Whether you fancy testing some exotic tilapia fish recipes or perhaps a delicious baked catfish recipe, you might think that baking fish is easy. It is indeed an uncomplicated way of cooking fish but there are a few tips and tricks you should know, to guarantee your baked fish recipes turn out great.
Baking cooks fish quickly at a high temperature and you can bake fish fillets, steaks, whole fish, or seafood.
Baking is one of the most popular ways to cook fish but the problem a lot of people have is their fish drying out. If you leave the fish in the oven for as little as 2 minutes too long, this might dry it out. Dried out fish is actually when the fish oil is removed by allowing too much baking time. You have to be quite vigilant and check it often. Remember too that fish continues to cook once you have removed it from the oven.
Choosing and Preparing Your Fish
When you purchase a fish, there are a few things to look out for here are just a few. The gills should be red or pink and the eyes should appear bright, clear and be slightly protruding. If the gills are gray and the eyes are pink, cloudy, or sunken, it is stale and you should choose a different fish.
Whether you are shopping for fish to make cheesy baked cod fish recipes or herby tilapia fish recipes, you should follow the same rule: if you use very fresh fish, your recipe has more chance of being a great success.
In order to get the best results from your baked fish recipes, you need to make sure the fish is defrosted properly. Frozen fish is just as nutritious as fresh fish and keeps in the freezer for weeks or even months, depending on the fish. You should defrost the fish on the lower shelves of the refrigerator for 8 to 12 hours.
If you want the fish to be defrosted sooner, you can place it in cold water and add 3 to 4 tablespoons of salt. Then it will defrost in a couple of hours. Defrosted or fresh fish in the refrigerator should be used within 24 hours for the best fish recipe results.
Depending on what kind of baked fish recipe you are making, you might want to marinate the fish fillets in salt and lemon before cooking for firmer flesh, a fresh taste and to make it easier to handle. You can also soak your fish in water with vinegar before baking, to make it sweeter, more tender and hold its shape better.
Baking Your Fish
Because fish contains natural oils, it is not compulsory to add oil or fat before baking. To ensure the fish stays moist, you might like to brush a little oil or butter on top of it before cooking or top the fish with seasoned breadcrumbs or thinly sliced vegetables. There are many tilapia fish recipes, which make use of vegetables or breadcrumbs to add flavor and texture.
Fish usually needs to be baked for 10 minutes for every inch of its thickness. Unless the fish is less than inch thick, it will need to be turned halfway through the cooking time. Most baked recipes call for a cooking temperature of about 450F.
Cooking times also vary depending on the density of the fish. While cooking fish, tuck any thin ends underneath so it cooks evenly. The fish is done when it is opaque all the way through, when it is 145F in the center, or when you can easily flake the flesh at its thickest point with a fork.
If you want to stop fish from sticking to the pan and therefore breaking up when trying to remove it, a good tip is to place the fish on a bed of celery, onions, or both. This will also give the fish extra flavor.
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