In order to give your loved ones a great fish dinner, you don’t have to be considered a great fisherman; you can simply buy a good product at the market. Having a kilogram or two of high-quality raw materials on hand, you need to know how to fry frozen fish in a frying pan. After all, this is the fastest way of cooking, which any novice cook can handle, and the result is always a delicious dish!
Proper defrosting of fish
Fresh fish is better than frozen fish. But it is not always possible to use only it. Many people are concerned about the question: “How to defrost fish correctly so that it retains its density and taste?” As a rule, this process is carried out illiterately. Since the product is simply placed in the sink or plate. Often such fish contains an excess of ice. When it melts, it absorbs it into itself. This leads to loss of elasticity and deterioration of properties.
That is why it is important for the product to slowly melt in the refrigerator first, preserving its taste and benefits. To prevent the meat from absorbing melt water, the fish should be placed in a colander with a container at the bottom. The product must be covered with film to prevent it from drying out. Defrosting in water is allowed. This is a faster way. When choosing this option, you should make sure that the water is at room temperature.
The product partially loses tissue juice, especially frozen fish fillets. To prevent this from happening, you need to place it in a sealed bag, changing the water periodically. This will make the defrosting process faster. If the fish is small frozen, then it is recommended to cut it without preliminary thawing. With the advent of microwaves, defrosting fish is even faster. But using this method, the product must be prepared immediately. Therefore, you need to think in advance what to cook from frozen fish.
Frozen fish falls apart: reasons - what to do?
Many housewives complain that frozen fish falls into pieces during the cooking process.
Frozen fish falls apart, reasons:
- Incorrect freezing technology . The plant that did the freezing used fairly high freezing temperatures rather than the dry method. Thus, the water that was inside the fish turned into crystals, causing damage to the fibers. As a result, the fish falls apart. It is best to purchase fish from trusted retail outlets, where the fish arrives immediately after catching.
- Incorrect frying process, using too cold oil . Under no circumstances should you place fish in a cold frying pan or fry it over low heat. At the very beginning, it is necessary to achieve the formation of a golden brown crust for 3-4 minutes. A fairly strong fire is used for this. The rosy, crispy crust is a sealing layer that will prevent deformation and crumbling of the fish.
- Improper storage of fish . A product that has been frozen and defrosted several times also has a damaged fiber structure, so it will definitely fall apart during the cooking process.
Fillet
If you bought such fish, you shouldn’t be upset. You can resort to some tricks.
Frozen fish falls apart, what to do:
- Take a liter of water, dissolve one tablespoon of salt, and place the product from the freezer for about two hours. Thanks to the salt solution, all the spaces inside will be saturated with liquid, the fish will become quite dense and will not fall apart during the cooking process.
- However, it may be watery. There are several other ways to prevent fish from deforming.
- Using batter. For these purposes, take two eggs, add 50 ml of milk and add about a tablespoon of flour. As a result, you will get a liquid dough. You need to dip pre-dried fish into it. Rinse the carcass, remove the ice crust, but do not completely defrost it. Season with salt and pepper, and be sure to wipe with a paper towel to ensure the surface is not wet. Only after this use the batter and fry over high heat until golden brown.
Fillet
Steps
1
Cooking fish without defrosting
- 1
Rinse frozen fish under running water to remove ice crystals from the surface.
The water should not be warm, as this promotes the growth of bacteria and, in addition, will saturate the fish with water. [2]
- Before cutting fish, wash your hands in warm, soapy water.
If the fish is not gutted, use cooking methods that involve thawing and remove the giblets.
- 2
Dry the fish with a paper towel.
This will remove any remaining ice and excess moisture from the scales.
- 3
Use special cooking methods if the pieces of fish are thick or if the recipe requires cooking at high temperatures.
Thick pieces of frozen fish will take longer to cook, so it's best to wrap them in foil or parchment paper. The ice chunks will evaporate and help the fish cook faster.[3] Reducing the cooking time is very important, especially if you are cooking on high heat, as follows:
- Grilling fish in tightly sealed foil bags prevents charring on the outside and overcooking on the inside.
If you fry fish in a pan, do not wrap it in foil. Instead, cover the pan once the fish begins to release its juices. The steam will help the fish cook through.[4]
- 4
Season the fish as it cooks.
