Fish Recipe

In our health conscious times, we are all thinking very carefully about what we eat. Fish is a natural source of protein and nations who consume a lot of it, e.g. around the Mediterranean and in Japan, have less heart disease and obesity. Apart from health issues, a fish recipe offers great flavor and is usually quick and easy to cook. Your friendly, local fish merchant is normally willing to fillet and prepare the fish or you can buy ready to cook fish in the store. The fresher the fish, the tastier it will be. There is nothing to beat the flavor of a trout that you have just liberated from the river and cooked over a campfire, wrapped in foil with some lemon juice and dill. The most common species to be included in a fish recipe are tuna, trout, mackerel, cod, salmon or anchovy. Most of us are familiar with anchovy as part of a topping for pizza.

The usual method of cooking fish dishes is to fry, grill, bake or steam, depending on the type of fish used in the fish recipe. When frying in batter, it's a good idea to season the batter mixture. Fish has a tendency to dry out during grilling. In order to prevent this, you can coat the fish in oil or cook in foil. Marinating the fish before baking brings out extra flavor.

A fish soup is a good way of starting a meal or as a light lunch, served with crusty bread. There is a delicious Mediterranean style soup, which uses gray and red mullet, monkfish tail and mussels with vegetables, herbs, white wine and Pernod. Another fish recipe for soup calls for salmon fillets, herbs, peppers, potatoes, avocados and limejuice.

Salmon is an extremely versatile fish and can be combined with tasty sauces or made into a mousse. A quick snack can be prepared by turning salmon flakes into burgers, adding herbs and serving with mustard, horseradish and salad. Another salmon recipe suggests a marinade of maple syrup, soy sauce, garlic and seasoning.

There are many ideas for using fish around the world. Germans like to top their toast with a spread made from mackerel and cream cheese. The Chinese have a recipe for halibut, steamed with onions, mushrooms, ginger and soy sauce. A traditional clam bake from New England has a long shopping list of ingredients that include lobsters, clams, mussels, potatoes, corn and sausage.