Previously frozen fish always tend to be slightly softer and drier than a fresh piece of the

same kind of fish. Reduce cooking time to compensate for this. Some cookbooks suggest

putting frozen seafood right on the grill or in the sauce pan without defrosting. The idea is to

minimize tissue damage that occur during defrosting. When cooking frozen fish or shellfish,

double the cooking time, no matter what method you use to cook it.

Marinating fish, especially those with bland flavor, adds pizzazz and helps soften tough

seafood. The acid in the marinade slowly breaks down the fish muscle fibers. If you marinate

it too long, the fibers soften too much, and the fish becomes mushy as pickled herring.

Because it is made up of short fibers, seafood responds to marinating faster than other meats.

A few hours is all you need, but if time is a problem, even one hour in a highly flavored

marinade gives extra zip to almost any fish. Marinating seafood is for dry cooking methods.

Marinating is safest in the refrigerator even though few bacteria are able to grow in the acid

environment of the marinade. However, half hour to an hour before cooking time (depending

on your kitchen's temperature and the size of the fish), remove the marinating seafood from

the refrigerator and let it warm up some.

Many cooked fish and shellfish preparations are very good cold, too, so extra is a welcome

sight in the refrigerator. Plan to make extra if you can use it in the next few days. Remember

to chill what's left over soon after cooking and wrap it up. It will be a nice surprise when you

are looking for something for lunch. Coming across such a dish after several weeks,

however, doesn't please either your eyes or your nose.

Points to Remember

Buy seafood only if it looks very fresh and use it soon. Seafood is the most perishable of all

foods we eat.

Never let the temperature of seafood go much above that of your refrigerator except shortly

before cooking. It spoils much more quickly at close to room temperature.

If you cannot find good fresh seafood, choose flash or blast-frozen, or individually quick

frozen (IQF). If that fails, choose fresh-frozen.

Take a copy of the fish and shellfish tables with you, included in this chapter, whenever you

shop for seafood.

If you are using a dry heat cooking method, don't overcook. Use a thermometer and don't let

the internal temperature of the fish go much above 140°F (60°C).

Consider marinating seafood before preparing it in any dry heat cooking method.

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