A few minutes after you start cooking, the ice will melt and you can rub oil, butter or marinade into the fish.[5] If you want to cook breaded fish, then place it in a frying pan without defrosting and cover it with breading and spices. [6]
- 5
Frozen fish needs to be cooked twice as long as fresh fish.
However, you still save on defrosting. These are general guidelines, actual cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of the pieces. Check for doneness every few minutes using the tips below:
- Cut a small piece from the fish. The fish is ready if the meat is opaque at the scales and begins to lose transparency in the middle.[7]
If you have a thermometer, the internal temperature of the fish should reach 63ºC.[8]
2
Defrost and then cook
- 1
Thaw the fish for 8 hours in the refrigerator.
The lower the defrosting temperature, the less bacteria there will be on the fish. If you have time, leave the fish to defrost in the refrigerator overnight. [9] Keep refrigerator temperature below 8ºC.[10]
- Frozen food releases a lot of water as it thaws, so keep your fish in a container. To prevent the fish from absorbing a lot of water during the defrosting process, make holes in the container or place it in another container where excess water will drain.
Regular pieces of fish will take 8 hours to thaw. Large fish can take about 24 hours to thaw.
- 2
Defrost in cold water.
If you don't want to wait for the fish to defrost, place it in a Ziploc bag and place it in cold water.[11] Half a kilogram of fish will need about 1-2 hours to defrost. [12]
- Never use warm or room temperature water to avoid bacterial growth.
- 3
Defrost in the microwave.
This method is not particularly recommended. In the microwave, one part of the fish will become rubbery before the other thaws. However, this is the fastest defrosting method. You will need 3-6 minutes for 0.5 kg of fish. Check the fish constantly as it defrosts and separate pieces of fish from each other. [13]
- 4
After the fish becomes pliable, that is, not hard, it has thawed.
Cook it as you would cook it fresh, or look in the recipe section.
- Please note that the fish will be cold even after thawing.
3
Fish recipes
- 1
Learn how to cook fish.
If you are not used to cooking fish at home, but want to try new cooking methods, then review the basic instructions to find out the required temperature and cooking time. Fish is often grilled or baked. You can cook poached fish.
- 2
Decide what type of fish you are going to cook.
There are infinitely many varieties of fish, each with its own taste and appearance. Learn how to cook halibut, snapper, flounder, tilapia or salmon.
- Remember that frozen fish takes twice as long to cook as fresh fish.
- 3
Try new fish marinade recipes.
Unlike red meat, fish should be marinated for 5 to 15 minutes. Even frozen fish can be seasoned with marinade. Prepare fish fillet with sweet and sour sauce. Bake fish in cheese sauce. Grill the fish over smoldering coals. Make Mexican-style fish with tacos.
- 4
Master unique recipes.
Cooking fish shouldn't be difficult if you follow the instructions. Try making fish chowder, fish pie, fish and chips or kedgeree.
Step-by-step preparation
Prepare the ingredients. To cook fish fillet in a frying pan we will need: fish fillet (pressed or fresh); flour for breading; egg for batter; ground black pepper and salt.
Wash the fish fillet and dry with napkins. If the fillets are pressed portions, then there is no need to defrost them, otherwise they will fall apart into the pieces of which they are composed.
Pour flour into a separate flat plate. Add a pinch of salt and ground black pepper to the flour and stir.
Break the egg into a bowl, add a pinch of salt and beat with a fork until smooth.
Dredge fish fillets in flour on all sides.
Then dip the fillet in the egg on all sides.
Place the fillet in a hot frying pan and fry in vegetable oil on both sides until golden brown. If I have some beaten egg left over, I spread it a little at a time all over the fish.
Serve fried fish fillet with any side dish: boiled potatoes or rice; pasta, buckwheat or just a vegetable salad are also suitable. Bon appetit!
Hake, pollock, and cod fillets are suitable. Lately I have been trying to use pressed fillets in briquettes - they have no bones or skin. True, there is a risk of running into low-quality fillets.
How to choose the right pressed fillet? — it is better to choose fillets in transparent packaging. This way you can evaluate the color, approximate composition and structure of the fish, as well as, most importantly, the quality of freezing and the amount of water. - if the fillet has a yellowish coating, then you should not take it. Most likely the fillet is spoiled. — there shouldn’t be a lot of water in the carcass. In fact, the fillet should not be covered in ice. All the water accumulates inside the fillet. And that's enough. - the fillet should be the same color as regular fresh fish. — the fillet should not fall into pieces after defrosting. During cooking - maybe, but if the fillet immediately falls into pieces when defrosting without any manipulation on your part, then it means there was more water in it than needed. — the fish should smell like fish and nothing else.
