The Many Wonders of Cooking Fish

There are plenty of different ways of cooking fish and it is fun to try different methods. Depending on whether you are using a whole fish, steaks of fillets, you might like to try braising, deep or shallow frying, steaming or even cooking the fish on a wood fish board. Stuffed fish tastes delicious and adds texture. Round fish are the best for stuffing because the body cavity is larger. Most stuffing is made from breadcrumbs, which expand when they cook, so do not use too much. If you are using sea bass, a parsley and walnut pesto makes a great stuffing. If you have fillets, you can sandwich them with stuffing or roll them, then oven-bake them. Different Ways of Fish Cooking Poaching and steaming are healthy, easy ways to cook fish. To poach your fish, you add cream or another thickener, herbs and seasoning. You can use the juice to make a sauce for the fish. For steaming, you place the fish in a steamer over boiling water and put a tight-fitting lid over it. Oven baking and roasting give great results and suit whole fish or fillets. You need to add oil or butter, seasoning, herbs and white wine to the fish, in an ovenproof dish. For very tender and moist flesh, you can cook the fish "en papillote", which is in sealed paper or foil. This means the fish will cook it its own steam. You can add lemon or limejuice, fresh herbs and white wine to the foil parcel before cooking, for more flavors. To braise fish, you place it on some sauted vegetables in an ovenproof dish. Pour over white wine and bouillon, put a lid on the dish, and bake it for 20 minutes or so. Grilling is a good way of cooking small whole fish or fillets. If you are using whole fish, slash the skin on both sides a few times and brush with melted butter or olive oil. Baste the fish during cooking and turn it halfway through. You might like to wrap the fish in foil with olive oil, herbs, and lemon juice before placing it on the grill. You do not have to heat the fish in order to cook it. An example is Ceviche, where white fish (usually snapper) is mixed with limejuice, herbs, and chili. The acidic citrus juice cooks the fish. Scallops, flounder, and sole also suit this cooking method. Wood Fish Board for Cooking This is another great method for cooking fish. You can use just about any kind of wood to cook fish on, as long as it is untreated and pest-free. The wood must be completely waterlogged before cooking, to ensure the wood generates enough steam and smoke to cook the fish, so it needs to be soaked for at least an hour beforehand. Cedar is a common wood for fish boards but you can also use alder, maple, cherry, apple, or oak. A wood fish board is for one use only and you can get one from a specialty food store or online. To stop the fish sticking to the board, brush the fish with oil first on one side. You will not need to flip the fish during cooking because it cooks indirectly. Season the fish and place it on the fish board, which you then put on the grill. Make sure you are using a low fire so as not to ignite the board and baste the fish during cooking with anything non-flammable. Cooking fish on a wood fish board is an excellent way of cooking. The wood smolders, which creates the smoke to flavor your fish. What's more, there is no washing up to be done afterwards!