Mastering the Grill_ The Owner's Manual for Outdoor Cooking - Andrew Schloss [46]
The chart on the facing page lists the most common fish, classified by body shape and fat content, including a description and how we like to grill them.
COMMON FISH FOR GRILLING
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Regardless of the type of fish you are buying, all fresh fish have certain standard qualities:
• Fresh fish have firm flesh. Poke the side of a fish in its thickest portion. The imprint of your finger should spring right back. If it leaves an impression, it is an indication that the flesh has begun to decompose.
• A fresh fish will have clear, clean eyes that bulge outward slightly. Reject specimens with sunken or cloudy eyes.
• Lift the gill flaps at the back of the head and look at the spongy gills inside. They should be bright red or pink, without hints of brown or gray.
• The skin of the fish should have a full covering of scales that are firmly attached. The characteristic skin color should be bright and should have no blemishes or reddish patches under its surface.
• Perfectly fresh fish has no odor whatsoever, except possibly the faint aroma of seawater. Any fishy odor is an indication of decay. In fact, this smell test is a fairly accurate way of choosing a fish store. When a store smells fishy, something’s not right behind the counter.
Once you have chosen your fish, you can prepare it in a number of ways, depending on how it is to be cooked. Here are some definitions.
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WHOLE DRESSED. The fish has been scaled and gutted, and its gills have been removed. Its head and tail will still be on. Whole dressed fish are suitable for indirect grilling (and are wonderful stuffed). If the fish is 2 inches or less in thickness, it can be grilled with direct heat.
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PAN DRESSED. The fish has been scaled and gutted, with the head removed. It can be cooked in the same way as whole dressed fish.
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SCORED. The whole dressed or pan-dressed fish has been slashed on the sides to allow heat to permeate the flesh more quickly. Scoring is usually done by the consumer, not the fishmonger.
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FILLET. The term “fillet” refers to the sides of a fish cut lengthwise free from its backbone. The rib cage can be removed or not. A fillet cut does not mean the piece of fish is boneless, only that the central spine and its attached ribs have been separated from the meat. When the fillets of a fish are left jointed at the backside, it is called a butterfly fillet. When it is cut along the back and left jointed at the belly, as is done for some stuffed dishes, the fillet is called a kited fillet.
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SPLIT. The fish has been cut into two fillets; usually the head and tail all removed. In this presentation, the central bone can be removed or not. It is typically used for stuffing a fish before cooking it.
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STEAK. This cut is a cross section of a round-bodied fish that has been scaled and gutted. A portion of the backbone is left on to help hold the meat together. When a steak has a horseshoe shape, it is from the section nearest the head and is said to be center cut. If the steak is an oval shape, it is from the section closer to the tail, or the loin. Steaks are great for grilling, because the meat will not tear if it should stick.
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STORING FISH
Because of the perishability of most fish, they should be cooked and eaten as close to the time of purchase as possible. However, if it becomes necessary to store fish for a day or two, here are a few tricks that will prolong its freshness:
• Remove the guts from any fish before it is stored. The organs of a fish harbor its largest source of bacterial contamination. Once they are removed, the degree and speed of decay are greatly diminished. Also, digestive enzymes in fish are very powerful. If permitted to remain in the belly of the fish long after it has been caught, these enzymes will eat away at the walls of the body cavity, making the interior flesh prone to