cooking fish

[fish-fighting-illini]

Hey I love to eat fish but would like to find a healthier way to cook it other than frying.

I mainly cook Pollack, some Walleye and some catfish ( probably be mainly fillets)

I'd like to grill it. Another way would be to cook it in the oven with some sort of breading type coating    ( like frozen fish out of the box).

Everytime I've tried fish in the oven it ends up rubbery or smells awful.

2nd ly  Can anyone suggest some other mild ( fresh or saltwater) tasting fish? I don't like the really strong "fish" tasting ones. I've eaten cod at restraunts and it is pretty good.

[Troutfisher]

I usually deep fry or fry my fish, so I can't help you with the recipe.  I've not kept largemouth or smallmouth, but usually, I will keep trout.  Those have a very mild taste, not a strong fishy taste.  One of the key reasons I don't keep bass is I've heard they have a strong taste, such as salmon, and I don't care for a strong flavor.  The reason I like the trout is almost any way you cook them, they don't have a real bad fishy taste.

Anyway, that's my recommendation.

[burleytog]

Marinate the fish for about 20 minutes in soy sauce, sesame oil, sake, grated ginger and minced garlic.  While you're waiting, prepare enough parchment paper squares for the fish (one piece of fish per parchment square).  Vary the size of the parchment according to the size of the fish.  Fold the parchment in half, then cut to the shape of a heart.  It won't look exactly like a heart, but close enough.

After marinating the fish, lay out a piece of parchment and brush it with a tiny bit of canola oil.  Place the fish in the center of the paper (OR place some vegetables first if that is what you like, I like bok choy, baby carrots, and bean sprouts), drizzle with just a bit of sake (no more than a TBSP).

Fold the paper over the fish, then start folding the edges of the paper.  What you want to do is start at the pointed end, make a 3-4" fold.  Fold it over at least twice.  Then make another fold using about half of the previous fold.  Work your way around the 'heart' until the pouch is sealed.  If the folds won't hold all that well, you can use staples to hold.

Bake at 375* on a sheet pan for 20 minutes or so.  I've done this with catfish, salmon and trout.

You can also poach the fish using oil or milk.

[Catt]

Trout a La Meunière

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Yields: 6 servings

Comment: While this receipt calls for Speckle Trout many Cajun anglers substitute Rat (small) Reds.

Ingredients:

6 (7-ounce) trout fillets

½ cup vegetable oil

2 cups rice flour

1 cup egg wash (1 egg, ½ cup milk, ½ cup water)

Salt and pepper to taste

1 pound of butter

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tbsp minced parsley

Method:

In a heavy bottomed saut é pan (skillet), heat oil over medium-high heat. Separately season flour and trout with salt and pepper. Dip trout in egg wash then in flour. Saut é 3-5 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Remove and keep warm. In same skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat until it browns around the edges of pan. Squeeze in lemon juice, and add minced parsley. Serve over saut éed trout.

[jdw174]

From the Food Channel on buying fish:  "Smell the fish before you buy.  If it smells 'fishy'....don't buy it".

My wife will only eat fish if it doesn't taste like fish :-? .  The local butcher shop has a wide variety of fish available that are flash frozen as soon as they're cleaned.  I purchase the Cod.  Comes in 8oz fillets that are nice and thick.  I take a broiler pan and line it with aluminum foil.  Give the foil a shot of butter-flavored PAM so the fillet doesn't stick.  After the fillets have thawed, pat them dry and  sprinkle them with lemon pepper and a little dill.  Place in a 350 degree oven and bake until done.  (for those thick cod fillets that's about 30-40 minutes).

However, after saying all that, my favorite fish is still crappie or walleye fried in seasoned flour or cornmeal  One of the best commercial breadings for frying that I've found is Shore Lunch.  You can get it at Gander Mountain stores or it's available on the web.  Google "Shore Lunch" for the site.

[Valascus]

Marinate the fish for about 20 minutes in soy sauce, sesame oil, sake, grated ginger and minced garlic. While you're waiting, prepare enough parchment paper squares for the fish (one piece of fish per parchment square). Vary the size of the parchment according to the size of the fish. Fold the parchment in half, then cut to the shape of a heart. It won't look exactly like a heart, but close enough.

After marinating the fish, lay out a piece of parchment and brush it with a tiny bit of canola oil. Place the fish in the center of the paper (OR place some vegetables first if that is what you like, I like bok choy, baby carrots, and bean sprouts), drizzle with just a bit of sake (no more than a TBSP).

Fold the paper over the fish, then start folding the edges of the paper. What you want to do is start at the pointed end, make a 3-4" fold. Fold it over at least twice. Then make another fold using about half of the previous fold. Work your way around the 'heart' until the pouch is sealed. If the folds won't hold all that well, you can use staples to hold.

Bake at 375* on a sheet pan for 20 minutes or so. I've done this with catfish, salmon and trout.

You can also poach the fish using oil or milk.

I remember seeing Alton Brown do that on an episode of Good Eats. Looked darn tasty. I think you can look up the recipe on the food networks website by filtering your search by tv personality.

By the way, a good way to get rid of some of the strong fishy taste and smell is to soak your fillets in buttermilk overnight. Makes pretty much ANY fish freshwater fish taste and smell more mild, even catfish.

[justfishin]

My Walleye recipe:

Walleye layed in tin foil, open up put a pat of butter inside, three lemon wedges and sprinkle a very small amount of Old Bay on top along with some salt and pepper. Pour about a half a cup of white wine in the foil, wrap it, put a few holes in the foil and put on the gas grill or charcoal grill for about 8-12 minutes. Cook it just enough that its gets firm but, don't overcook it. I like to serve mine with fried potatoes and onions.

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

Fish- Striper or any "sole"

stuffing-Ritz,chopped garlic,fresh parsley,salt/peppper, water toill moist (no, you don't need butter, ritz has plenty of that in them)

Lay out filet, spread stuffing across the top and BAKE

Now, you want to COOK it on 350 till it flakes apart or longer if you are a "well done" type

Serve with a lemon wedge, steamed asparagus and a few baby red potatos

[the captain]

I generally only keep trout and a smallie here and there not real ofen but they are both good fried also haddock is good it is not real fishy to me but we fry all ours so I can't help you with any recipes or anything. Sorry.

[the captain]

Oh yeah forgot you can get haddock at most grocery stores.

[mattm]

Some of the recipes above sound awesome.  I'll share the easiest one I know in case your in a hurry one day.  Take your fish filet and place it on a piece of large foil. The foil needs to be big enough so that you can seal it later, copletley enclosing the fish  Season it with your favorite seasoning.  Anything you like will work.  I like lemon pepper, cayenne, salt, pepper, garlic, olive oil, butter and lemon.  All you have to do now is wrap the fish up in the foil ant throw it on the grill.

[burleytog]

Be careful using any acid (lemon juice, wine, etc.) in any reactive vessel (aluminum foil, cast iron, etc.).