 |
Debi's Hot DishesFish Dish! |
I grew up on Twin Lake in Minnesota and, at a young age, loved to fish. In the summer I would get up early (I seemed to know where the fish were, then) catch fish and bring them home for my dad, since I didn't eat fish at the time. As I grew older, I spent quite a bit of time catching fish on Lake Milacs and began to really enjoy eating fish.
Fresh fish is the best there is. As it cooks much faster than meat or poultry, you must be careful not to overcook it. You can tell the fish is done when the flesh loses its translucent, raw appearance and flakes easily with a fork. (Internal temperature of 145 F)
A general rule when baking, broiling, steaming, frying or grilling is the "10 minute rule" - 10 minutes per one-inch thickness, or 5 minutes on each side.
Here some different ideas for cooking fish:
Frying
Dip your clean fish fillets into a seasoned seafood frying mix. After coating, fry fish in about 2-4 inches of cooking oil brought to a high temperature of 500 degrees; cook for about 10 minutes (5 on each side).
Beer Batter Recipe
- 8-10 ounces of fish (walleye, sunfish, crappies or tilapia work well)
- salt & pepper
- 3 cups of flour
- 1 large onion, chopped (optional)
- 2 T parsley flakes
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- 1-2 cans of beer
- 3-4 handfuls of corn flakes
Mix all ingredients together; if batter is too thick, add more beer; if too thin, add more corn flakes. Dip fillets in batter and drop gently into hot oil. Turn fillets over when they are golden brown. This batter is excellent for deep-fat frying onion rings, green pepper rings, mushrooms, cauliflower and zucchini, too.
Fried fish makes a great taco, also. I know it sounds strange, but they are so good. I like them in a crunchy shell with all of the regular fixings.
Grilling
Firm-fleshed fish such as salmon and tuna can be placed directly on a well-greased grill. For more delicate fish, use a seafood grill screen or wrap the fish in aluminum foil and punch several holes in the bottom of the foil; grill over a medium-hot fire. Follow the 10-minute rule.
I like to marinate my fish before grilling and usually squeeze a fresh lemon over the fish, and add orange and lemon pepper seasoning.
For a Mexican flavor, I put the fish in individual aluminum foil, without poking holes. Add cream of chicken soup to cover the fish, 1 T green chilies, 1/2 tsp chili powder, a dash of cayenne pepper. Add 1/2 cup shredded cheese per filet during the last 5 minutes. Cook over the grill or in the oven at 450 degrees and follow the ten minute rule. Tastes like an enchilada and is good served with black beans.
Salmon is good marinated, then grilled, tossed in French dressing and served in salad.