Here are some guidelines for buying and cooking fish not just in Lent, but year round.
Tip #1:
When you want dinner on the table quickly, fish is the ideal choice because it cooks so fast.
Recipes that call for boneless fillets are my go-to because they can be quickly cooked for a weeknight meal.
Tip #2:
When buying fish, the first rule of thumb is to buy what is freshest.
Don’t be shy at the fish counter. Ask to smell it. The fish should smell more like the ocean than dead fish. If it smells overly fishy, that means it is past its prime and will taste overly fishy too.
Also, have the fishmonger cut large pieces of fish (like a side of salmon) so you don’t have to mess with portioning it at home.
Tip #3
Don’t shy away from frozen fish.
Luckily for us, there is an incredibly wide variety of frozen fish and seafood now available at the grocery. And I am not talking about frozen breaded fish sticks! High-quality options like salmon, red snapper, and tilapia are now available for purchase. Shrimp come in several sizes and with the option of peeled and deveined for convenience. Keep a good variety in your freezer to save you a trip to the fish counter.
And know … just because a recipe may call for a specific type of fish, use the variety you can find that is the freshest and the best quality. For example, Trout Amandine is just as delicious when made using sole or tilapia in place of the trout.
This is Jennifer Chandler with The Weekly Dish. Bon Appetit!
