Page 495 - YC Cooking School

Oil the fish rather than the cooking surface

Pouring oil onto a searing hot griddle pan can cause it to smoke and flare, which if you’re
cooking indoors isn’t really the effect you want – especially for your guests. By oiling the fish
rather than the cooking surface, the seasoning will stay on the fish as it cooks. The fish is
also less likely to stick when you try and turn it.

Slash the skin in a few places with a knife
When you’re grilling thicker cuts of fish, especially whole fish, it’s a good idea to slash the
skin in a few places with a sharp knife. This improves heat transfer so that the flesh cooks
evenly and also gives you an indication as to whether the fish is cooked properly or not.

Allow the fish to sear
When it comes to cooking fish, less is more. Once you’ve placed the pieces of fish onto the
grill pan, take a deep breath and resist the urge to move them for a few minutes at least.
The grill bars or ridges need time to sear the fish so that it comes away cleanly with
beautiful golden charred marks. If you try to move or reposition the fish before this
happens, you can end up breaking the fish, which is not a good look. So, cultivate a light
touch and handle the fish as little as possible.

Keep presentation in mind
Think about how you’ll serve the fish, and place the side you want to present onto the grill
first. Because it’s raw, it will spread out onto the grill evenly and have maximum contact with
the heat. Once turned, the opposite side will already have contracted from the heat, so it
probably won’t end up with the same beautiful and even crust.

Tips for turning the fish
Use a thin spatula or egg lifter when turning fish and always run the blade along the grill
bars or ridges underneath the fish. Brushing the fish with oil before you turn it is also a
good way to stop the other side from sticking.

Testing for doneness
Oily fish tastes best when it’s left a little pink in the middle. Like with frying, you can use the
rough guide of 4-6 minutes cooking time per cm of fish. Also look out for a change in colour.
It should be transparent to opaque, and again, you can use the nifty finger test here to
check whether the internal juices have started to bubble.

From the pan to your plate
The one downside with cooking fish is that it dries out if you try and reheat it. Ideally, you
want it to go from the barbecue or griddle pan onto your plate, so get all your ducks in a
row by making sure you’ve prepared any accompaniments in advance.

Cheat sheet for this lesson’s recipes

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