Many of us love fried fish, especially when it's cooked just right: slightly crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. There is no doubt that this is a very appetizing meal. Whether you purchased this product at the store or got your own catch, everyone should learn how to fry fish.
The most difficult moment in the cooking process lies in the time - it is important not to dry out this delicate delicate product. That is why it is important to understand how long to fry the fish until it is fully cooked.
Which type is better?
With so many types of fish available today, it can get confusing as to which one is best. For frying, it is better to take lean sea or river varieties: trout, striped bass, sea bass, pollock, tilapia and cod. As a rule, white meat breeds taste best when roasted. Before frying river fish, you need to properly cut it: freshwater species often have scales that need to be cleaned off, and also have a lot of bones, which it is advisable to remove during pre-processing.
Why is this so? First of all, because for cooking in a frying pan you need to use a certain amount of vegetable or butter (what is better to fry fish in is a matter of personal preference). For this reason, fatty species such as salmon, tuna or Chilean sea bass can become too oily and unappealing when cooked. These varieties are best cooked on the grill or in a broiler.
Preparatory stage
So, you have purchased a good white fish. You can choose what you will cook it in - flour or breadcrumbs. Using this layer of powder will give the product more texture and volume. This will also determine how long to fry the fish in a pan. If you are going to roll it in flour, first dip the pieces in a bowl of milk or raw egg for three to five minutes. This helps avoid burning.
Take a frying pan, pour in a few tablespoons of oil, preferably one specifically designed for heating to high temperatures. The latter include safflower, sunflower and grape seed oil. You can also use ghee, which will give the product a distinctive taste. In any case, the container must be well lubricated - you need to cover the bottom. No matter how long you fry the fish in a frying pan, the layer of oil should be sufficient. It is only important that the pieces do not float in it.
How to properly and quickly fry frozen fish in a frying pan: step-by-step recipe
If you plan to fry frozen fish that has not been pre-processed, then you need to remove the scales, internal organs and trim the fins. It is more convenient to do this when the fish is not completely defrosted. And it thawed enough to yield to the blade.
Important: In some types you need to remove the skin - otherwise it will taste bitter. This applies to flounder and eel.
Prepare:
- Fish carcass weighing about 1-1.2 kg
- Lemon – 0.5 pcs.
- Pepper mixture – 1 tsp.
- Parsley – 30 g
- Butter – 50 g
- Vegetable oil for frying – 2-3 tbsp. l.
- Water – 1 l
- Salt – 1 tbsp. l.
- Sugar – 1 tbsp. l.
This recipe produces the most tender and juicy fish
. Cooking process:
- Immerse the defrosted and cut fish in a sweet and salty solution for 10-15 minutes. If you are frying a whole carcass, make cross-shaped cuts on both sides to soak the meat inside.
- Meanwhile, chop the parsley (you can use any other greens), squeeze the juice from the lemon.
- Prepare the flour on a plate for breading and, if you like spices for fish, add them to the flour - they will not be superfluous.
- Pour oil into the frying pan. It can be cold, but definitely dry. Don't skimp on fat for your fish. Its quantity depends on the size of the carcass pieces.
- Remove the fish from the brine and dry thoroughly with napkins to remove moisture! Rub with pepper and your favorite seasonings. Roll in flour or breadcrumbs, shaking off excess.
- The oil should be hot and well heated. We arrange the pieces of fish so that they do not touch each other. Fry on each side until golden brown over medium heat.
- 5 minutes before the end, add butter. When it melts, add chopped herbs. Simmer the fish in this on each side for 2 minutes, regularly pouring the butter sauce over it.
- Finally, add lemon juice. Hold the fish on one side and the other for 5-10 seconds to soak it in lemon juice. Remove and decorate at your discretion with herbs or lemon slices.
How to fry fish in a frying pan in flour?
People often avoid cooking fish for many reasons, including fear of an unpleasant smell in the apartment. But the main reason why people do not dare to undertake a culinary experiment is that many do not know how to fry fish in a frying pan in flour. This is especially true for fillets, because they are very tender.
Heat a frying pan and wait until the oil gets hot. It is advisable to sprinkle a few drops of water into it - if the contents of the container begin to hiss and splash, you can start cooking. Place the fish in the pan. It is advisable to prepare the “front” surface first. Usually the skinless side is assumed. Once your fish is in the pan, gently adjust it with a wooden spatula to prevent sticking.
