Fish tweezer vs. needle nose pliers

IMO, fish recipes are best when they are simplest. Since the flavor is generally so delicate, just changing the method of cooking allows you to highlight so many different things.

Originally Posted by iammatt

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IMO, fish recipes are best when they are simplest. Since the flavor is generally so delicate, just changing the method of cooking allows you to highlight so many different things.

that's exactly right. but the main thing is that fish is also physically delicate. if you're used to grilling steaks or braising chuck, that can really throw you off. the difference in perfect and grievously overcooked for a piece of salmon is about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.

Originally Posted by foodguy

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that's exactly right. but the main thing is that fish is also physically delicate. if you're used to grilling steaks or braising chuck, that can really throw you off. the difference in perfect and grievously overcooked for a piece of salmon is about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.
No doubt. I forget how, for lack of a better word, violent people can be toward food while cooking.

Originally Posted by iammatt

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No doubt. I forget how, for lack of a better word, violent people can be toward food while cooking.

It's obvious that you read poetry, young master Mathew.

FWIW, I cook salmon like once a decade. Last week was the first time in forever.

yeah, i don't cook it much anymore either ... not since the california/oregon catch disappeared and it's all like $25 a pound. still, do love a well-cooked piece. used to do a party dish -- take a side of salmon and cook it in a 250-degree oven with a pan of boiling water underneath. awesome. also like the TK method of using the back of a knife to squeegee the moisture out of the skin, then cooking it 90% on one side only so the skin crisps up really nice but the meat stays moist.

i still don't understand why the eyeballs of my striped bass the other week popped out of the skull while braising.

Originally Posted by foodguy

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yeah, i don't cook it much anymore either ... not since the california/oregon catch disappeared and it's all like $25 a pound. still, do love a well-cooked piece. used to do a party dish -- take a side of salmon and cook it in a 250-degree oven with a pan of boiling water underneath. awesome. also like the TK method of using the back of a knife to squeegee the moisture out of the skin, then cooking it 90% on one side only so the skin crisps up really nice but the meat stays moist.
That Scottish farmed salmon isn't too bad. It's certainly better than most. I cooked a thick, 2.5 lb piece last week, and it came out great. Basically seared it lightly and roasted it until it was no longer cold inside, then let it rest a bit so it was just warm. I guess I am kind of wimpy about eating rare wild salmon, so the Loch Duart is an OK compromise if my wife really wants salmon or, as in this case, we are having guests who basically equate salmon with good food. Gratuitous pics: Carved:

Originally Posted by mharwitt

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i still don't understand why the eyeballs of my striped bass the other week popped out of the skull while braising.
Lots of pressure in eyeballs. Next time, just take a coffee spoon and scoop them out before you cook them.

Originally Posted by iammatt

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Lots of pressure in eyeballs. Next time, just take a coffee spoon and scoop them out before you cook them.

that's what i plan to do in the future, but was something done wrong? is this common with braising v. other methods of cooking fish, or with bass v. other types of fish?

Originally Posted by mharwitt

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that's what i plan to do in the future, but was something done wrong? is this common with braising v. other methods of cooking fish, or with bass v. other types of fish?
No clue at all.

ah well. thanks anyways

Originally Posted by mharwitt

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i still don't understand why the eyeballs of my striped bass the other week popped out of the skull while braising.

that's just what happens sometimes. muscle contracts under heat ... pop!
either that or it was SHOCKED at the sauce you were using.

Originally Posted by foodguy

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that's just what happens sometimes. muscle contracts under heat ... pop!
either that or it was SHOCKED at the sauce you were using.

i bought it at seafood city. maybe it was making fun of my big american eyes.

Has anybody read or tried this seafood cookbook, Olivier Roellinger's Contemporary French Cuisine: 50 Recipes Inspired by the Sea?

I'm not really into french cooking, but he's supposed to be the best seafood chef in France who won three Michelin Stars only to return them shortly after he won them.

Originally Posted by foodguy

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the difference in perfect and grievously overcooked for a piece of salmon is about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.

I know that restaurants consider medium-rare salmon to be cooked perfectly, but is that really safe for the home cook?

We're not getting the same quality of fish that top restaurants get. And, then, of course, other restaurants down the line ape that style even if they're not using the same quality fish.

Even then, we're still talking about a anadromous fish that spends significant time in fresh waters where it can pick up parasites and bacteria and tapeworms.

Originally Posted by foodguy

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take a side of salmon and cook it in a 250-degree oven with a pan of boiling water underneath. awesome.

Sounds interesting as a way to keep the salmon meat moist. But, aren't you losing the textural contrast between crispy skin and moist flesh underneath with this method?

Could you have tried something like searing it first on the stove, and then finishing it in oven? Or, first pop it in oven at something like 400 degrees for brief period and then finishng it in oven at 250 degrees?