Locally Carei: The dish on fish
We just got back from the Jersey Shore where we enjoyed many a meal that included seafood. My one friend informed me that she and her family are going to become pescetarians, which means the family will not eat meat, but will eat fish. She is a professional, who recently downsized her workload and has taken over the kitchen at home, and she is scared.
Pescetarians can be almost described as a vegetarian who eats seafood. If you want just an all fish diet, you would be a piscivore (and bored). There are many reasons one becomes a pescetarian. Some use it to transition to a vegetarian diet, others do it for ethical reasons, some for health reasons and still others because they love fish.
But, the most popular is for health reasons. The nutritional benefits are many as most seafood is low in saturated fats. Fish can be a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids, which has shown to protect against some cancer and heart disease.
Our newly crowned chef in New Jersey has voiced her concerns on how to cook the variety of fish available to her. She is also worried about an in-home mutiny because eventually she may run out of ideas of how to prepare the fish.
First and foremost, you must buy seafood; and I defer to “Capt” Rick Baumann, my good friend and confidant as well as owner of Murrells Inlet Seafood near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Rick has been catching, selling and cooking seafood for nearly 50 years.
As his motto is “swimming yesterday, on your plate today”, his number one rule is make sure it is fresh. Use the look, smell, touch he says. Make sure seafood looks fresh, not dry or discolored. If whole fish, eyes should be clear not cloudy. Fresh seafood should smell like the sea, not “fishy”. The flesh should be firm to the touch, bounce back and not feel sticky.
The primary rule of thumb for cooking fish is 10 minutes per inch of thickness.
This rule applies to steaks, filets and whole fish. If adding a sauce or covering, add 5 minutes per inch. Following this rule, flesh should turn opaque, still be moist and flake easily when done cooking. “The key to great tasting seafood is cooking it properly and not overcooking it.” Says Baughman
There are many cooking methods for seafood and each helps create a variety of tastes to pescetarian diet. Baking and broiling allows you to introduce flavors though herbs and light sauces in an oven.
Frying allows you to add flavor to seafood with the breading that you use and the cooking in high temperature oils. Grilling brings out the umami, in fish and adds smoky flavor; add your sauces after. Do not grill flat fish such as flounder and sole as it will flake through the grates. Microwaving just ruins fish, do not do it. Poaching can be a great cooking tool as you can introduce flavors throughout the fish. This is when one cooks in a liquid such as stock, wine, water or even milk flavored with herbs and vegetables. It takes practice but will pay off. I would put off poaching crustaceans until you have this method down pat.
Saut茅ing adds flavor through high heat and carmelization of seafood, while adding flavors at the back end of cooking. Wines, thin sliced vegetables and juices are some ingredients to use. The healthiest of cooking methods is steaming: placing seafood on a rack inches above boiling water in a covered cooking vessel that is usually seasoned with flavors ala the poaching method.
The manipulation of the flavor of seafood is as numerous as the cultures on this earth. Herbs and spices lend personality to most seafood. Basil, tarragon, dill, sage thyme, ginger, garlic, simple salt and pepper, rosemary, fennel, etc. allow you to create a variety of dishes.
Marinades infuse fish before cooking and some can actually cook light seafood such as in creating ceviche. Marinades are usually a variation of simple vinaigrettes; wine, vinegar or lemon juice combined with oils and flavorings such as herbs and spices above. Cheat by using bottled dressings, we won’t tell.
Use of sauces; before, during or after cooking brings your seafood alive. Brush with soy sauce, light pesto sauce or herbed white wine butter sauce before cooking. Or add more complex sauces after cooking; such as tomato sauce(light and simple), buerre blanc, b茅arnaise or a homemade salsa for an added pop. Traditional cocktails and tarter sauce can add that comfort food feel.
Compound butters are a simple way to add flavor and can be used for a variety of other foods. Blend a stick of softened butter with a teaspoon of your favorite herbs, teaspoon of lemon juice, zest or wine, salt and pepper, maybe a splash of your favorite liqueur.
Roll in plastic, in shape of a log, and place in refrigerator or freezer. Slice off a tablespoon at a time and top seafood when serving.
I know the chances of you becoming a pescetarian is probably slim, but use the above advice to make your seafood meals a lot tastier and more fun.
Chef Joe Carei has been an award-winning chef in Fayette County nearly half of his life. The former PA Restaurateur of the Year now operates Ellie Mae’s Catering and Food Clubs. He can be reached at joe@elliemaescatering.com.