Fresh and tender fish, rich in nutritional value, not only nourishes the stomach, clears heat, and detoxifies, but can also prevent high blood pressure, nourish the skin, and improve hair health. Fish is delicious, and it's safe to say that many people enjoy eating it. So, how can you cook a fish that is perfect in color, aroma, and taste?
While fish is delicious to eat, cooking it can be easy or difficult, but it's essential to master some basic techniques!
1. First, selecting the fish. How do you choose a fresh one? A fresh fish has bright red gills with the gill cover tightly closed. The skin has a good luster and the scales are intact. The flesh should be firm and elastic, with any indentation from pressing disappearing immediately.
2. Pay attention when cleaning the fish! The abdominal cavity must be cleaned thoroughly, especially along the spine where blood residue can easily accumulate and needs to be squeezed out. Additionally, when preparing the fish, the black membrane on the inner wall of the abdominal cavity must be completely removed. This layer is a collection point for various harmful substances.
3. When cutting the fish, slice along the bones with a diagonal cut to prevent the flesh from breaking.
4. A freshly killed fish should not be cooked immediately. It should be left to rest for a period before cooking begins.
5. Skillfully removing the fishy smell: This can be done during cleaning or while cooking. When cleaning, after scaling and gutting the fish, you can add some yellow wine to the water in the basin to remove the odor. While cooking, ginger can be used to eliminate the fishy smell. It's important to note that the fish should be cooked in the pot for a while until the protein coagulates before adding the ginger. Alternatively, when stir-frying, a small amount of vinegar and cooking wine can be added to remove the fishy smell.
6. Steaming fish with boiling water: When fish is suddenly exposed to high temperatures, the outer tissue coagulates, which can lock in the internal juices. Therefore, when steaming fish, the water in the pot should be brought to a boil first before placing the fish in to steam.