I have always maintained that pretty pictures don’t necessarily make a pretty meal.
As pictures go, the photos of last night’s dinner were fairly ‘pretty’ (I put low res pics now given the rampant plagiarism here).
The meal didn’t give pleasure though. At least not in absolute terms.
I came back from work last evening and defrosted some betki fillets which I bought this weekend. I then smeared on some sumac, zatar, lemon powder on the fish and then added salt along with these Mediterranean spices. I then added some chardonnay left over from a bottle I opened a few days back to the fish. I poked some holes into the fish fillets with a fork and then let the fish marinate for about half an hour. I then popped in the fish on a tray into a preheated oven. I added the remaining liquid from the marinade on top of the fish when there was 3 minutes left.
The grilling details, 15 min at 200 C, rest, plate, eat.
The resultant fish was cooked properly but a tad dry and had a fishy taste. You got a hint of the wine but the flavours of the marinade otherwise were rather weak.
Wonder what could have gone wrong? I looked up the last time that I grilled betki and realised that the marinade that I used far stronger favours then than this time. Would that have helped to have masked the fishy smell? Or was it that the fish was not that fresh? Cooking time was the same after all. And why was it dry? Would sealing the fish on a foil, thereby locking in the juices, have helped? Didn’t do this last time though and turned out fairly good.
I am not the biggest fan of fish. I buy lots of it but am not too fond of it. However even K, who loves fish, found it dry and fishy this time.
So any suggestions on what could be done to fix this? Do drop in a comment if you do have a point of view.
Else I will just crumb fry it in bacon fat the next time.
The mash – preboiled potatoes, heated with milk, butter, salt and cheese and then whipped in a food processor – was indulgent and divine though. The next morning I made bruschettas with the left over mash and baguette from Candies. 10 min at 150 C.
Turned out to be a lovely start to the day.
Comments
Lemon powder - cross it out. 200 degree is too high. No lemon powder. Add lemon juice. Also, when you are baking fish, the key is to be delicate and 15 minutes is perhaps too long.
Here is how you can fix it. Za'atar + lemon juice rub on the fish with a bit of salt. Make foil packet by folding a large piece of foil. Make a bed of lemon slices and spring onions. Put fish on it. Add the wine. Tightly close foil packet. Poach for 20 minutes at 160 degree centigrade. Remove cover, turn oven to 220 and bake for 4 minutes more exactly if you want it firm (I don't want it firm, btw). Serve.
Kore dekho.
Othoba, you can always batter fry it. Makes sense.
I have also seen many many cases where bloggers who put watermarks have their pics lifted and watermarks removed. That of course is like the 'why put a lock as thieves can pick them'argument
Yes, will perhaps start
I think the lemon juice suggestion and foild packet suggestion is good and we have some more betki left
I normally do fish for 200 at 15 but of course you might need different specs for different fish. This works well for pomfret. So far :I
Thanks
The fillets look good. I love fish and try different recipes with it. I used to poke the fish earlier. I observed it didn't work, as it did relatively dry the fish. To take care of the strong fishy smell, my grand mom used to rub some flour and salt to clean the fish. However, I feel, that a light wash with some lemon juice and salt really takes care of it, besides leaving a nice citrusyness, if I may say so. Also, I would go for fresh lemon juice instead of the lemon powder. I always sear the fish a little before it goes into the oven. The foil or parchment paper works good to keep it moist as well. Steaming in the banana leaf with all the goodness packed in has been the most moist fish I have had :) the Parsi way
After watching some cooking shows I have learned that always taste your marinade and it should be stronger than you want it to be because some of it looses flavor in the oven. So, may be you can try that next time.
For dryness, I think 200C for 15 mins is high. I usually do 350F (which is more like 175C) for 15 mins. Just personal experience.
I go through these mishaps like you all the time and thought I might share some of my experiences. Like your blog :)
I've had fish since I was a kid and probably that's why am not too fond of it Meat is so much more fun :)
You are right about the marinade. They do become a lot less potent on cooking so one should go for an overkill I guess
200 at 15 works well for pomfret though. A bit undercooked below that. I guess each fish has a different texture. Must try the reamianing betki ata lower temp as you and others suggested
Also, the fish doesn't look so good in the pics. It looks dry-ish. I like my fish moist. It should glisten in pics. You're over-cooking it is my guess.
Just discovered that Dolce Vita at Phoenix carries reasonably fresh salmon. Time I tried my old recipe.