Fish is best when it is abundant in the seas, but buying fish can be daunting.
With thousands of species of fish and shellfish in our oceans and rivers, it’s not surprising buying seafood can be a challenge. Today, we have a large number of options available at fishmongers, in supermarket fridges and freezers and online retailers.
Peppe Lepre from Italian restaurant Ciao Napoli gives us his tips on
getting the very best seafood.
TRUST THE FISHERMEN
Firstly, go along with an open mind and see what has been freshly caught. It can vary each day and what you intended purchasing may not be the best fish available.
USE YOUR EYES
Fresh fish should not be watery – that is a sign it has been frozen. The flesh should be firm, not flakey and if the skin is dry or the eyes cloudy, the fish is too old. A good test of a fresh fish is the gills – if they are bright red, you have a beautifully fresh catch.
SENSE OF SMELL
Seafood should possess a pleasant ‘seaside’ smell, and not smell strongly ‘fishy’.
FROZEN FISH
Look out for signs of freezer burn or dehydration on frozen seafood products, as although it is safe to eat, it will not taste as good.
Always thaw fish in a fridge or under running water – never at room temperature and never refreeze. Fresh fish should be used within two days.
SHELLFISH
Clams and mussels are delicious. They should be alive when sold – any shells which are open should close if tapped – if not the fish could have been dead for a while and will not taste good.
COOKING TIPS
The biggest mistake most of us make is to overcook fish. Perfectly cooked fish is moist and has a delicate flavour while fish which is overcooked has less taste and can be dry.
Fish is cooked when the flesh begins to turn from translucent to opaque and is just about to flake.
PAN FRY
Preheat the pan and use a combination of oil and butter. Dust fish with seasoned flour and cook five minutes for each centimetre of thickness.
BAKE
Heat oven to 230°C, place seasoned fish on greased baking sheet and bake uncovered for 10 minutes per inch of thickness or until done.
POACH
Most fish can be gently cooked in wine, water, fish stock or milk. Pour on just enough liquid to cover fish, and cook fillets for eight to 10 minutes.
GRILL/BBQ
Ideal for thicker cuts of fish. Ideally use a clean, oiled, spaced grill grate. Cook fish on a high heat for four to six minutes per side (per 5cm of thickness). For prawns, look for the biggest shell on, head on fishes you can find.
TIP: Clams are some of the easiest shellfish you can find. Put scrubbed clams onto a hot bbq and cover. After a few minutes they will start to open, remove from grill and toss in melted herb butter.
SPECIAL SIDES
Complement your fish with the best tasting side dishes.
PASTA: Seafood pasta is one of the easiest weekday meals – put together a simple tomato sauce from chopped tomatoes and garlic, stir in mixed seafood and sprinkle with parsley. Simple.
BEAN SALAD: Mix together black beans, sweetcorn, chopped red pepper, chopped spring onions, a little salt, lime zest, lime juice, extra virgin olive oil and freshly chopped coriander and serve with pan fried catch of the day.
BROWN RICE: Nutty brown or wholemeal rice make a perfect accompaniment to any poached or baked fish dish – and it’s good for you too.
Ciao Napoli is an authentic southern Italian restaurant based in the heart of Aberdeen. Founded by brothers Peppe and Nino Lepre in 2003, Ciao Napoli serves sumptuous flavours using the finest ingredients available. All dishes are freshly prepared and cooked on the premises by an experienced team, with freshly baked bread served up daily from Ciao Napoli’s in-house Italian baker.
OCTOPUS ON A HERBY, POTATO VELOUTE
SERVES 2
250g boiled octopus
150g boiled potatoes
50g double cream
50g cherry tomatoes, peeled and halve
1tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2tbsp fresh rosemary
Fresh parsley to garnish
Fine salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Chop the boiled potatoes and put them in a blender along with a tablespoon of olive oil and cream.
Blend until mixture is smooth and creamy.
Chop the tentacles of boiled octopus and toss with olive oil.
Then put in a pan with a few stalks of rosemary and cook on a high heat to form a delicious crust on the surface.
Place the potato cream on the bottom of two individual and scatter over the octopus pieces and peeled tomatoes.
Season with salt, pepper and extra virgin olive oil, garnish with parsley and serve.
MUSSELS AND PANCETTA SOUP
SERVES 2
500g mussels
2tbsp tomato puree
2 basil leaves
2 cloves garlic
Salt as needed
Extra virgin olive oil
Half an onion
1 potato
1 slice bread
2 slices Pancetta
Handful of parsley
To prepare the soup of mussels take a pan and pour in half a glass of water, add the mussels, cover with a lid and wait for them to open.
Marinate the tomato puree with one clove of crushed garlic, basil, salt and oil. Leave to marinate for half an hour.
Remove mussels from opened shells.
Fill a pot with two glasses of water, a teaspoon of oil and a clove of crushed garlic. Add the mussels and heat until the soup thickens.
Add a little olive oil to a frying pan and cook the finely chopped onion. Cut the potato into thin slices, add to pan and cook everything over a low heat.
When the ingredients are tender, add mussels and water, and mix.
Transfer to a large, heated pan and cook very slowly over a low heat.
Put three-quarters of the soup in a blender, and add the mussels and potato. Blend for a few minutes, adding reserved liquid to achieve the consistency required.
Cut the bread into cubes, then cook in a pan with a little oil, a pinch of salt and parsley.
Take a shallow dish and pour a few spoonfuls of the mussels soup, add a spoonful of tomato sauce, and top with the toasted bread and slivers of pancetta.
Drizzle with oil.