Fish fillets roll up when I drop them in the pan ..

[redmike]

I recently discovered a local rock-fish which is very tasty and has a good solid texture - well I like a meat like texture to my fish but maybe some people don't.

Anyway I have tried pan-frying them twice (with a sprinkling of oregano and chile powder) and the only problem that I've had is that the fillets roll up as soon as they hit the hot oil making it more difficult to cook them.

Any ideas? Thanks,

Mike

P.S. I have poured melted butter with added lime juice onto them after they're cooked and they taste great.

 

[Zzinged]

Are the fillets coated in anything? What sort of temperature was the oil at? How thick are those fillets? :P Fish should be cooked moderately. Perhaps the oil was too hot. Have you tried grilling or baking it?

 

[GhettoRacingKid]

skin on?

if the skin is on . score it and it will fix your issue

 

[justplainbill]

Many REALLY fresh fish will curl in pan.

 

[Uncle Bob]

Remove the skin entirely.......

 

[college_cook]

I'm with uncle bob on this one- also, try scoring the fillet lightly. This can help with the curly. Not only will many fresh fish do this, but there are some species that just do this.

 

[redmike]

Sorry I didn't give more detail.

Asinged: They are not coated in anything. They are about 1/2 an inch in the middle and less at the ends which makes the curling up more of a problem. The oil was hot and there was not a lot of it.
GhettoRacingKid: There is skin on one side and I will score it next time.
Uncle Bob and college cook: I will try the scoring next time and if it doesn't help I will remove the skin next time.
Thanks Bill.

Mike

 

[GhettoRacingKid]

i love some good pan seared fish skin. nice and crispy.... hmmmmmm

so good.

 

[Zzinged]

Another issue might be that it's too thin :P

 

[thymeless]

They curl because the side against the hot pan is drying out AND SHRINKING as it cooks, at least compared. Same reason bacon curls up.

The suggestions above all have merit. Bring the fish closer to room temp before starting cooking by letting it sit out 10 or 15 minutes before cooking rather than starting with it cold. This will help it cook more evenly. You might try a gentler heat as well.

 

[redmike]

They curl because the side against the hot pan is drying out AND SHRINKING as it cooks, at least compared. Same reason bacon curls up.

The suggestions above all have merit. Bring the fish closer to room temp before starting cooking by letting it sit out 10 or 15 minutes before cooking rather than starting with it cold. This will help it cook more evenly. You might try a gentler heat as well.

thanks I'll try your suggestion. From what you're saying, maybe I should cook the skin side last and not first as I have been doing?

I tried the scoring method which didn't help but maybe because I don't have a special tool and just made several small holes in the skin with the point of a knife.

Mike

 

[Zzinged]

Be very careful about leaving fish out at room temperature! With fish fillets that thin they can go bad quite quickly (depending on the temperature of the kitchen of course).

As for bacon (and some other cuts of meat) they generally curl because if there's a strip of fat along one side, such as rump steak, that shrinks and pulls the meat up. One easy solution for shrinking bacon is to make a couple of small cuts through the fat, or to cook it at a lower heat.

Back to your fish. did you try cooking them using a lower heat?

 

[expatgirl]

how about sticking a toothpick thru them as they cook? It's not going to affect the taste and they will stay curled up......I've done it for many dishes............you can always pull them out before serving tho' it's up to you........most guests don't mind.....it looks like you've gone an extra mile for them anyway.......kitchenology...........

 

[Kuijt]

Mostly is it to fresh!

 

[Tr0piCh3f]

We have a similar problem with a fish caught and cooked locally and the way we get around it (granted it is no longer 'seared' fish) by seasoning it first then breading it.

 

[Lizannd]

You need to slice the skin, not just poke a hole in it.

Slice through the skin all the way across the width of the fillet. Do this in several places. At least every 2 inches.

 

[Jeekinz]

skin on?

if the skin is on . score it and it will fix your issue

 

[justplainbill]

Don't fillet the fish?

 

[Kuijt]

Don't fillet the fish?

How to fillet? tsjek my homepage >>>bream royal or snapper!!

 

[Adillo303]

Oh! Take the skin off? But, but, but, crunchy fish skin is so good.

I hope one of the other ways works. When I fry trout, I just love the crunchy skin.

I had a lot of trouble cetting fish to be uniformly done, until I backed off on the heat some. That would be my suggestion.

AC