Cooking fish, advice please

I have a microwave poaching gadget. In this I can put one or two pieces of fresh salmon, a small amount of water. Lid on and four sides all sealed. In my 900w microwave this just needs two minutes to have this salmon fully cooked (poached).
Lovely and healthy with salad.

Id just pan fry it in a bit of butter for a few mins each side with some salt, pepper and lemon.

Mojack26

Dry fish with kitchen roll,beat a couple of eggs pass fish through the beaten eggs, coat both sides with breadcrumbs ( I make my own) pan fry in a little oil enough to cover bottom of frying pan, medium heat turn after about 3/4 mins. That's it.. I use left over eggto make an omlette and have with my fish. Having that tonight. Enjoy.

when fish was much cheaper, in the long distant past, I used what we knew as the 'jewish' method of frying fish (this in the days when all others were deep fried).

So, much as Mojack describes, but instead of breadcrumbs we used fine matzo meal. Oil in pan needs to be very hot, but jut enough to line bottom of heavy duty frying pan (back in the past kept one just for fish). Do not forget to turn fish over, this method cooks quickly and is delicious AND, can be eaten the following day when cold, with a lovely salad.

Would fry up a great pile of fish this way, and any egg and meal left over at end were mixed together and fried in little patties.

Have not done this for many a long year now.

I cook a lot of my fish in the oven, with some kind of liquid to keep it moist (milk, sherry, white wine - depending on the recipe), and sometimes add a knob of butter too. Thinner pieces, such as plaice, filleted sea bass, skate, etc, don’t take long to cook at all in the oven, about 15 to 20 minutes. Keep an eye as they can quickly dry out. I set my temperature at 180 degrees C, slightly less if I use the fan oven feature.

I’m guessing your haddock is smoked haddock? I would cook that on the stove top in a little milk.

I very rarely fry fish.

I haven’t cooked thinner fillets of fish in the air fryer, but I have successfully cooked salmon steaks and cod steaks in mine - again adding a little liquid to keep them moist. They come out very tender and moist.

I realise I’m posting this a few days after you posted for advice Cillafan, so you will have cooked your fish by now. I hope you found the advice of other posters helpful, and enjoyed your fish 😁.

Why do people talk about fish smelling? fresh fish should not smell and unless you are frying it, it shouldn't smell when cooking either. What odour it does give off is a lit less invasive and long lasting than meat based dishes.

I do all my fish in my air fryer now days, wrap in foil with a dab of butter and herb, depending on the fish, or a spray of olive oil and a herb, if it’s a thin fish roughly 10 mins, fatter such as salmon roughly 15 mins.

I am lazy; all fish goes into a foil wrap and in the oven. Less smells, no pan to clean.

You can add spices or herbs, but I like the taste of my fish as is.

One nice way is to make a tomato sauce with onion/garlic/ herbs and poach white fish like haddock or cod in it gently until cooked. (Spain) But as someone said already the plaice is too delicate for that.

Dry fish with kitchen roll,beat a couple of eggs pass fish through the beaten eggs, coat both sides with breadcrumbs ( I make my own) pan fry in a little oil enough to cover bottom of frying pan, medium heat turn after about 3/4 mins. That's it.. I use left over eggto make an omlette and have with my fish. Having that tonight. Enjoy.

I do the same as Moth62 and it’s perfect every time. Good luck and enjoy it.

I usually squeeze lemon juice over it or sometimes just a couple of slices of lemon and sprigs of parsley but have not tried white wine!
It's usually in the glass 😀

Fennel is aniseedy, isn't it? I like most things but not aniseed.
I did grow it years ago(others like it) but it seeded itself everywhere.

We cook salmon, as our daughters will typically be round on Friday. Baked greaseproof paper wrapped in foil, lemon, white wine, dill.

Lovely with Asparagus, roasted potatoes, green salad.

Ooh, kedgeree, haven't made one for a long time!

Cabbie21

My mother used to fry cod for her and Dad, but for me and my sister she cooked plaice on a plate over the pan of potatoes, ie steamed in milk with a knob of butter and covered with the pan lid.

That's exactly how my mother cooked plaice for us, then she used the milk to make parsley sauce.

Cabbie21

If it is breadcrumbed it can be cooked in the airfyer.
I cook ‘ plain’ white fish in the microwave with a knob of butter and/or milk. Cook in short bursts at reduced power so as not to overcook.

I also use my microwave for "plain" white fish, you can cook it on low power to make sure that it doesn't overcook.
I find it particularly useful for thick fillets like smoked cod or haddock loin when I want to make kedgeree, it doesn't fill the kitchen with fishy smells. Fillets fried in a pan are delicious but it does fill our flat with less than delicious odours.

My mother used to fry cod for her and Dad, but for me and my sister she cooked plaice on a plate over the pan of potatoes, ie steamed in milk with a knob of butter and covered with the pan lid.

Usedtobeblonde

I would poach the haddock in milk and treat the plaice very gently, frying in a pan being careful when lifting ,it is a very delicate fish.

My mother always poached smoked haddock in milk and then used the milk to make a tasty sauce.

Moth62

My go-to for any fish is to line a large piece of tinfoil with a sheet of greaseproof paper, dot the greaseproof paper with butter - and lemon slices if you have any - to make a sort of bed. Place the fish on top, season with salt and pepper (can also put a scattering of herbs if you like them). Add a drop of white wine and/or a good squeeze of lemon juice. You can also add more dots of butter on top. Then wrap the greaseproof paper round it into a parcel, then wrap the foil round the greaseproof to make a neat parcel, making sure that no steam will escape as it cooks. Place the parcel on a baking tray/sheet and cook in the oven. Now, I’m afraid this is where I come a bit unstuck as to temperatures, as we have a Rayburn, so it just goes in for about 20 minutes at whatever the Rayburn is on at. Usually about 400F. The secret with fish is not to let it dry out and not to overcook it. We often have lovely fresh fish courtesy of our son.

Yes, this is how I cook most fish except perhaps for sea bream or bass which I might fry quickly so that the skin is crispy, then flip it over for a minute.

After reading a thread the other day, we have salmon with (fairly) local asparagus this evening.
It's from Worcestershire as I didn't see any asparagus from Herefordshire this morning.

Oh sorry I meant to add, that I have a friend who transitioned from a veganish diet to fish and eventually meat.

She did it very gradually and I must say she looks better for it.

Colls

Sort of on topic I hope, has anyone gone from semi-vegan . vegetarian to eating a little fish?
Was it a difficult thing to do? Was it a physical or mental choice. And how did you cope with any feelings of we have no right to take life?
(A serious question I am wrestling with in case anyone wonders.)

A leek sauce is nice with plaice. I agree with everyone - quick cook the fish to keep it moist.

I cook salmon and trout in the air fryer in a foil parcel.
It seals in all the juices and turns out succulent.

Both places and haddock go well with a meunière sauce. I would soak the haddock in milk for about 20 minutes uses and then dry it before dusting with flower.
I often serve fish with this sauce. Here is the BBC good food version.
www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/sole-meuniere

Sort of on topic I hope, has anyone gone from semi-vegan . vegetarian to eating a little fish?
Was it a difficult thing to do? Was it a physical or mental choice. And how did you cope with any feelings of we have no right to take life?
(A serious question I am wrestling with in case anyone wonders.)

As Witzend
I'll be having Sea Bass cooked like that. So quick, easy and delicious.

I've recently bought a deeper frying pan with a lid so I can fit more in.

Moth, am no great cook but cook fish the same way as you and it comes out delicious. Have been using basa and love it.