Ultimate Cook Book_ 900 New Recipes, Thousands of Ideas - Bruce Weinstein [208]
For an authentic dish, serve the fillets and sauce over steamed snow peas or sautéed greens.
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Tips for Buying Fish and Shellfish
Ask questions before you buy; there are few government standards for labeling or advertising. If your fishmonger seems uninformed, find another.
Most of the fish and shellfish sold are flash-frozen on the trawler, a step that actually improves the quality. “Fresh” fish is usually labeled as such (although “fresh” can mean “freshly thawed”). A reputable fishmonger will know exactly when and where the fish was caught.
Sometimes the whole fish is defrosted at a processing plant, cut into fillets, and then refrozen for the trip to your market. This double-dip in the freezer leads to microscopic ice crystals in the fish—and thus, mushy fish when cooked. If possible, ask for “once-frozen” fish.
Fresh fish shimmers; it is never opaque. If the fish has any opalescence—that is, a rainbow-colored, oil-like slick—it has most likely been stored improperly.
Smell fish or shellfish before you buy it. It should smell like high tide on a spring morning, never like the tidal flats on an August afternoon.
If possible, don’t buy fresh fish or shellfish in a sealed package. If your market only carries fresh fish this way, never purchase a package with water or liquid in it (a sign of ice crystals in the fish and perhaps of bacterial breakdown at thawing).
The scales of a whole fish should be slightly sharp; they should hold together, not flake off. In most cases, the eyes should be clear and rounded; the gills, red and bright with no milky film.
Keep fish and shellfish cold. Consider keeping an ice-pack or cooler in your car. And put fish in the refrigerator the moment you get it home. Fresh fish stores best below 40°F, a temperature most likely below that of your refrigerator. For the best results, store fish in the refrigerator in its paper wrapper on top of a colander filled halfway with ice, set over a bowl or baking pan to catch the drips.
In most cases, cook fresh fish and shellfish the day you buy it.
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Seven Ways to Bake Thin White-Fleshed Fish Fillets in Packets
By baking thin fillets in parchment packets, the fish gently poaches in its natural juices, which meld into a sauce. Here’s a list of flavor combinations with the technique to follow. Makes 4 servings (each ingredient list is divisible by four; place a quarter of each in each packet—see the technique on section Fish and Shellfish.
1. With Zucchini and Tomatoes
Four 4-to 6-ounce thin white-fleshed fish fillets
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large zucchini, thinly sliced
12 cherry tomatoes, quartered
8 sun-dried tomatoes, slivered
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup dry white wine or dry vermouth
2. With Artichokes and Olives
Four 4-to 6-ounce thin white-fleshed fish fillets
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 artichoke hearts canned in water, drained, rinsed, and halved
8 pitted black olives
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup sliced almonds
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup vegetable or fish broth
3. With Fennel, Tomatoes, and Rosemary
Four 4-to 6-ounce thin white-fleshed fish fillets
8 cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 medium fennel bulb, fronds and stalks removed, bulb trimmed and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
Four 4-inch rosemary sprigs
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup vegetable or fish broth
4. With Deconstructed Pesto
Four 4-to 6-ounce thin white-fleshed fish fillets
2 tablespoons olive oil
24 basil leaves
8 sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup pine nuts
1 ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
5. With Fresh Corn Relish
Four 4-to 6-ounce thin white-fleshed fish fillets
2 ears corn, kernels removed
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and thinly sliced
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
¼ cup chopped parsley