New Year’s Resolutions to Eat Healthier are Made Easy by a How-To Guide in Selecting and Preparing a Great, Healthy Seafood Dish
Seafood 101 – A Seafood Chef’s Guide to Selecting, Purchasing and Preparing the Most Impeccable Fish in the Market
New Orleans, LA (Vocus) January 8, 2010
One of the most popular New Year’s resolutions is to start eating healthier. There is nothing that fits the bill more than a seafood entrée. The truly wonderful thing about high quality fish is that it lends itself to many simple preparations that can fit either a low fat or low carbohydrate diet. Tenney Flynn, the Co-Owner and Executive Chef of New Orleans’ nationally acclaimed fine dining seafood restaurant, GW Fins offers a step-by-step “Seafood 101” to selecting, purchasing and preparing the best fish available.
“Without a doubt, the most important aspect of purchasing seafood is trusting your fishmonger,” states Chef Flynn. “Your relationship with your fishmonger is a lot like the one with your mechanic – you have to check references, shop around and when you choose one there is a strong element of trust involved that he knows more than you do and has your best interests at heart,” concludes Flynn.
When shopping for seafood, consumers should always ask the fishmonger how long the fish has been around. This does not, however take into account how many days the boat was at sea, what day of that trip the fish was landed on, how long it was at the dock, how far the dock is from the wholesaler that sold the fish to the market and equally as important, how the chain of temperature was maintained along the way. This uncertainty is why it is always best to eat fish the same day as it is purchased.
The first rule of thumb in shopping for fish is if the fish, or fish department smells, it’s always best to leave and find something else to prepare. When purchasing a whole fish, there are several tell-tale signs to check for to find out if the fish is fresh. When opening the gills, depending on the fish, the color should be bright and dark red. If the gills have been removed, it has been done for one purpose, to disguise the age of the fish. The flesh should be springy to light pressure. If the fish has a shrunken look, especially around the eyes, it is a sign that it has been around for a while. The gills and belly cavity should smell like seawater. Farmed Salmon smells like cut watermelon. The more unpleasant the smell, the older the fish.
Most fish markets today have a small selection of whole fish. Filets are more commonly found and judging the age/quality of cut fish takes a more trained eye. Fish wholesalers have an expression ‘it cuts out good’ which means the whole fish is a little worse for the wear, but after filleting it won’t be as noticeable. The first thing the butcher learns is to fillet the oldest fish in the place first.
A fresh filet should have plump, moist and firm flesh with no separation of the “flakes.” The bloodline that runs along the backbone should be red or dark red. The inexpensive cryovaced tuna steaks with an unnatural magenta color are treated with Carbon Monoxide to enhance their color. “Beware of seafood labeling, like Dayboat, Line Caught, Top of the Catch, Diver Caught, and Sushi Grade, as these are just marketing terms that may, or more likely may not, be true,” cautions Chef Flynn.
Many seafood markets and grocery stores place FAS (frozen at sea) or previously frozen filets on ice in the display case to thaw slowly. According to Chef Flynn, this can be a good option. “I’d rather eat fish that was frozen just after harvesting, than ones that took a slow ride with too little ice. A rule of thumb is for every 2 degrees over 32 degrees the fish (whole or filleted) has withstood, a day of shelf life is lost,” instructs Flynn.
Many top quality seafood markets offer a combination of farm raised fish as well as wild fish. Even though wild fish are the last wild food that most Americans eat, there are several varieties of excellent farm raised fish. GW Fins in New Orleans, which is consistently rated one of the top seafood restaurants in the country, serves farmed Scottish and Canadian Salmon, Rainbow Trout from Idaho and North Carolina, as well as Catfish from North Carolina. The bottom line is that farmed fish provides a consistent supply of good quality, fairly priced seafood. Ultimately, freshness in the grocery store is easier to achieve since it’s a controlled harvest.
One of the most important factors in selecting seafood is knowing the flavor profile of the fish that is most pleasing to the person enjoying it. Below is a classification of fish based on a flavor scale from mild to full flavored, which is usually due to the fat content of the fish.
A Quick Guide to Selecting and Cooking Fish
Mild fish include red perch, flounder, halibut, farmed catfish as well as most snappers and groupers. These are usually very lean, cook quickly and lend themselves to sautéing or frying. A squeeze of lemon or a small amount of browned butter and fresh chopped parsley are all these varieties need. The leaner or milder fish should not be cooked much past medium, in order to avoid drying.
Medium flavored fish would include Swordfish, Bigeye Tuna, Monkfish, Haddock, some Salmons, Sea Trout and Bronzini. These fish can be sautéed but hold up well to poaching or braising, broiling or grilling.
Full flavored fish include Chilean Sea Bass, Sardines, Pompano, Cobia, some Bluefin Tuna, Mackerel, and fat Salmon. These fish do very well wood grilled. As a rule, the higher the fat content the fresher the fish must be to taste sweet. The flavor that people call “fishy” is oxidized fat. Salmon is usually a good indicator of a guests’ preferences – if they find that too “strong” they probably should avoid the third category.
“Regardless of what fish you are cooking, have everything else for the dish and all side dishes cooked ahead of time before the fish hits the pan,” advises Chef Flynn. “The difference between moist, juicy and flavorful …. and dried out….. is about two minutes,” he warns.
Determining if the fish is done cooking takes some practice, but a visual test most often works best. As flesh cooks, it gets smaller. The second test would be color. If a thin filet is being cooked, cut into the back of it to check for opacity. If it’s a little thicker, inserting a metal skewer or a small paring knife blade into the thickest part will act as a thermometer of sorts. When held to the back of the wrist, if the knife is very warm, the fish is definitely done.
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