Sunday, 29 July 2012

How to... marinate a fish

    1. Life & Style
    2. Food & Wine
    Prepare the salmon: Make sure the scales have been removed from the salmon skin. The skin is left...
    Prepare the salmon: Make sure the scales have been removed from the salmon skin. The skin is left on for cooking as it holds the flesh together and forms a crisp surface. Run your fingers over the flesh to find the pin bones - they stick up.
    Pull them out gently with tweezers or, if they break you may need to use small, long-nosed pliers...
    Pull them out gently with tweezers or, if they break you may need to use small, long-nosed pliers. A useful tip is to have a bowl of water handy to remove the bones from the tweezers as they tend to stick to fingers.
    Place the salmon in the dish and make sure the salmon is covered with the marinade. Leave to...
    Place the salmon in the dish and make sure the salmon is covered with the marinade. Leave to marinate in the fridge for two to 24 hours, turning once or twice during this time.
    To make the marinade, remove the seeds from the chilli and chop the flesh finely. Press and roll...
    To make the marinade, remove the seeds from the chilli and chop the flesh finely. Press and roll the lemon or lime to release the juice. Cut in half and squeeze the juice. Coriander stems and roots have lots of flavour so chop them as well as the...
    To cook the salmon: Remove the salmon from the marinade and take off most of the green coriander...
    To cook the salmon: Remove the salmon from the marinade and take off most of the green coriander as it will burn on the barbecue. Season with salt. Sprinkling from a height spreads the salt more evenly.
    Place salmon on the grill, skin side down, which will be the presentation side.
    Place salmon on the grill, skin side down, which will be the presentation side.
    Leave for a minute or so before taking a peek by lifting a corner with a fish slice to see how...
    Leave for a minute or so before taking a peek by lifting a corner with a fish slice to see how the grill marks are going. When nicely striped, carefully lift the salmon with the slice and give a quarter turn to produce diamond-shaped marks.
    Salmon is fragile and is best finished in a pan in the oven rather than barbecued on the other...
    Salmon is fragile and is best finished in a pan in the oven rather than barbecued on the other side. Heat a pan with a smear of oil in the base and place the salmon flesh side down in it, or wrap in oiled tinfoil. Place in a hot oven (160degC) for five...
    Photos by Jane Dawber.
    Photos by Jane Dawber.

    Daniel Pfyl, hospitality management lecturer at Otago Polytechnic, shares some professional techniques to make your cooking easier. Today, a fish marinade. Fish that has been marinated can be barbecued, grilled, cooked in tinfoil or in a frying pan and may be finished by roasting in the oven.

    Marinade for fish

    This is good for a whole side of salmon as well as for smaller steaks.

    1 kg salmon or other fish steak
    1 clove garlic, crushed
    1 jalapeno chilli (fresh or preserved)
    2 Tbsp lime or lemon juice
    4 Tbsp olive oil
    1/2 cup fresh coriander,
    1/4 cup basil or lemon verbena or other herb, finely chopped
    freshly ground pepper

    If you would like to request a particular technique we haven't already shown, please let us know.

    Write to Trick of the trade, Editorial Features, Otago Daily Times, PO Box 181, Dunedin or email odt.features@odt.co.nz with trick of the trade in the subject line.

     

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