Thread by @LesDaChef

As requested by @AndiMakinana, this is a thread on cooking seafood. #LesFoodFacts

I'll spare you all the technical stuff about types of fish. That is a whole week-long lecture on its own. So let's start at the fishmonger instead. How to tell if a fish is fresh or clean. #LesFoodFacts

Fresh fish doesn't have a "fishy" smell. It actually smells like the water it comes from. That fishy smell is caused by enzymes and bacteria on and in the skin of the fish. The longer the fish has been out of water the more "fishy" the smell #LesFoodFacts

Another tell-tale sign that a fish is old is the eyes. If they're grey or sunken in, the fish is old. Fishmongers are slick though, many will just chop the head off. #LesFoodFacts

Lastly the skin and scales are important too. If you press the fish gently and the indentation bounces back then the fish is relatively fresh. If your finger leaves a dent that doesn't bounce back, the fish is old. Also the scales of a fresh fish won't flake off #LesFoodFacts

Why am I explaining this? Coz it brings me to @AndiMakinana's question. Smell. Certain fish are smellier than others...

Tilapia is a fresh water fish, similar to catfish it likes muddy waters. The algae and bacteria in the muddy water are what causes the smell. To counter this commercial fisheries put fish into fresh water ponds for up to 2 weeks to cleanse that out #LesFoodFacts

Most tilapia fishermen aren't big commercial enterprises and so in Africa the step of putting the caught fish into clean water for a week rarely happens. #LesFoodFacts

So you need another solution then. Place the tilapia in a bath of really salty water for about 30mins to an hour and then in a bath of clean tap water for about an hour afterwards. This helps flush the impurities out a bit (not completely though) #LesFoodFacts

The other option is to poach the fish instead of grilling it. The poaching helps remove some of those impurities as well.

Alternatively you can poach it a little before grilling it. #LesFoodFacts

To tell if a fish is cooked just look out for that thick white liquid that oozes out on the side (chicken has the same). This is a sign that the proteins are coagulating in the fish. It means your fish is about to start to overcook. Take it out the oven/pan #LesFoodFacts

If you buy your fish whole or your salmon fillets with bones still in, use tweezers to remove the bones. It's why you'll always find tweezers in chef knife bags. Particularly for salmon or trout. In a fine dining restaurant your fish should never have sharp bones. #LesFoodFacts

The trick to cooking pan-seared fish is high heat in the pan. Place your fish skin-down on a plate of coarse sea salt (this draws moisture out the skin) for 30mins at least. Wipe the salt off & pat it dry. If you want crispy fish skin you start with dry fish skin #LesFoodFacts

To prevent the fish curling in, shallow slice through the skin first. It's why you'll see knife marks in your fish fillet at a restaurant. This keeps the fillet flat. You don't need to do this with a whole fish unless it's a small one #LesFoodFacts

Is frozen fish bad? Nope. Frozen fish is flash frozen right after it is caught, sometimes on the boats themselves. The problem is people defrost it incorrectly and kill the quality in the process. #LesFoodFacts

Another way to make sure you have moist fish is to cook it in a bag or in parchment paper (you find it in the baking section) in the oven. This keeps the moisture in whilst the fish is cooking. Don't bake it on a temp that is too low though #LesFoodFacts

The trick to fish not sticking to your braai grill? Get a basting brush, buy really cheap mayonnaise (I'm serious) and brush your grill before placing your fish down on it. The mayo also adds flavour but it's the oil in it you want (mayonnaise is 80% oil) #LesFoodFacts

If making a fish stew or a fish curry, you make the sauce first and only add the fish towards the end...unless you're making canned fish. You can ask the minister about that one. #LesFoodFacts

I was gonna tough on crab, prawns, crayfish, lobster, clams, oysters etc etc but this thread will never end shem. I'll save those for another day.

I have a vid on my Youtube channel where I demonstrate how to clean and braai prawns if you're interested in that #LesFoodFacts

Homely fish bake recipe lesdachef.wordpress.com/2014/01/11/hom…

My prawn, calamari and mussels bisque recipe lesdachef.wordpress.com/2020/04/27/my-…

Stuffed braai trout recipe lesdachef.wordpress.com/2015/09/17/sou…

How to make hollandaise sauce for seafood...
lesdachef.wordpress.com/2015/08/11/how…