During the season of Lent, the tradition for many is not eat meat on Fridays. Fish is the go-to.
I asked Ted Perkins at Paradise Seafood to offer some tips on cooking fish.
Paradise Seafood is a food truck that brings a wide variety of fresh, wild-caught seafood from the Gulf Coast to Memphis each week. Their fresh fish selection includes items like grouper, red snapper, yellowfin tuna, trigger fish and mahi mahi. They also sell homemade crab cakes, shrimp gumbo, smoked tuna dip and a wide variety frozen products that includes sea scallops and royal red shrimp.
First question, how do you know your fish is fresh?
Ted says that when purchasing seafood you always want to make sure that it smells fresh. It should never have a strong fishy smell.
Second question, how soon do you need to cook the fish you just bought?
Ted says that when you buy fresh fish from him, you have a three to four day shelf life before you have to cook it or put it in the freezer. If purchasing at a grocery store, you might need to shorten that time to two days depending on when the store received the fish.
Third question, how easy is it to cook fish?
Fish is surprisingly one of the easiest - and quickest - things to cook. The key is to not overcook it.
Ted says his top selling fish are grouper and trigger. He suggests seasoning the filets with your favorite seasoning blend, rubbing it with a little olive oil and sautéing for three to four minutes per side. You know the fish is ready when it’s light and flakey.
This is Jennifer Chandler with The Weekly Dish. Bon Appetit!
Paradise Seafood can be found at the Agricenter Farmers Market (7777 Walnut Grove Road) from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays. For more information visit, www.aparadiseseafood.com.
