Fish is an extremely versatile food, amicable to a number of cooking techniques embracing the essence of other flavours or just as content to stand on its own merits. It is found in nearly every ethnic cuisine and is even steeped in a centuries old Catholic tradition of consuming it on Fridays (or at least the Fridays of Lent), where the idea of eating fish was to sacrifice luxury (of eating meat) and eat the common food. That once simple filet has moved up in the world, now plated up with luxurious supporting ingredients and found alongside the heavies, filet mignon and rack of lamb on restaurant menus. Indulging in fish that has been prepared to perfection is like standing with your toes buried in the sand as the water lightly laps over your feet, enveloped by the warmth of the sun, breathing in the salty freshness of the air. Who thinks of cow patties, flies, and scratchy prairie fields?

The perfectly cooked fish is not the exclusive domain of restaurants, you can actually accomplish it at home. Undoubtedly, start with the freshest fish possible. Head to the local fishmonger and look for a whole fish so you can fillet it yourself. The fish should have clear eyes, firm flesh, healthy gills and absolutely no fishy smell. If filleting it yourself you can see the quality and freshness of the fish. A 1,300 pound bluefin tuna may be a bit of a struggle, so start with a trout. If the whole concept seems daunting, buy the entire fish and ask the fishmonger to fillet it for you on the spot. If you are not feeding the neighbourhood that particular evening then find a fishmonger that replenishes its stock on a daily basis, ask when your particular choice arrived, and at the very least smell the filets for signs of nothing or a clean, salty ocean smell – but never fishy.

With fish in hand it is time to achieve perfection - a crisp-skin-flaky-moist-interior culinary feat. “The first thing to remember is that fish needs to be cooked gently whether you are poaching it or grilling it. It is all about retaining the moisture in the fish,” Chef Jeff Van Geest of Aurora Bistro explains. “Determine how much fat is in the fish - high fat content fish are better for grilling and pan-roasting. More delicate fish require less aggressive cooking techniques like simply baking it with some lemon juice or butter, poaching, or en papiotte. Every piece of fish needs to be treated with a lot of respect - if I overcook a fish (yes, it does happen on occasion to all of us), I cringe at the idea of having to throw it out!” he says.

If you are cooking a flat fish, a filet from a large fish like halibut, choose a cut from the thickest part of the fish. Plan on 150-200g per person and ideally, each filet should be the same size and thickness (if you are cooking more than one). “Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees and heat some clarified butter or olive oil in a non-stick pan. Season the fish and place it meat side down (which is skin side up) into the pan for about 30 seconds just to get the caramelization process started. This will give you a nice crispy crust on the meat side (serving side) since it is flipped over only when it has finished cooking and is being plated. After the 30 seconds, stick it in the oven,” instructs Chef Jeff. Therein lies the secret – chefs always finish the fish in the oven so it stays moist inside. “Remove it before it is cooked all the way through (it should take only 3-5 minutes depending on the thickness but keep an eye on it). You want to cook it to medium so it is still a bit translucent in the middle but it is starting to flake.” This cooking technique should be applied to any variety of fish, from salmon to tilapia.

Want crispy skin? “Use a fish with an edible thinner skin like salmon or trout or rock fish and make sure it is scaled first (typically if you are buying a filet from a fishmonger, the scaling has been done). Certain fish like snapper (which is currently on the endangered list) will curl if you try to sear it so you need to score (shallow diamond shaped cuts) the skin first. Make sure the skin is clean and dry – the dryness helps it crisp nicely and place it in the pan skin side down first and then as with the halibut, put into the oven so the skin side gets nice and crispy,” Chef Jeff says.

Since there is a variety of wonderful, sustainable seafood from which to choose, you can broaden your palate while perfecting this seemingly easy culinary technique. Try it with both flat and round fish, as each has a distinct but equally wonderful taste. Finish the dish with a simple brown butter sauce or get a bit more adventurous and make a salsa (mango and avocado is delectable), an aioli (go all out for roasted garlic), or a fresh chopped herb mixture like gremolata (chopped flat-leaf parsley, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil). With fish this good, you won’t need much more than that. Bon Appetit!

Aurora Bistro
2420 Main Street
Vancouver
604-873-9944