My aversion to preparing fish originates with an unfortunate episode with a monkfish. An unsightly creature with a wide toothy mouth, broad body, and overall sliminess, we bought a filet and pan-fried it. Owing to a poor filet selection, lack of cooking finesse, and non-existent kitchen ventilation, disaster ensued. Not only did the offending monkfish end up in the garbage, the entire house stank….no, reeked…..of fishy fish for days. Long-dead, super fishy-fish. We fled the house to escape the stench.
Recent fish efforts have met with more success, so we attempted a technique we’ve never tried before.
I read every issue of Fine Cooking (@FineCooking) cover to cover, with its informative how-to’s and flexible recipes that produce multiple dishes instead of just one. They featured the salt-crust fish method in the Apr/May 2011 issue.
H-E-B Central Market’s fish counter here in San Antonio normally only stocks whale-sized whole fish…much too big for the two of us. We selected a rainbow trout with bright eyes and firm flesh from the nearby H-E-B Alon Market instead.
Crafting a salt dome over the trout traps steam and the redolence of the aromatics so they don’t float away unused on the air. Cracking the crust sounded like thumping on a hollow stump. The moist, tender, flaky trout tasted not the least bit “fishy” or salty. It required no additional seasoning once removed from the crust.
We completed our meal with some roasted fennel and a grilled fig salad with a tangy garlic chile vinaigrette.
What we learned:
- If you have even a wee cut on your hands, either wear latex gloves or have your partner crust the fish to avoid owies.
- Our trout weighed in at just under ¾ lb—too small for a satisfying meal for two. We will purchase a larger specimen next time.
- No matter how carefully you remove the flesh, bones may still lurk, so use caution.
We definitely plan to add this new technique to our repertoire!
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