Fish can be a bit of a divisive food. Some people love it but many hate it. I have also found that lots of the fish lovers do not like to cook or prepare it at home - choosing instead to eat it just when they go out to restaurants.
This is either because they have no experience and are not sure how to cook it or they avoid cooking it as it makes their home smell of fish for days after. I hear the latter time and time again when I am trying to persuade people to eat it more frequently.
It is for this reason I never fry or sauté fish in my house. Instead I tend to bake it in the oven. In my experience (and I am no Jamie Oliver) most fish cook well baked in a very hot oven - say 200 Celsius for around 10-15 minutes (depending on the thickness of the fish. It will easily flake apart when it is cooked. There is a fine line between perfectly cooked and overcooked so err on the side of caution and check that you have not overdone it.
This is one of my stock recipes that I made up years ago and cook every couple of weeks - it is one of those no-brainer recipes that I can just assemble from the shop without thinking about it:
Japanese-y Salmon (not authentic because I made it up)
For two people:
Turn the oven on to 200 Celsius
2 salmon fillets - skin on or off it doesn’t matter. I prefer the thicker fillet rather than the tail end
Teriyaki - choose the one that looks like soya sauce not a think goopy one
Fresh ginger - big chunk grated on a microplane or finer grater
Lime - grate off all the zest
In a suitable bowl (to fit the fillets) put in enough teriyaki to coat most of the bottom of the dish - you want to marinade it for a short while but not drown it. Add both lime rind and grated ginger and then mix together. Pop the salmon in, skin side up and leave it to marinade while you prepare the rest of your meal.
Cook the fish in the marinade for 10 mins until just done.
You will be able to pull of the skin and throw it away when it is ready.
I serve this on a salad. On a salad with some cubes of roasted sweet potato and butternut squash. As a component in some random type of bowl meal that I have concocted from my fridge….broccoli, avocado, brown rice, an asian slaw….I could go on. There is rarely a plan or a recipe.
I tend to make a batch of salmon so I have some cold for lunch.
It is nice if you sprinkle toasted sesame seeds and perhaps a dash of sesame oil over the fish. Or try serving with pickled ginger You can also buy toasted seeds mixed with seaweed or kimchi from speciality stores or the Sous Chef website www.souschef.co.uk