served with rice or can accompany a fresh salad.