Why I Don't Cook Most Fish in the Oven
Plus a new recipe 🤤
Most of the people I encounter who are not fish fans (cooking or eating) were traumatized by bad experiences.
“Dry”
“Mealy”
“Mushy”
“Cat food”
These are not adjectives that make for an enjoyable fish eating experience.
Note: Yes, quality is a factor. You can’t save rancid fish but you can take a beautiful piece of fish and “butcher” it beyond belief, leaving unhappy eaters.
So many recipes I see for cooking fish involve using an oven, when in fact, the oven is the last piece of cooking equipment I would use for 99% of fish.
A few examples.
Salmon being the first that comes to mind. Salmon has a strong tendency to get very mealy and mushy above a medium temperature (I like anywhere from medium rare to medium <max>) and yet there are 1000’s of recipes for “oven baked salmon” which I would guess largely end in disappointment.
When using the oven on a piece of salmon you’re asking for the fish to be overcooked, it’s hard to build any maillard (or caramelization) and crispy skin which should be a luxury of eating salmon is near impossible.
(For the best crispy skin techniques check my thread 🧵 here)
The same goes for Arctic Char which is a wonderful fish with a nice fat content.
My recs for optimal cooking methods? Poaching or Pan Seared. Not the oven. As with salmon you want a nice medium or med rare to preserve that delicate, marbled
Turbot (possibly my favorite fish 🙌 ) Dover Sole, John Dory, Flounder & other flat fish? These lean fish do best with quick, high heat. Pan searing filets and butter basting is classic and hard to beat, while raw pristine flounder makes a beautiful crudo when sliced raw.
Flat fish can also be beautiful when lightly steamed and served with a flavorful sauce that accentuates the natural sweetness and salinity of the fish.
*When cooking whole Dover sole ~1kg after searing and basting it may be necessary to finish in the oven but only to finish temperature. Not the primary cooking method.
If you are cooking whole fish or large filets I would suggest the grill or a large steamer over the oven 9.9 times out of 10.
In fact I wrote a detailed Substack on grilling fish over charcoal which you don’t want to miss ⬇️
Now after having said all that, I do have a few exceptions for fish that perform well in the oven and a delicious simple recipe you can use at home to look like a pro.
I’ll briefly explain below and then the drop recipe for you