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Fish
Fish cooks very well by micro wave as it stays
moist and the lingering fish smells left in
conventional ovens are avoided.
When is fish cooked?
Fish is cooked when it flakes easily and
becomes opaque.
For fish with a strong odour, eliminate the
smell after cooking by placing 600 ml (1 pt) of
boiling water and 1 sliced lemon in a large
bowl, cook on SIMMER for 20 mins. Wipe out
oven with a dry cloth.
Whole fish
If cooking 2 whole fish together, they should
be arranged head to tail for even cooking.
Large whole fish must have the tail and head
shielded halfway through cooking with
smooth pieces of tin foil secured with cocktail
sticks.
Arranging
Thin fillets of fish i.e. plaice, should be rolled
up prior to cooking to avoid overcooking on
the thinner outside edge and tail.
Fish steaks should be arranged in a circle,
thicker part to the outside. Cover with cling
film or lid.
Liquid
Fresh fish should always be sprinkled with
30 ml (2 tbsp) of lemon juice, white wine or
water.
When cooking frozen fish, add liquid as
above for even cooking.
Do not sprinkle salt onto fish before cooking
as this may make the fish dry.
Noise
During cooking, popping sounds may be heard. This is due to moisture trapped between the
flesh, particularly with oily fish such as salmon and mackerel. This can be minimised when
cooking if the skin and flesh is pierced several times with a cocktail stick.
