Steam cooking
72
Fish
Fresh
Prepare fresh fish in the usual way, i.e.
clean, gut and fillet.
Frozen food
Fish does not need to be fully defrosted
before cooking. Defrost so that the
surface is sufficiently thawed to take
herbs and seasoning. Depending on the
thickness of the fish, 2 - 5 minutes
should be enough.
Preparation
Add some lemon or lime juice to fish
before cooking. The citric acid helps the
flesh stay firm.
It is not necessary to season fish with
salt when cooking with steam as this
method retains the minerals which give
the fish its unique flavour.
Cooking containers
If using a perforated container, grease it
first.
Shelf level
When cooking fish in a perforated
container at the same time as cooking
other types of food in other containers,
place the container with the fish directly
above the universal tray to catch any
liquid and so avoid any transfer of
tastes to other food.
Temperature
85 °C – 90 °C
For gently cooking delicate types of
fish, such as sole.
100 °C
For cooking firmer types of fish, e.g.
cod and salmon.
Also for cooking fish in sauce or stock.
Duration
The cooking duration depends on the
thickness and the texture of the fish,
and not on the weight. The thicker the
fish, the longer the cooking duration. A
3 cm thick piece of fish weighing 500 g
will take longer to cook than a 2 cm
thick piece of fish weighing 500 g.
The longer fish cooks, the firmer its
flesh will become. Use the cooking
durations given in the chart. If you find
that the fish is not cooked sufficiently
only cook it for a few minutes more.
When cooking fish in sauce or stock,
we recommend that you increase the
cooking duration quoted by a few
minutes.
