I love fish. All forms of fish. In fact, I've yet to meet I fish for which there exists no tasty preparation. I was fortunate to grow up in the Pacific Northwest - land of tasty fish - and as a kid we went to fish restaurants all the time. When I went to Boston for undergrad I found that many people on the East Coast didn't like salmon. I found this baffling. Salmon is like the best fish ever! Then I went to a seafood restaurant and ordered salmon. All was explained. It was the most bland and insipid fish I had ever had. It was but a ghost of what salmon is meant to be. Atlantic farm-raised salmon has nothing to do with what salmon should taste like. Nothing compares to an in season wild pacific salmon. I often have mouth-watering dreams about the fish at the beginning of Copper River Salmon season. So for those of you who think you don't like salmon, please reserve judgment until you've had the good stuff. If you have the good stuff and still don't like it, well...more for me I say.
I really love fish, particularly when it's prepared very simply. In the summer I love to fire up a charcoal grill and lay an entire side of fish fillet across the coolest part of the grill. I'll dress it with a kiss of olive oil, some lemon slices and the barest dusting of salt. The I cover it and let the charcoal work its magic.
This winter I've discovered my new favorite way of making a single serving of fish inside. I'll heat up a well-oiled cast iron skillet until water dances in the pan. Then I'll lay in a small piece of fish, skin side down. I'll sprinkle some salt and lemon peel across the top and then put a pat of butter on top to melt. I let the fish cook for just long enough for the bottom 1/3-1/2 of the fish to turn opaque. Then I'll slide the piece of fish out of the pan and onto some heavy duty aluminum foil and put it under the broiler until it's cooked through. (This means the fish can be cooked on both sides without flipping, so there's no danger of it falling apart.) I have no magical way of checking fish for doneness - I have to take a fork and peer inside to look at the color. I try to take it out the second it becomes opaque in the middle - nothing spoils a beautiful piece of fish like over cooking.
So go forth and enjoy a summer of beautifully cooked fish.
I really love fish, particularly when it's prepared very simply. In the summer I love to fire up a charcoal grill and lay an entire side of fish fillet across the coolest part of the grill. I'll dress it with a kiss of olive oil, some lemon slices and the barest dusting of salt. The I cover it and let the charcoal work its magic.
This winter I've discovered my new favorite way of making a single serving of fish inside. I'll heat up a well-oiled cast iron skillet until water dances in the pan. Then I'll lay in a small piece of fish, skin side down. I'll sprinkle some salt and lemon peel across the top and then put a pat of butter on top to melt. I let the fish cook for just long enough for the bottom 1/3-1/2 of the fish to turn opaque. Then I'll slide the piece of fish out of the pan and onto some heavy duty aluminum foil and put it under the broiler until it's cooked through. (This means the fish can be cooked on both sides without flipping, so there's no danger of it falling apart.) I have no magical way of checking fish for doneness - I have to take a fork and peer inside to look at the color. I try to take it out the second it becomes opaque in the middle - nothing spoils a beautiful piece of fish like over cooking.
So go forth and enjoy a summer of beautifully cooked fish.
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