Preparing fish for cooking
Let's say our product has already thawed. How to properly defrost fish was described above. Now we’ll tell you how to properly and competently organize the preparation stage.
It's really simple. First, the scales are cleaned. If necessary, the skin is removed, the entrails are removed, and everything is washed. To make it easier to clean the scales, the fish should be wet. It needs to be placed on a cutting board and held by the tail. With the other hand, using a knife or a special grater, remove the scales. When the fins are large and spiny, they are removed before cleaning by making cuts on both sides. If they are soft, they are simply cut off with scissors.
When a fish has no scales, but has very thick skin, some people remove it. This is also done with old large fish. If necessary, you can use a knife to separate the skin from the meat. After cleaning, the fish is gutted. To do this, an incision is made on the abdomen. Then, using the tip of a knife, you need to pull out the contents so as not to damage the gallbladder. If you cook it with the head, then the gills must be removed.
When all stages of preparation have been completed, the question naturally arises, if a dish has not yet been chosen: “What to cook from frozen fish?” This product can be boiled, stewed, fried or baked. In addition, you can make a side dish for the fish separately. Fresh, salted, pickled cucumbers and tomatoes, and various salads go great with it. Red sauces go well with fresh fish, and spicy ones with oily ones.
How to cook frozen fish in the oven?
It's very easy to cook frozen fish in the oven. To do this, you do not need to defrost it first. However, it is necessary to clean the insides, remove the dark film, and also remove the fins and tails.
Ingredients:
- Juice of one lemon
- 1 kg fish
- Salt
- Pepper
- Parsley
- Foil
- Vegetable oil
How to cook frozen fish in the oven:
- Remove the fish from the freezer, rub with salt and pepper and fill the cavity where the entrails were with parsley, having first chopped it finely. Now take each carcass and wrap it in a foil bag.
- It is necessary to ensure that the juice does not flow out of this bag and remains inside. During the cooking process, the fish will boil in this juice. It is necessary to place the workpieces in the oven at a temperature of 220 degrees.
- Cooking time is 30 minutes. After baking, remove the foil and sprinkle generously with lemon juice. Thanks to this cooking method, the fish will not fall apart and there is no need to defrost it.
In foil
Fried assorted fish fillet in batter
To make a chic dish of fish fillets, you just need to prepare a classic batter and serve the dish with a delicious sauce.
Ingredients
- Pike perch fillet - 1 pc.;
- Catfish fillet - 1 pc.;
- Whitefish fillet - 1 pc.;
- Vegetable oil - 150 ml;
- Eggs - 4-5 pcs.;
- Mineral water - 100 ml;
- Wheat flour - 120 g;
- Seasoning for fish - 1 tbsp;
- Salt - to taste;
- Homemade mayonnaise - 200 g;
- Chili pepper - 5 g;
- Pickled cucumber - 2 pcs.;
- Basil - 40 g;
- Black pepper - to taste.
How to quickly and deliciously fry fillet in batter with your own hands
- Defrost frozen fillets naturally at room temperature. To speed up the thawing process, sprinkle the fish with salt.
- Cut the defrosted fish into small pieces and place them in different bowls according to type. Lightly salt and season with aromatic seafood seasoning.
- Break the chicken eggs into a bowl and mix with wheat flour. You will get a thick mass. Add mineral water to the mixture and whisk thoroughly. Also season the batter with spices to taste.
- Place the frying pan on the fire, pour in vegetable oil and heat. Take one of the bowls of fish and dip each piece in turn into the batter.
- Fry the fillet in a frying pan for 4-5 minutes on each side. Then repeat the same manipulations with other types of fish.
- Take a wide dish, roughly divide it into three zones and lay out the fish by type.
- Now make the sauce for the fried delicacy: grate the pickled cucumbers on a coarse grater, finely chop the chili pepper. Wash fresh basil well, tear off the leaves and grind them in a blender. Combine all ingredients in one bowl and add homemade mayonnaise.
- Season the mixture with black pepper and serve.
Now you know how to deliciously fry frozen fish in a frying pan and how to serve it to make it even tastier!
You can decorate various fish treats with lemon, olives and your favorite herbs.
