          
          
          
                              Cooking Fish
          
               When cooking, always be careful to avoid overcooking. 
          Fish is done when it loses its translucence and appears 
          milky-white.  It should flake easily when tested with a 
          fork.  Handle cooked fish as little as possible since it 
          falls apart easily due to the minimal amount of connective 
          tissue.
          
               Deep-fat frying is a method of cooking where the fish 
          is immersed in oil.  It produces tender meat coated with a 
          crispy crust.  To deep-fat fry, fill the fryer halfway with 
          oil.  Place breaded fish in the fry basket one layer at a 
          time and lower it into fat heated to 350 F.  Fish should be 
          tender and lightly browned which usually takes three to 
          five minutes.  Use absorbent paper to drain.
          
               Although the taste of fish oven-fried is similar to 
          fish fried in oil, the processes are quite different.  The 
          first step in oven- frying is to dip servings of fish in 
          milk and bread them.  The next step is to place the breaded 
          servings on a greased cookie sheet.  Drip melted fat over 
          the fish and bake at 500 F. for ten to twelve minutes.
          
               To pan-fry fish, heat about 1/8 inch of fat in a 
          frying pan.  Place the breaded fish in a single layer 
          leaving small spaces between them.  Fry until the side is 
          light brown, then turn carefully and continue cooking until 
          the other side is light brown.  Total cooking time should 
          be between eight and ten minutes.
          
               Planking is a method to cook whole fish, steaks, or 
          fillets.  It is a two-step process.  First oil a hard wood 
          board or plank and heat it slowly in the oven at about 225 
          F.  Remove it from the oven and raise the temperature to 
          about 350 F.  Place the fish on the warm plank.  Brush with 
          fat and bake until the fish flakes easily when touched with 
          a fork.  You may then serve the fish on the plank.
          
               Charcoal broiling is a method of cooking over hot 
          coals.  Baste the fish with basting sauce before, during, 
          and after cooking.  To eliminate sticking, grease a long 
          handled grill.  Place the fish on the grill about five 
          inches from the hot coals and turn once.  Depending upon 
          the thickness, cooking time should run from ten to twenty 
          minutes.
          
               Baking utilizes dry heat.  First, grease a baking 
          dish.  Cook the fish in an uncovered dish at 350 F for a 
          short period of time.  Baste several times. Steaming 
          involves cooking by steam, generated from boiling water.  
          Use a steam cooker or deep pan with a tight cover and a 
          rack to prevent the fish from touching the water.  The 
          water may be seasoned or enhanced with wine.  Boil the 
          water, and place the fish on the rack.  Cover the pan with 
          the lid and cook for five to ten minutes.
          
               Broiling utilizes dry heat in the preparation of fish.  
          The heat is direct and from one source.  To broil, place 
          the fish in a single layer on a greased broiler pan about 
          three or four inches from the heat.  Baste at least once 
          during the cooking process for fat fish; baste more often 
          for lean fish.  Allow six to ten minutes for fillets, and 
          six to sixteen minutes for steaks.  Be sure to turn thick 
          pieces and whole fish.
          
               Poaching is cooking fish in a simmering liquid.  A 
          shallow fry pan is used Be sure that it is wide enough so 
          that the fish don't overlap.  Lightly cover the fish with a 
          liquid such as water, seasoned with spices, milk, or a 
          mixture with wine.  Cover the pan and simmer about five to 
          ten minutes.
          
               Fish can be smoked by hot smoking or kippering, and 
          cold smoking.  In hot smoking, the fish is hung three or 
          four feet from the fire and smoked at temperatures ranging 
          from 150 F to 250 F.  Curing time ranges from two to four 
          hours.  Hot smoked fish requires no additional preparation.  
          Since it is perishable, it should be refrigerated and 
          treated as fresh fish.  In cold smoking, the fish are hung 
          farther from the fire than hot smoking and smoked at 
          temperatures lower than 80 F.  The longer the fish is 
          smoked the less perishable it is.  Fish may be smoked for a 
          few days up to three weeks.
          
               Fish may also be cooked in a microwave oven, provided 
          the fish is tested for doneness before the designated 
          cooking time.  This will prevent the fish from being 
          overcooked.  Allow three minutes for every edible pound of 
          fish.  Fish should be covered with a plastic wrap, leaving 
          one corner up so that steam can escape.  Breaded fish 
          should be cooked uncovered to avoid sogginess, or lightly 
          covered with paper towels to avoid splattering.  To insure 
          an equal distribution of heat, the dish should be rotated 
          during heating.  Fish can be baked, boiled, poached, or 
          steamed in the microwave oven.  Frying is not recommended.
          
          
