Great for fillets, goujons, small round fish (Whitebait) and Langoustine Tails (Scampi). The fish is either coated in flour, egg and breadcrumbs, or dipped in batter and fried in hot oil (180° C) until golden. Now we are finding lighter tempura batters are becoming more popular.
Use light oils for deep – frying such as sunflower, vegetable or corn oil
Cut fish into even sized pieces to get uniform cooking times
When adding battered or breaded fish into the oil then do slowly to ensure no splash back
Always reheat oil back to correct temperature between batch cooking
Cooking times will vary depending on thickness of fish, check core using a temperature probe
Chef’s Tips...
Always check the oil is at the correct temperature
Do not add too many pieces of fish at once as the temperature will reduce
Always drain on kitchen paper.
Mi Cuit (“Half Cooked”)
A variation on poaching / deep frying is a technique known as Mi Cuit, where portions of oil-rich fish (ideally Salmon or Sea Trout) are lightly salted, then immersed and slowly semi-cooked in a flavoured olive oil or duck fat at a constant 48°C.
A 60g portion needs 11 minutes, at which point it will have a unique colour and texture. The oil must be discarded after cooking, making it a costly method but the result is unique
Chef’s Tips...
Care must be taken not to overcook as will turn into a very oil saturated dish
Use the best ingredients available
