Fish Tips

I thought I'd post a couple of tips I learned in my class about cooking fish.

-When looking for good fish, you don't want any separation in the meat part. You want it to be firm and have good rebound when you press on it with your finger.

-Alisha, this is for you...this is how you remove skin from fish (salmon in particular)...my step-dad showed me this once, but I generally cook it with the skin on and then it just flakes off the skin easily. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aonbiLB-A8U&feature=related

-You don't want to cook the fish all the way through on direct heat as it will continue cooking once you remove it and will become over done and dry. Instead, cook both sides of the fish and leave it uncooked in the middle while transferring it to indirect heat (either a low preheated oven, or onto a plate with a foil tent on top). This will allow the fish to continue cooking without becoming overdone with just the residual heat.
-In the case of salmon, you want there to be some of that dark translucent pink in the middle when you pull it off -- not a lot mind you, but some-- then when it is transferred to a plate with foil on top it will continue cooking until perfectly done. You want the darker tone of pink in the middle of the fish (not translucent like it is when it is raw, but a darker color than the outside). It makes for perfectly cooked fish.

-I sometimes substitute steelhead trout for salmon. Both have pink colored meat and taste similar and I can usually get the trout cheaper.