A freshly caught fish can be cooked in a thousand and one ways. Many a serious fisherman will have his own unique way of cooking his freshly caught fish, but in case you’re new at this or you’re just burned out and looking for something new, here are some ideas to get the best out of your catch.
Frying
Breading and frying a freshly caught fish is about as good as it gets. The smell of butter emanating from the frying pan and the flair a fisherman puts in flipping his catch is worth its weight in gold. For the novice fisherman, make sure that the butter is extra hot but not burned. Also, make sure that the fish is well coated in batter. Season your batter to your heart’s content; you can’t go wrong with salt and pepper, but you may want to experiment with other herbs and spices for an even better flavor.
Grilling
At first glance, grilling would seem to be the easiest way to go. A newbie might assume that grilling fish is the same as grilling steaks or burgers, but unlike fowl or cattle, fish tends to secret most of its own juices when cooked. That means that if you don’t prepare ahead of time, all of the juices will drip out onto the coals.
To prevent losing the moisture, first coat the fish with oil. The oil will seal some of the moisture inside. Second, keep an eye on the fillets and turn them as soon as a cut reveals that the fish is cooked halfway through. After being flipped, watch the fish carefully. Remove it from the grill as soon as it is cooked through.
An option to basting the fish with oil is to wrap it in aluminum foil. The aluminum foil will keep the fish from drying out and marinate it in its own moisture. Placing herbs and spices inside the foil with the fish enhances the grilling process and the fish itself.
Baking
Baking is the best option for the fisherman who does not want to watch over the fish while it cooks. You can prepare the marinade and preheat the oven, then pop the fish in and come back to check on it when the time is up. You may want to check on it from the time to time though, you don’t want to overcook it.