Is steeping the best way to cook fresh fish? Steeping is pouring hot liquid over the fish or setting the fish in hot liquid to cook, which is less damaging to the flesh than boiling or poaching.
From an article in Bon Appetit by Dan Baldwin:
Many fish recipes call for hot and fast cooking, like pan-roasting or broiling, where the risk of smoke and splatter is high and the juicy and tender “doneness window” is brief. You’re left with a dry, tough, fishy-tasting result and a smelly, messy kitchen if it passes you by. Steeping, however, is slow and gentle, meaning it doesn’t require constant vigilance. The doneness window is wide, which gives you a high probability of serving your fish at its best; plus, the technique is odorless and requires no additional fat.
We tried it recently to cook salmon using fish stock with excellent results. We cut the salmon into strips, like mini portions, so it would cook evenly. We still like pan-searing best for salmon because of the crispy edges, but steeping is very helpful with less fatty fish like cod, haddock, tilapia, and snapper, which tend to dry out when baked, broiled, or grilled.
Have you tried steeping fish?
Photo By Emma Fishman, Food Styling By Susie Theodorou