Cook Fish
Here is everything you need to know about shopping for and cooking fish - from what to look out for at your local fishmonger's, to storing it sensibly at home, to different cooking methods. Click on the subject headings above to read more.
We also have some seasonal recipes for you to try, as well as details about the FishWorks Cookery School - where you can come along to one of the FishWorks venues and learn all about cooking fish from the experts. Happy cooking!
Preparing fish
Fish cookery's easy. The scaling, gutting - all the messy jobs - can be done by your fishmonger, so you don?t have to worry about anything but the cooking.
Have all your ingredients prepared in advance. This is always done with a glass of wine close to hand. Cooking is meant to be fun. Do all your slicing and chopping in advance and make any sauces and dressings you need to. And have your cooker or grill pre-heated and ready to go.
Don?t be afraid to taste the dish as you go along and allow your taste to lead you. You?ll soon develop a feel for the way flavours and recipes develop.
Simplicity should be your watchword. Just the fish and a single accompaniment or pre-prepared sauce can be all that is needed.
Marinating:
The golden rule for marinating fish is ?not for too long?. I would say between one and two hours is plenty.
Lemon juice, wild oregano, garlic and sea salt brushed over firm fillets of monkfish an hour before grilling is typical of the Mediterranean. The simplest marinade of all is lemon juice, salt, garlic and good fruity olive oil, which can be further flavoured with freshly cut sprigs of rosemary.
Seasoning:
When we think of seasoning, we usually think of salt and pepper. When spices are ground together in different combinations, they?re a great base for cooking and also for dipping bread, vegetables or cooked food into.
Simply crush spices together in a mortar or put them in to a peppermill in various combinations. There are so many spices to choose from: smell them, taste them and let your senses guide you as to which ones work together.
Toast whole spices in a dry pan before you grind them as this will give you the most aromatic flavour. Don?t rely just on dried ingredients, always add fresh herbs like coriander, fresh mint or parsley.
