If you have some delicious tilapia fish recipes to try out or some mouthwatering baked cod dish you have wanted to make, you might be thinking that baking fish is easy. To be honest, there is nothing too difficult about it but there are a few tips and tricks that will take your baked fish recipes to the next level and guarantee perfection.
You can bake whole fish, fish fillets or steaks and seafood in the oven. Baking fish cooks it quickly at a high temperature.
Baking is one of the most popular ways to cook fish but the problem a lot of people have is their fish drying out. If you leave the fish in the oven for as little as 2 minutes too long, this might dry it out. Dried out fish is actually when the fish oil is removed by allowing too much baking time. You have to be quite vigilant and check it often. Remember too that fish continues to cook once you have removed it from the oven.
Choosing and Preparing Fish for Baked Fish Recipes
Check, the eyes of the fish you plan to buy are bright, slightly protruding, and clear. The gills should be red or pink. If the fish has cloudy, pink or sunken eyes and gray gills, it is stale and you should choose another one.
Whether you are shopping for fish for a tasty baked cod dish or delicious tilapia fish recipes, the same rules apply. If the fish is very fresh, your recipe will turn out better.
You must defrost the fish well to get the best results from the fish recipes. Frozen fish is just as nutritious as fresh fish and you can keep fish frozen for up to several months. You should defrost the fish for 8 to 12 hours on one of the lowest shelves in the refrigerator.
If you want the fish to be defrosted sooner, you can place it in cold water and add 3 to 4 tablespoons of salt. Then it will defrost in a couple of hours. Defrosted or fresh fish in the refrigerator should be used within 24 hours for the best fish recipe results.
Depending on what kind of baked fish recipe you are making, you might want to marinate the fish fillets in salt and lemon before cooking for firmer flesh, a fresh taste and to make it easier to handle. You can also soak your fish in water with vinegar before baking, to make it sweeter, more tender and hold its shape better.
How to Get the Best Results from Baked Fish Recipes
Fish contains natural oils so it is not necessary to add fat or oil before baking. These natural oils will keep the fish moist as long as you do not overcook it. To make sure the fish remains moist while cooking, you might want to top it with some thinly sliced vegetables or seasoned breadcrumbs. There are plenty of tilapia fish recipes, which use vegetables or breadcrumbs to add texture and taste. Alternatively, you can brush some oil or melted butter over the top of the fish before cooking.
Fish usually needs to be baked for 10 minutes for every inch of its thickness. Unless the fish is less than inch thick, it will need to be turned halfway through the cooking time. Most baked recipes call for a cooking temperature of about 450F.
To make sure fillets cook evenly, tuck any thin ends underneath. Cooking times can be affected by the density of your fish. You know the fish is ready when it is 145F internally, when the flesh is opaque all the way through or when you can flake it easily with a fork at its thickest point.
If you want to stop fish from sticking to the pan and therefore breaking up when trying to remove it, a good tip is to place the fish on a bed of celery, onions, or both. This will also give the fish extra flavor.
