Fishes, rich source of vitamins

Fishes, rich source of vitamins

Everyone likes to eat fish. Fishes are rich of vitamins. Do you want to know more about fishes, types of fishes ,how to cook fish, how to select a fish from market.etc..

We can divide fishes mainly into two- Fin fishes and shell fish

Fin fish are vertebrates and have skin and scale which cover the body. They move with the help of fins

Shell fish, by the name itself we understand that,have a shell covering the body. They are invertebrates.

But here I am not telling about structure of these type of fishes. I am going tell how we can cook these types of fishes.

For the cooking of fishes there are different steps –first we want to go to market and want to buy fishes it is our first step and the most important step, because we want fresh fishes to cook. Do you know how to select fresh fishes?.

Here are some tips to select fresh fishes

1) Eyes should be bright and not sunken

2) Gills should be red.

3) The tail should be stiff.

4) The flesh should be firm and not flabby.

5) The scales if any should be plentiful.

6) There should be no unpleasant odor.

7) To test a cut piece, press down with a finger, and if an impression is left then the fish is stale.

8) Any tendency for the raw flesh to come away from the bones is a dangerous sign.

Keep above points in mind when selecting fish:

Now the second step is cleaning.  I hope you know the things to get cleaned fish, You should clean it using good amount of water to get it properly cleaned. It will not  be a a hectic task for the normal house wifes.

 Do you know how to clean fishes?

1) To scale, use the blunt side of the knife. Holding the fish by the tail, scrape firmly from the tail towards the head. Wash well to remove any loose scale.

2) Remove fins and trim tail.

3) To clean fish such as herrings, mackerel,etc., silt the belly, using a pair of kitchen scissors,from the head to almost half way down. Remove the head if desired.

4) In the case of flate fish such as pomfret,etc., cut awaythe gills, and make a small opening in the belly.remove the entrails and wash well. If the head is to be removed, do this with a semicircular cut at the base of the head.

Are You in hurry ? Ok, Lets start cooking :)

Before Move on, Here are some tips to cook fish properly.

The flesh of the fish is very delicate and therefore, great care must be taken to prevent the fish from breaking during cooking. When boiling or cooking fish, the liquid should be at simmering point before fish is added as the connective tissue in fish is softer and the quantity is less than in meat. When preparing fish stew or fish curry, fish is put into cold liquid to flavor the gravy as well. Whole fish may also be covered with a cold liquid and brought to boil. This is done to prevent shrinkage of the skin. Steaming is a not a special method of cooking fish as it is a gentle method. Fish cookery is not a special method of cooking. All methods of cooking can be applied bearing in mind that delicacy of the flesh of the fish and the fat content of the fish determine the cooking method. The time taken is always much less than for cooking meat. An average timetable follows, but much depends on the size and shape of the fish.

Different methods to cook fish

Boiling of fish:  fish is generally boiled in a court bouillon. The stock after fish is boiled can be used as a base for different type of sauces. Fish is cooked when the flesh separates easily from the bone. Test at the thickest part nearer the bone. It there is no bone then the fish is considered done when a cremy substance begins to run from the fish.

Steaming of fish: place the fish in a steamer. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. The water in the steamer must be fast boiling all the time the fish is cooking, if large, the fish can be turned once. Test as for boiling.

Grilling of fish: Heat the grill and grease the rack. Clean fish. Sprinkle over with salt, pepper and lime juice. Gashes should be made on the fish to allow heat to penetrate, otherwise the outside becomes dry before the inside cooked.

Frying of fish: Fish can be fried whole, if small, or cut into steaks or fillets or pieces if large. For cut pieces , it is preferable to coat the fish with egg and breadcrumbs or seasoned flour and milk.

Baking of fish: This method is most suitable for medium sized fish or the middle portion of a large fish. Scale and clean,but leave the head and tail on.

These are the different methods usually we use to cook fishes. I think you understand all these things…..how to select fishes from market, how to clean fishes and cooking of fishes. 

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