Fish is arguably one of the best meats, as it chock full of omega-3 oils and is a relatively lean meat. As long as you make sure that it is fished from healthy waters in order to avoid mercury poisoning, it makes for a great source of protein. The good news is that there are a number of ways to cook it so that it doesn't get boring.
Tilapia is probably the most common fish that most people will deal with. It's easily farmed, making it a common fish in grocery stores, and it comes frozen, ensuring that it can be stored for a long time. Usually, it has also been filleted, so beginning cooks don't need to worry about bones. It's not a bad fish, more of a middle of the road fish: It doesn't have the rich flavor of a salmon, but it's also not as gamy as catfish. Sure, you can go with other fish, but tilapia is a good thing to cut your cooking teeth on. The major advice here is that when you thaw in the microwave, try not to cook it too much; 90 to 120 seconds should be enough to thaw it.
The simplest way is to sear it. A little butter can do well once it has melted all the way down. Cook it for just a minute or two per side, until the meat is white and flaky, and you should be good. Drop a little lemon juice on it, and you should have something well worth adding to a meal. If you use any of the stronger spices, such as chili or pepper, keep in mind that it flavors really easy; a little spice will do you. You want to try cilantro, parsley, and other more vegetable-based flavors.
You can also bread it it. Although you can use a buttermilk bath, you don't need to: The fish is already reasonably wet, and the normal reasons for doing so, such as strong taste, do not apply here. You may want to try an egg batter instead: Take a few eggs, whip them up, and dunk the tilapia in it. Follow this up with a batter made of all-purpose four and your favorite spices (two cups of flour, a quarter cup of pepper, a tablespoon of salt, two tablespoons of garlic powder, and anything else you care to throw in) can work. If you want some liquid ingredients (such as sriracha or sweet chile sauce), throw them into the egg mix. In both cases, just make sure that the fish is covered and you should be good to go.
While you are prepping all of this, you can get your oil going. You don't need to deep fat fry this; just a cup or so of oil should be all that you need. Make sure that you have a paper towel on a plate ready. Give the oil about five minutes to get up to temperature, and then put your fish in the oil. Fry it until golden brown and put on the paper towel for at least a minute or two; this not only allows the fish to cool but also helps take off some the extra oil. Serve with a cole slaw, fries, and a decent beer, and you have a great meal.
You can also bake fish. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, and grease a pan. Put the fish on the pan, possibly covering with a light covering of bread crumbs for a little extra crunch. Put it in the oven for twenty minutes. When it's done, take out and allow to cool. Serve with a salad or cooked vegetables, and some rice or fried potatoes, along with a white wine for a great dinner.
You can also steam it or put it in a chowder. Fish is a great meat, so have some fun with it and you should see your health improve.
Tilapia is probably the most common fish that most people will deal with. It's easily farmed, making it a common fish in grocery stores, and it comes frozen, ensuring that it can be stored for a long time. Usually, it has also been filleted, so beginning cooks don't need to worry about bones. It's not a bad fish, more of a middle of the road fish: It doesn't have the rich flavor of a salmon, but it's also not as gamy as catfish. Sure, you can go with other fish, but tilapia is a good thing to cut your cooking teeth on. The major advice here is that when you thaw in the microwave, try not to cook it too much; 90 to 120 seconds should be enough to thaw it.
The simplest way is to sear it. A little butter can do well once it has melted all the way down. Cook it for just a minute or two per side, until the meat is white and flaky, and you should be good. Drop a little lemon juice on it, and you should have something well worth adding to a meal. If you use any of the stronger spices, such as chili or pepper, keep in mind that it flavors really easy; a little spice will do you. You want to try cilantro, parsley, and other more vegetable-based flavors.
You can also bread it it. Although you can use a buttermilk bath, you don't need to: The fish is already reasonably wet, and the normal reasons for doing so, such as strong taste, do not apply here. You may want to try an egg batter instead: Take a few eggs, whip them up, and dunk the tilapia in it. Follow this up with a batter made of all-purpose four and your favorite spices (two cups of flour, a quarter cup of pepper, a tablespoon of salt, two tablespoons of garlic powder, and anything else you care to throw in) can work. If you want some liquid ingredients (such as sriracha or sweet chile sauce), throw them into the egg mix. In both cases, just make sure that the fish is covered and you should be good to go.
While you are prepping all of this, you can get your oil going. You don't need to deep fat fry this; just a cup or so of oil should be all that you need. Make sure that you have a paper towel on a plate ready. Give the oil about five minutes to get up to temperature, and then put your fish in the oil. Fry it until golden brown and put on the paper towel for at least a minute or two; this not only allows the fish to cool but also helps take off some the extra oil. Serve with a cole slaw, fries, and a decent beer, and you have a great meal.
You can also bake fish. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, and grease a pan. Put the fish on the pan, possibly covering with a light covering of bread crumbs for a little extra crunch. Put it in the oven for twenty minutes. When it's done, take out and allow to cool. Serve with a salad or cooked vegetables, and some rice or fried potatoes, along with a white wine for a great dinner.
You can also steam it or put it in a chowder. Fish is a great meat, so have some fun with it and you should see your health improve.
No comments:
Post a Comment