Teach me about buying and cooking fish!

[jstbcs]

have tried recentky to buy some fish, but got scared by smell, and eyes... and the fact it was on display and not covered!

help!

eyes should be bright (not cloudly) and scales shiny (indicates is fresh) If too smelly indicates it is getting on a bit. A good fishmonger will skin it and de-bone it if thats what you want...

but? which one? how do i cook it? will it go off in the car on the way home?

what do you like? Fish, like meat, varies. Tuna is closer in texture to meat, whereas cod is flaky. Some fish is strong in flavour, others are delicate
Cooking - bake, grill, fry, make into a pie, pasta sauce - you name it!
And no, it won't go off on the way home!!

try delia..\link{http://www.deliaonline.com/articles/back-to-basics-fish,1422,JP.html\here}

You might want to start off with a fresh cod fillet - that way you don't have to deal with bones, skin etc. Very simple recipe - take fresh fillet and lay on tinfoil-lined baking tray (for no other reason than it is easy to clean up afterwards - just throw tinfoil in bin!) Pour about a tbspn of Italian salad dressing over the fish and put in a pre-heated oven (around 160C)for about 10 mins or until the fish turns opaque - make some rice or add a salad and you are done!

How about some salmon fillets, simply grilled with a squeeze of lemon and a knob of butter. YUM

so is Tuna the least fish like fish?
i dont really like fish, canned tuna is fine, or fish n batter, fish fingers etc.. but realise it is good for you andwant dd's to eat it...

Tuna steaks are very meaty.

I love what coolmama suggested.

I'm hopeless in knowing what to do with fish as well so watching this thread like a hawk. Everytime I go to the supermarket I stop at the fish counter and wonder where I would start.
I did buy a cod loin the other day and fried it in butter (not good for the slimming world diet I hasten to add) but I didn't know what else to do with it.

buy fillets

salmon fillets .. poach for 20 minutes in water with bay leaf, about 6 peppercorns and a bit of lemon .. delish

buy smoked cod and haddock and make a fish pie .. poach the fish in milk with peppercorns, chopped onion and bay leaf for 20 minutes .. remove from pan and strain milk (keep milk) then use this milk to make a white sauce .. put back in to the white sauce the flaked fish (check for bones) add some frozen veg and put in a casserole, top with mash and bake for 45 mins

buy trout .. wrap in silver foil (bit of oil and season inside and out .. whack in the oven for 20 minutes on 180

HTH

Cod loin: one large one will feed 2 adults. I make some mashed potato up and beat pesto sauce into it then put raw fish on greased baking tray and top with mashed potato, halved cherry toms and sprinkle with parmesan. 25 mins in the oven and eat with salad. Fab, and really healthy. Kids love it too. Even easier is cod loin in oven dish and top with supermarket fresh napolitana sauces and serve with mash on the side. Tuna I marinade in soy, honey, garlic, ginger and a spot of oil and then bake or grill for 10 mins or so depending onhow thick steak is. Easy salmon recipe for whole family is slamon and broccoli pasta: buy one steak per portion or if on budget/ cooking for children, one between two. Place on greased oven sheet and cook for 15/20 mins. You can usually then lift it and leave the skin behind. Meanwhile boil some pasta and after two mins some small broccoli florets in the same water, drain, and add a tub of half fat creme fraiche (small one does 2 people, large one does 4) the salmon, and a huge handful of parmesan with more to sprinkle on. Season with black pepper and serve with salad. Dead easy and very very more-ish. HTH!

another good way to do salmon - place the salmon fillet in a hot non-stick pan skin down for a few minutes to brown the skin and cook the fish a bit - then flip over and place on tray with tinfoil and put in pre-heated oven for another 10 mins or until fish is cooked - serve with some beetroot salad and creamed horseradish - lovely
Monkfish kebabs - easy as pie - ask the fishmopnger to cut the monkfish fillet in cubes and thread them on to kebab sticks alternating with a piece of lime and prawns - place them in the oven and grill until cooked and serve on a bed of rice with a nice thai sweet chilli dipping sauce (can be bought at supermarket by company called Blue Dragon, I think)

Nbg - glad you like the salad dressing idea - it works with most white fish -

Also have a lovely fish in cheese sauce-type casserole recipe from Delia's How to Cheat at cooking that I am happy to send if you want to -
And, if you can get used to to taste of mackeral (quite fishy if you are not a fish fan) I have a lovely fresh mackarel recipe - it's a fish rich in all those lovely oily omega -3's that everyone is constantly banging on about.

I sometimes buy smoked haddock and simply grill or dry fry it. If you do it under a low heat you can watch the flesh change colour and get to know when it is ready.

I usually just have it with a slice of bread and butter! Nothing fancy.

The smell drives the cat insane though.

I don't go to the fish counter but I buy pre-packed smoked, peppered mackerel, cook some rice and peas, then flake the mackerel into it and warm through. White/parsley sauce on top. We try and have that or salmon once a week, good for your omega 3s.