Trout in egg and flour, fried in a frying pan
Tasty and tender trout can also be cooked in a frying pan. To do this you need to take the following products:
- trout – 1 kilogram;
- lemon - half;
- egg - 1 piece;
- flour two tablespoons;
- sunflower oil - three tablespoons;
- spices - to taste.
Cooking time – 50 minutes.
Calorie content 170 kcal per 100 g.
But the recipe for whole fried trout in flour and egg in a frying pan has several minor differences from preparing pollock:
You can decorate the dish with herbs and the remaining half of a lemon, and serve with boiled potatoes.
- It is better to cut fish with a large carcass, such as salmon, trout, into portioned pieces, but roach or crucian carp can be fried whole, having previously cut on the sides;
- To improve the taste of sea fish, at the preparatory stage, after defrosting and cleaning, it is marinated in lemon juice or wine;
- It is easy to avoid sticking to the bottom of the pan using breading: flour, eggs, crackers or seasoning;
- It is better to fry fish in sunflower or olive oil; if desired, you can add a little butter;
- The heat should be medium, otherwise the fish will burn and not cook properly;
- Wipe all utensils that were used for cooking fish with vinegar or lemon juice, this will easily remove unpleasant odors and mucus;
- It is better to immediately remove all waste after cleaning and cutting the carcass to avoid the spread of infection.
Cook with pleasure and enjoy juicy fish with a crispy crust.
In public catering establishments, Thursday was considered a fish day. And this is no coincidence. The product has a beneficial effect on health. It contains many vitamins, minerals and proteins. This section of the article talks about fried fish dishes, their variations and cooking features.
Roasting time
How long to fry fish in a frying pan? This process usually takes about three to four minutes on one side. Then you should carefully turn each piece over. The fish generally takes about 10 minutes to cook for every 3cm of thickness. Obviously, most species are smaller in size. Use a wide spatula to turn pieces. Be careful not to damage the fish. Cook for another three to four minutes on the other side. You can navigate visually - the meat should turn white and be easily pierced with a fork.
Carefully lift the fish out of the pan using a spatula. Place into bowls and serve immediately with a few lemon wedges and chopped parsley.
What rules should you keep in mind?
First of all, you need to use a frying pan with a thick bottom. You need to get it very hot before you start cooking. This is done over medium heat for several minutes. It is advisable to use a non-stick steel or cast iron frying pan, but a regular one will work too. Modern cookware can ensure that the skin of the pieces will not stick, but you will not be able to get a brown crust. But you can understand how to fry without oil. Therefore, the choice depends only on you.
Sticking of the product to the dishes can happen for two reasons: either the fish is not dry enough, or the pan is not heated well. To avoid this, be sure to wipe each piece of product with a tissue.
Use a neutral oil, such as canola or grapeseed oil, to avoid any off-odors. Heat it well in the pan - it should sizzle loudly when you add the fish.
Why is grilled fish so healthy?
Grilling is the oldest method of cooking, simple, natural and healthy. It is no coincidence that they say that everything ingenious is simple, and humanity has not yet come up with anything simpler than frying food on hot coals.
Grilling preserves the natural flavor of the fish, which is complemented by the subtle aroma of herbs, spices and smoke if you cook outdoors.
Grilled fish is similar to fried fish due to the browned, crispy exterior, but without the disadvantages of fried foods. Everyone knows that when heated, vegetable oils emit carcinogenic substances that are harmful to health; in addition, fried fish becomes saturated with fat and becomes more nutritious.
Grilled fish retains not only all vitamins, minerals and trace elements, but also antioxidants, which strengthen the immune system and protect the body from premature aging.
How to make fish with crispy skin?
Almost any fish sold with the skin on can be cooked crispy. Salmon or perch are good for this purpose.
Make several shallow cuts along the edges of the fillet pieces if the skin is particularly thin. This will help prevent curling.
Sprinkle fish fillets or pieces with salt and pepper just before cooking. If you salt too early, moisture will begin to be released from the meat. This will leave the skin soggy and the meat tough and dry.
