Chef Tom Colicchio gives us a quick class on pan roasting fish. A quick, simple and straightforward technique that will unlock your cooking potential. This technique, while shown on fish, can really apply to any delicate meat or protein.
Steps for the Perfect Pan Roasting Fish:
- Make sure that your fish is completely dry before starting the seasoning or cooking process.
- Cut the fish filet into a size that your pan can accommodate. We recommend the carbon steel frying pan, if you are comfortable in the kitchen, or a non stick frying pan for simplicity.
- Season your fish with a good amount of salt and some pepper. Most home cooks don’t season their fish well-enough in advance.
- Heat your pan with oil or fat on low-to-medium heat until the fat begins to shimmer. Do not overheat your pan (if your oil is smoking, the pan is way too hot).
- Press the fish in the pan skin-side-down and then leave it alone.
- Season the other side of the fish with salt and pepper (in this video, Tom uses white pepper).
- If you start to see smoke coming from the pan, lower the temperature.
- Depending on how crispy you want the skin, that is how long you leave the skin side down. The skin side will also take a bit longer to cook.
- If the pan gets too hot, you can remove it from the heat source for a minute.
- The fish will naturally release from the pan when it is ready to be flipped. When it sticks, it is not ready to be flipped. Leave it alone at this point.
- Flip the fish and add butter and herbs directly to the pan. Most home cooks miss this step.
- Baste the fish with the melted butter and herbs.
- Keep the heat low in the pan so you have complete control over the cooking process.
- Use a fish spatula to remove the fish from the pan and plate it.
- Add lemon juice directly to the pan, scrape the leftover bits into a sauce, and top the fish with this mixture.
- Enjoy!
Featured Product: Carbon Steel Frying Pan
