Fish for beginners

I'm in the same boat, but I have found I love Talapia. They come frozen. They cook very quick
1. I baked them with a little of balsamic vinager, salt and pepper. Bake about 15 mins
2. Cook some can tomatoes with garlic, salt and papper in a pan,When it is hot, then add talapia on top. Cover and cook for a 15 mins.
Hope this helps
Viki

We love bulk frozen tilapia from a big box store. Individual packaging, so you just throw a few into cold water per instruction. Once they are defrosted (but still cool, about 10-15 mins) they get a coating of olive oil spray and whatever spices needed. I personally love a Cajun spice, but my fiance loves lemon pepper.

Low broil for about 5 mins per side, make sure flesh is white and flaky. Easy as pie protein, usually done in 20 or 30 mins overall.

almond crusted flounder. google the recipie.

Hi,

I love fish !!!
it is good fried in the pan with some olive oil. then add, salt, pepper and dill with lemon if you like. But leave them to thaw before frying.

it is good in "papillotte", it means you wrap the fish in foil with precooked vege like carrots, leeks, fennel, zucchinis.... add spices and lemon juice with 1 tea spoon of olive oil.

Enjoy !

We do the same thing... my son calls them 'pockets' and loves to open then to see what we've made!

Salmon is one of the fishiest fish, so if you're a "beginner" I would stay away from that one at first. Personally I hate the fishy taste so I am trying to work up to trying the tilapia. Also I'm told that when battering/breading and frying, it enhances the fishy taste (don't know for sure, that's just what I heard).

Be sure to thaw it first. Take it out of the freezer in the morning and place it in the refrigerator, covered or wrapped. It should be thawed by dinner time.

Season it with a little salt and pepper. Dill is good on most fish as well. Google seasonings for fish to get a variety of ideas.

For thinner filets like tilapia or salmon, bake for 15 minutes at 350, then remove from the oven, place on a plate and cover with foil for 5 minutes to let the juices settle in the meat so it stays moist. For thicker cuts like a salmon steak, 20-25 minutes depending on the size.

You can also spray a non stick skillet with cooking spray and "pan fry" the filets. Heat the skillet over medium heat. Sear on both sides, about 3-5 minutes each (the fish should flake easily with a fork when done). Place on a plate and cover with foil and let rest 5 minutes before serving.

Shrimp is a great choice too. Buy the already peeled and deveined shrimp for ease of preparation. You can add it to stir fried vegetables or rice dishes. Thaw the shrimp. Add to hot liquid or hot pan, cook for about 3 minutes until the shrimp turn opaque (before you cook them they're kind of transluscent). Don't over cook or you will have tough shrimp.

For more recipe ideas, try allrecipes.com. They have a lot of great ideas!

I prefer my fish raw with a little siracha, but that's not for beginners.

I got my step-kids started on tilapia with lemon, garlic and pepper. I do it from frozen. Throw the fillets in a baking dish and rub them with a little olive oil or butter and garlic. then grind some pepper over them. Then I cover them with lemon slices (or you can just use lemon juice), cover the pan with foil and bake for about 15 minutes. Easy and mainstream. You'll love it!

Orange Roughy is among my most favorite fishes. The meat is a beautiful white color; has a fabulous texture and is absolutely delicious! You can cook it most any way you like.

I do love my tilapia. It's a great fish for a family because it isn't "fishy" at all.

I wouldn't cook without my oil mister. You can pick one up at a store like Bed Bath & Beyond or any place that sells cooking utensils. You fill it with olive oil, pump it up, and it gives a nice fine mist of oil...much less oil that pouring in a pan or brushing.

For my tilapia, I go simple. Mist with oil, sprinkle a half teaspoon or so of grated romano cheese on each side, cook in a pan over medium heat for about 5 minutes per side. (The key to any fish is that it should flake easily with a fork when it is done cooking.) With a few minutes left to cook, I toss in a few grape tomatoes or diced compari tomatoes. Enjoy!

Sometimes, for a change, I'll sprinkle the fish with adobo seasoning. Mmmm, good stuff! But just a bit high in salt content to use all the time.

I buy the individually vacuum packed frozen tilapia and salmon fillets. I take them out of the freezer but leave them in their individual packaging, then I drop them in water to thaw really quickly. I use my small George Foreman grill, it takes about 4 minutes to cook one fillet. Sometimes I squeeze lemon juice on it while it is cooking. That is the fastest, simplest way I have found to have a piece of fish for lunch quickly.

But if I have time and I am making it for dinner. I really love Rachael Ray's tilapia recipe.

http://www.rachaelray.com/recipe.php?recipe_id=1056

Bump

I love fish, but the rest of my family doesn't. I also have a really busy schedule, so sometimes its difficult to wait 20+ minutes for fish to cook. I discovered something wonderful. I can make a whole meal in under 10 minutes, including prep. All you need are Ziploc Zip'n'Steam bags (or Glad, but I think they stopped making them), frozen veggies, frozen fish, and seasonings.

1. Open up the steamer bag.
2. Place frozen fish flat in bag. Season as desired.
3. Place frozen veggies on top of fish. Season as desired.
4. Microwave for 4-6 minutes.

Fish is ready when flaky or 165 degrees.

Not only is this fast and easy, its probably the healthiest way to prepare fish. No frying or oil required. The steam kinda infuses the fish with the flavors from the herbs. I usually use lemon pepper or Tone's rosemary garlic.

Tilapia, Swai, Haddock are all good. I also buy the individual frozen filets, thaw in the fridge overnight and they are ready to go for making dinner. Depending on the thickness of the filet, you may only need to cook for 5-6 minutes per side. Garlic, lemon, shallots, thyme sauteed in olive oil, then add salt and peppered fish. Best cooking tip for pan cooking is to leave it alone for the 5 minutes, and only flip once or it will fall apart.

I use pre-cooked salad size shrimp, thawed but still cold for salads. I get raw, deveined, tail-off shrimp for everything else. It's more expensive pre-cleaned, but less time-consuming. I saute it for stir fry or pasta, seasoned depending on what I'm using it for. Or you can put in on skewers under the broiler for a couple minutes and baste with BBQ sauce and throw it on a sandwich with coleslaw...yum!

I buy the frozen Sea Best Tilapia and Salmon....It is wrapped individually in a resealable bag and usually comes with 4-6 pieces. It thaws extremely quick and is easy to fix...i throw it on the stove and melt just a tab of butter and add a little garlic salt.....simple, easy, and healthy....