Michael Symon's Live to Cook_ Recipes and Techniques to Rock Your Kitchen - Michael Symon [57]
SLASH-AND-BURN GROUPER
BACON-WRAPPED PAN-ROASTED WALLEYE
SCALLOPS WITH LAMB SAUSAGE AND BEANS
OLIVE OIL–POACHED HALIBUT WITH FENNEL, ROSEMARY, AND GARLIC
SALMON POACHED IN COURT BOUILLON
BUTTER-POACHED WILD SALMON WITH SHALLOTS AND THYME
GRILLED RED SNAPPER WITH GRAPE LEAVES AND AVGOLEMONO
SHRIMP WITH DILL VINAIGRETTE
BRAISED SWORDFISH COLLAR WITH CHORIZO AND CLAMS
Growing up in Cleveland, I rarely ate fish. We had fish fries on Lent, but that was about it, so fish is not a big part of my actual upbringing. That doesn’t mean I haven’t embraced it wholeheartedly, especially since it goes so well with my favorite seasonings.
The most common problem people have at home with fish is a tendency to overcook it. People think they don’t want it to taste fishy, so they hammer it. But the more you cook fish, the fishier it tastes. You have to cook fish gently. Fish is really delicate and you’ve got to handle it with that in mind. A whole fish is great on the grill or roasted. Once it’s filleted, you have to cook it in a pan. Sautéing or pan-roasting is perfect for fillets. I also like to poach fish, in a court bouillon, or in butter or olive oil. Poaching is a very delicate cooking method, and it keeps the fish moist. You need to treat fish like a woman—like a woman that you love, not a one-night stand.
Sautéing and Pan-Roasting
We use the sauté method for fish, tender cuts of meat, and vegetables—foods that don’t need to be made tender from the cooking, foods that must be cooked relatively quickly, and foods that benefit from the additional flavor developed in the very high heat. It’s a common method, but small variations in technique make a big difference.
The two most important factors in a good sauté are the heat of the pan and the movement, or lack thereof, of the food once it’s in the pan.
Put your clean dry pan over medium to medium-high heat (a stainless-steel pan; I don’t recommend nonstick pans for most preparations). Let it get hot. Smoke shouldn’t be pouring off it, but it should be hot. Put your hand over it—don’t touch it!—and you should be able to feel the heat. Add your oil or cooking fat, and give that time to heat up as well. When the oil is properly heated, you will see it rippling from the heat; for high-heat preparations—mushrooms, for example—you might want smoke just beginning to rise from the sides of the pan. Smoke indicates that the oil is as hot as it will get before beginning to break down (animal fats break down at lower temperatures than vegetable oils do).
Once the pan is hot and the oil is hot, add your seasoned fish or meat to the pan. Always pat it dry before you put it in the oil; it can sometimes be lightly dusted in flour to make it dry and to develop a better crust. If the fish or meat is wet, it will cool the oil and pan and you won’t get a good sear, and your meat might stick to the pan.
As soon as you lay your food into the hot oil, don’t do anything. Don’t touch it, don’t shake the pan. This is perhaps the biggest error people make when they sauté. As soon as it’s in the fat, they want to start moving the food around. This commonly results in sticking and torn flesh. Allow the food to cook; it will develop a well-seared crust and pull naturally away from the pan if you don’t touch it.
And that’s all there is to sautéing: with a spatula flip the fish or meat and cook it until it’s done.
I tend to cook fish at a lower temperature than meat (and granted, for low-temperature sautéing—delicate fish, say, or potato pancakes—a nonstick pan can be helpful). Fish cooked over very high heat seems to release oils that bring out an unpleasant fishy flavor. Most vegetables, too, benefit from a lower sauté temperature. Pork, lamb, beef, and veal benefit from very high heat.
A relative of the sauté is the pan-roast. This is one of the most common techniques