I will never forget the first time I had to clean a fish! I was in culinary school at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, France. We walked into class, and our instructor dramatically plopped a whole sea bass on my cutting board. Spoiled by the conveniences of supermarket fish counters, I thought, “Eww! What in the world do I do with this?!”
But thanks to my determination, I quickly learned how to gut, scale, and filet that fish—as well as the succession of different seafood that came across my cutting board that week. I think those French chefs loved seeing the looks of disgust on their young American students’ faces as whole animals were dropped on our cutting boards for us to butcher!
At home, I’ll probably never have to de-scale a large fish or pluck a chicken, but I am thankful for that education. I truly have an appreciation for butchers and fishmongers—and am so thankful they are there to do that “dirty work!”
A lot of people are intimidated by the idea of cooking fish. They are scared it will be too “fishy.” But in my opinion, fish is one of the easiest dishes to prepare. It cooks so quickly that it is the ideal choice when you are wanting to get dinner on the table fast.
When armed with a few basic facts, you will be cooking fish like a pro.
• Smell it! When buying fish, ask to smell it. The fish should smell more like the ocean than dead fish. If it smells overly fishy, that means it is past its prime and will taste overly fishy too.
• Don’t overcook it! Fish should be treated like red meat. Overcooking will give your fish a strong fishy taste and odor. It is best served at medium-temperature.
• Marinate it! Marinating fish will add moisture and flavor. However, keep in mind that fish are delicate. They should never be marinated longer than one hour.