HOW TO
cook fish
Most seafood should be cooked to an internal temperature of 63°C .
frying
Cooking time: 5-6 minutes for thinner portions of fish and 6-7 minutes for thicker fillets.
- Prepare by seasoning or crumbing the fish portions or fillets.
- Put oil in pan and add the fish once the oil is hot.
- Fry the skin side of the fillet for two-thirds of the allocated time – or until its colour changes from translucent to white – then turn over.
- The fish is cooked when the flesh is white and separates easily with a fork.
*Top tip for crispy skin: Pan-fry on medium to high heat, and do not move the fish!
COOKING TIP: How do you cook the perfect hake?
From the set of VIA’s Kookpunt, Chef Chris Erasmus shares his top tip for cooking hake – and it involves ‘the kiss’!
baking
White flaky fish, such as hake, kingklip, dorado or even snoek, typically bakes really well.
Cooking time: 8-10 minutes for thinner portions of fish and 10-14 minutes for thicker fillets.
- Prepare by seasoning the fish or covering it with olive oil, butter, seasoned crumbs or any other topping you like.
- Line a tray with baking paper, add fillets with their skin side facing upwards and bake for 8-14 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish.
- Alternatively, use a sheet of foil and rub the fish with olive oil. Place it on the foil, season to your liking, add some lemon juice to provide liquid for steaming and seal the edges of the foil to form a packet. Bake for 12-20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish.
The fish is cooked when the flesh is clear and separates easily with a fork.
steaming
Hake steams well due to its flaky nature.
Cooking time: Steam for 8-10 minutes until the fish is cooked through.
How to prepare: Season the fish to your liking, then place the fillet in a steamer and cover with a lid. If steaming in a saucepan, fill the pan with a layer of water and place the steamer on top. Heat the water to a gentle simmer and add the fish. Make sure that the fish does not come into contact with the water.
Seasoning suggestions: Be sure to season beforehand and finish off with a squeeze of lemon when done. You can also opt to incorporate an Asian flavour by using scallions, garlic, ginger, chilli and soy sauce.
braaiing
Snoek, yellowtail and trout make great whole fish braais. You can also make a parcel with foil and cook most types of fish fillets or steaks this way, with seasoning and lemon juice or another liquid that will allow the fish to stay moist when cooking.
Cooking time: Around 15 minutes
How to prepare: Make sure the snoek is dry before you apply any basting or seasoning. Ideally, you should braai your snoek ‘open’, with or without foil (which will keep it from sticking to the grid or burning).
Seasoning suggestions: The combination of butter, garlic, apricot jam and lemon juice works really well on snoek.
Share This page:
