Sautéing. Sautéing is probably the easiest way to prepare fish. Whether you have coated your fish with a little flour or cornmeal and breadcrumbs or are preparing it naked, you will want to preheat a skillet to medium-high heat with some oil or butter to just cover the bottom of the skillet.
Simmer/Boil
Moist heat cooking methods are often used for many preparations. They are simple methods that can bring out the flavor and subtle texture of fish and seafood.
A whole fish, in addition to being cheaper than the same weight in individual filets, is an excellent container for cooking (hey, look, it comes wrapped in a tough, scaly skin!), so barbecuing, roasting, broiling, pan-frying, poaching, and deep frying are all excellent methods for producing a moist, delicious result.
And steaming, unlike poaching or boiling, keeps flavorful juices and nutrients inside the seafood, rather than letting them escape into the surrounding cooking liquid.
In general, fat fish is ideally cooked by baking, broiling, or poaching. Dry heat techniques can also get rid of too much oiliness. Fat fish include tuna, salmon, and mackerel. As tasty as these fish are, you should watch out while cooking them to prevent overly greasy fish.
Fish and shellfish lend themselves well to moist-heat cooking methods, especially steaming, poaching and simmering. Steaming best preserves the food's natural flavors and cooks without adding fat. Poaching is also popular, especially for fish.
Poaching is a good technique for cooking lean fish, as well as fatty fish, and is usually best served with a sauce. Poaching preserves moisture and adds flavor without adding fat.
While baking and frying use heat to penetrate and cook foods thoroughly, these dry cooking environments often deplete food of its natural nutrition. However, steaming will heat food fibers without depleting their natural nutrition. As a result, food retains its natural vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
Researchers found steaming kept the highest level of nutrients. “Boiling vegetables causes water soluble vitamins like vitamin C, B1 and folate to leach into the water,” Magee said.
The steaming method does not require cooking with oil therefore it avoids producing unwanted fats. The resulting dishes are very light, healthier and gentle on the palate. When cooking fish and chicken, the steam dissolves the fat, making food lower in calories and more easily digestible.
Pan frying is a good choice for delicate and flaky fish. This cooking method creates a crispy crust, which is an excellent contrast to the flaky and tender center of the fish.
Poaching is a moist heat method of cooking by submerging food in some kind of liquid and heating at a low temperature. This is a technique that is used to cook delicate proteins such as fish, chicken, and eggs, as well as some fruits and vegetables.
Pickling is an easy method of preserving fish. Pickled fish must be stored in the refrigerator at no higher than 40 degrees F (refrigerator temperature) and for best flavor must be used within 4 to 6 weeks.
Nutrients remain intact: During the steaming process, the nutrients in the vegetables don't break or evaporate. Essential nutrients like vitamins remain intact and stay inside the food, unlike frying which can kill some nutrients.
Steam has more warmth and vitality than water. Due to its dormant warmth of vaporization, it will produce more burn than boiling water. Steam contains the heat energy of boiling water as well as the latent heat of vaporization.
Moist-heat cooking methods, such as boiling and steaming, are the healthiest ways to prepare meats and produce because they're done at lower temperatures. And if you're watching your weight, these styles are good for calorie management because they often don't require oil or butter, said Tricia Psota, Ph.
Steaming doesn't introduce foreign elements into your food, unlike other methods such as boiling, roasting, or frying. With your food's components untouched, it's more likely to retain its original flavours and textures, bringing out the best in your ingredients without the need for added seasoning.
Baked dishes offer fewer calories, and are great for weight loss. It saves time and maintains the natural vitamins to an extent. This makes it a good option for those trying to avoid heart diseases and live a healthy lifestyle.
Using moist-heat cooking methods -- poaching, steaming, braising or baking in parchment paper or foil -- and avoiding overcooking help keep lean fish succulent and flavorful. The Canadian Department of Fisheries' recommends 10 minutes of cooking time per inch of thickness.
Stir frying
Done in a large shallow pan or a wok. This method is especially good for fast and easy cooking of small pieces of fish or shellfish.
Poaching is a gentle cooking method well-suited to delicate foods such as fish, according to Nosrat. “Fish poached in water, wine, olive oil or any combination of the three will emerge with an exceptionally tender texture and clean flavor,” she says. Poached fish will stay moist while refrigerated for a day or two.