Simple fish tips ? Give me Yours :)

[Mylegsbig]

Hey guys gonna cook up some fish tonight. filets. gonna just pan fry em for like 3 minutes a side in my SS calphalon

gonna use olive oil, salt, and lemon.

But - I would like to get a fresh herb i can mince and throw on top of the completed fish.

Do you have any ideas? The only thing that comes to mind instantly is dillweed, and i dont eat it.

How would fresh parsley do?

Also, hmm. What type of a side dish could i whip up with said meal?

Something simple would be nice. Throw your ideas my way, i'd appreciate it.

Also - Question.

Ive seen people in the past mix butter and olive oil together to get a higher smoke point to brown up their fish.

If im cooking like 3 6oz fish filets, About how much of each should i use?

What is the ratio of olive oil to butter? Should i cook them at medium high?

Also, Should i get the olive oil cooking first, then add the butter, or throw in the butter, then when it starts to smoke, throw in the olive oil?

Cheers guys.

[GotGarlic]

Originally Posted by Mylegsbig

Hey guys gonna cook up some fish tonight. filets. gonna just pan fry em for like 3 minutes a side in my SS calphalon

gonna use olive oil, salt, and lemon.

But - I would like to get a fresh herb i can mince and throw on top of the completed fish.

Do you have any ideas? The only thing that comes to mind instantly is dillweed, and i dont eat it.

How would fresh parsley do?

Also, hmm. What type of a side dish could i whip up with said meal?

Something simple would be nice. Throw your ideas my way, i'd appreciate it.

Also - Question.

Ive seen people in the past mix butter and olive oil together to get a higher smoke point to brown up their fish.

If im cooking like 3 6oz fish filets, About how much of each should i use?

What is the ratio of olive oil to butter? Should i cook them at medium high?

Also, Should i get the olive oil cooking first, then add the butter, or throw in the butter, then when it starts to smoke, throw in the olive oil?

Cheers guys.

Hey, Legs. I do this all the time with tilapia. I put 1/4 tsp. each of salt, pepper, and dried basil with 1/4 cup of flour, dredge the fish, and pan-fry in 1 tbsp. each of butter and olive oil heated together over medium-high till the butter stops bubbling, 2-3 minutes per side till golden brown and delicious, as AB would say

For a fresh herb, parsley would do fine, as would tarragon or thyme. For a side dish, lemon rice would be good. Just juice a lemon into the water or chicken broth for your rice, and mix in some lemon zest in when it's done. I like to sprinkle lemon juice over the fish when it's done, too; it seems to have a brighter flavor that way, so I serve the fish with lemon wedges.

To jazz up the rice, you could saute some onion first, then saute the rice for a few minutes, making it a rice pilaf.

HTH.

[Mylegsbig]

wow...that about sums it up no?

lol...

Can you elaborate on the mixing olive oil and butter procedure though friend?

cheers.

[buckytom]

legs, how about making a compund butter for the fish? it works well on broiled fish, but you could drizzle some on fried fish as well.

i like dill/basil butter, but you mentioned that you don't like dill.

parsley and minced garlic butter is another favourite.

as far as the butter and oil goes, while the oil (enough to coat the pan well) is heating over medium high heat, toss in a tbsp or so of butter, let it melt. it will foam a bit then settle down. then it's ready for the fish.

[Mylegsbig]

thank you friend.

i love compound butters.

as a matter of fact, i used a compound butter last night over some center cut filets. it was butter/roastedgarlic/roquefort cheese.

For this fish dish, im not looking towards a topping. I was just gonna sprinkle it with some lemon and some fresh herbs.

never mixed the butter and oil before, lets see how it turns out.

[jennyema]

IMO the most important tip for cooking any kind of fish is to make sure that the fish is FRESH.

Always smell "fresh" fish before you buy it. If it smells at all "fishy" it's old and you should make tater tots for dinner instead.

[Mylegsbig]

absolutely jenny

learned that early on.

im like you in that regard - any time someone brings up fish, i always tell them to inspect the texture of their fish, ask what day it came in, and to smell it.

its amazing how many people dont look at ANY of those three criteria.

[jennyema]

Originally Posted by Mylegsbig

its amazing how many people dont look at ANY of those three criteria.

I agree. You see people do this every day at the Stop and Shop.

[college_cook]

What kind of fish are you cooking?

I love fish because of its variety and because it works well with so many things. If you feel like you want to fancy up your fish tonight, you could make a lemon-thyme buerre blanc.

[Mylegsbig]

College, hello friend

Not sure what type of fish ill be cooking.

i typically go in and pick out whatever is the freshest.

Not in Houston anymore, so pickings are a bit more slim.

My friend, any chance you could tell me how to make a lemon thyme buerre blanc?