Pan-fried Fish

The main difference between shallow and deep frying fish, apart from the obvious depth of the fat, is that no batter is used when pan frying.

It's not needed. In this instance the fish is cooked partly by direct contact with the hot fat, and partly by convection. The thing you have to avoid is overcooking.

Pan-fried fish do not need such a high temperature as those that are deep fried, which means that you can cook them in butter, or a mixture of butter and oil. There are reasons for doing this.

Butter, especially hot butter, adds flavor and if it is brought to the right temperature before the fish is added it will not noticeably increase the fat content of the dish.

However it does burn easily, which is why canny cooks add oil to the pan. This raises the smoke point and largely prevents the butter from turning black. Others value the ability of butter to do this and leave the oil out, deliberately creating the slightly nutty flavor of burnt butter solids.

Taste alone will determine whether you use butter on its own, butter with oil, plain vegetable oil or even clarified butter. The only point to bear in mind is that you must use a refined oil with a high smoke point, if you use it at all.

A list of oils and their smoke points can be found by clicking here.

Prepare Your Fish
Any fish can be pan-fried, but the most successful are very fresh thin fillets of white fish. This is because they cook quickly and evenly, avoiding loss of nutrients and flavor.

Prepare them by soaking them in cold milk for about 30 minutes. Then drain and thoroughly dry them. This will improve the flavor and whiten the flesh, giving you a better presentation.

Season some flour with salt and white pepper and dip the fillets in this to give them a fine coating. You can remove excess flour by patting the fish between your palms or by dusting off with a pastry brush.

Make certain your fat is at cooking heat and quickly lay the fillets in your pan, service side down. 'Service side' is the side that will be uppermost on the plate when you present the dish.

Cook for two minutes and turn over using a suitable fish slice or palette knife. A 'fish slice' in kitchen parlance is a long, broad spatula that will turn fish fillets without breaking them.

Cook for a further one to two minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets and then transfer them to warmed serving plates. There is no need to drain them. Remember that the fish will continue to cook in its own residual heat for some time after it has left the pan.

Fish fillets cooked in this way are best served quickly and dressed only with a little of the pan juices and perhaps a wedge of lemon.

Any sauces can be handed separately. Perfectly cooked fresh fish is better for not being masked by a sauce, so let your diners make up their own minds whether or not they want to add anything.

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First published on Qassia