Use a pan that distributes heat evenly. Cast iron, stainless steel, or heavy-duty nonstick models are best. They are easiest to bring to the desired temperature and maintain it.
Place the pieces in the hot oil, skin side down. When using a cast iron or stainless steel pan, the skin and piece may stick slightly to the bottom at first. But after a while she will fall behind on her own.
From high temperatures, the protein in the meat will begin to coagulate, and the fish will begin to shrink and change shape. When this happens, the skin will remain attached only at the outer edges. Take a flexible spatula and press down on the meat until it is completely deformed. This ensures that the skin stays attached and comes out crispy.
How long to fry fish in a frying pan until crispy?
Let the fish fry on its own. Do not turn or move it around the pan. Watch the cooking process carefully to avoid burning. The skin on each piece should not reach the consistency of chips. When you can see a golden brown hue on the skin, carefully slide a spatula under each piece and flip it over.
The fish will likely flake and fall apart, so be very careful. At the moment, the completion rate is about 70 percent. How long to fry fish in a frying pan until done? You only have a couple of minutes left to prepare the second side.
Fry the fish until golden brown
Our ancestors did not even think about how long it took to fry fish in a frying pan. To tell the truth, there weren’t even dishes in those days. The cave woman, as a rule, simply threw food into the fire, occasionally bothering to put a fish on a stick.
Several hundred years have passed since then. Over the years, humanity has learned about bacteria, intestinal infections and sanitary standards. Thus, it is customary to soak river fish in a saline solution in order to rid the meat of parasites invisible to our eyes. In addition, this processing method allows you to eliminate the very unpleasant smell of mud. As an alternative method of disinfection, it is proposed to sprinkle the carcass with an alcohol and vinegar solution, leave for half an hour in the refrigerator and rinse under running cold water.
And to make sure that fish products are safe, in modern society it is customary to cook fish in a frying pan at an oil temperature of at least 150 degrees Celsius. This method of heat treatment allows you not only to protect yourself from pests, but also to get a very tasty and appetizing dish.
How many minutes to fry the fish in a frying pan until the meat is completely cooked depends largely on the habitat of the aquatic inhabitant, for example:
- marine fish species, such as flounder and halibut, are usually fried on each side for 5 minutes;
- the fillet of these same inhabitants of the deep sea will be ready after 3 minutes of frying on each side;
- river fish, for example, mackerel, perch or crucian carp, as a whole, is fried for about 5-6 minutes;
- small fish will acquire an appetizing golden crust after just 2-3 minutes of frying.
As an additional processing, and to make the fillet especially soft and tender, it is advisable to steam the fish after frying. To do this, place it in a small saucepan and simmer in the oven at a temperature of 220 degrees for about 5 minutes. Although this point is not mandatory.
Side dishes for fried fish
It is advisable to serve this fillet with a side dish of lentils or any other cooked legume product. You can combine fried fish with a spoon of yogurt mixed with olive oil, salt and pepper, as well as fresh chopped vegetables - cucumber and radish with garlic. Perch is traditionally served on a bed of greens with vegetable salad.
You can also make a side dish in the form of fried cabbage, boiled spinach or raw Chinese cabbage. The fish is served with chips, couscous or rice. In fact, your possibilities are endless. If desired, you can prepare tartar sauce, which will go well with any of the side dishes.
Indian mackerel
Many of us are accustomed to seeing smoked or salted mackerel as a snack. But today we want to share with you a recipe for fried mackerel with spicy dressing. Believe me: this way it will turn out no worse, and perhaps you will completely abandon its salted-smoked version.
Compound:
- 500 g mackerel;
- 1 onion;
- 1 tbsp. l. tomato paste;
- 2 tsp. ground red pepper;
- frying oil;
- spices.
Preparation:
- First of all, you need to cut, wash and cut the fish into pieces.
- Finely chop the onion. Mix it with tomato paste, pepper, coriander, salt and other spices.
- Roll the fish pieces in the resulting sauce and leave to marinate for 20 minutes.
- Heat sunflower oil in a thick-bottomed frying pan and fry the fish pieces over medium heat.
- When the bottom is nicely browned, carefully turn the fish over to the other side and continue cooking for a few more minutes.
- Fried mackerel will be very tasty if served hot with a side dish of fresh vegetables or rice. Bon appetit!
