Baking

You can bake any species or cut of fish, whether it be fillets, steaks, or whole dressed fish. Season fish as desired. Place fish on a well-buttered shallow pan and bake in a preheated oven at 400°F / 200°C. Allow ten minutes per inch of thickness of fresh fish and twenty minutes per inch if frozen.

Boiling

Boiling is a good way of cooking not only large whole fish such as salmon or haddock but also steaks from very large fish such as tuna or swordfish. Wrap fish in cheesecloth and tie securely. Place fish in water seasoned with lemon juice, salt, and herbs to taste. Bring liquid to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer gently by keeping the liquid temperature below 190°F / 88°C. Allow ten minutes of cooking time per inch of thickness. Drain and serve.

Broiling

Fish cut into steaks (three-quarters to one inch thick) and small fish such as herring are best for broiling. Preheat the broiler. Dip steaks in milk and dust lightly with flour, or brush fish with melted butter, and season as desired. Place the fish two inches below the heat source for steaks and four to five inches for whole fish. Baste with butter occasionally. Turn once. Cooking time depends on the thickness, with steaks usually requiring about five minutes each side.

Deep Frying

Fish should be coated with beaten eggs and breadcrumbs or batter before frying. Coating protects the fish from the intense heat of the fat. Fillets and shellfish fry well. Place one layer of fish in a frying basket and fry in fat preheated to 375ºF / 190ºC until golden brown, about five minutes.

Pan Frying

When cooking small fish such as smelts, fry the entire fish. Cut larger fish into steaks or suitable portions. Dip fish in milk and roll in flour, breadcrumbs or oatmeal. Carefully lay the fish in a pan of hot butter or fat (non-smoking), using about one-quarter inch of fat in the pan. Fry over medium heat until lightly browned, about four minutes. Turn fish and brown for three minutes.

Poaching

This method is good for cooking large whole fish such as salmon. Wrap the fish in foil or cheesecloth. Fill a roasting pan or fish poacher with a stock or sauce. Lay the fish in the pan, cover, and place in a pre-heated 400ºF / 200ºC oven or on the stove top over medium heat. Simmer and ensure that the liquid does not boil. Cook ten minutes per inch of thickness. Lift fish out of liquid, unwrap, garnish and serve.

Sautéing

Use a white-fleshed fish or fillets such as cod, haddock, or whitefish. Fillets may be used whole or cut into portions. Melt butter in pan, add chopped parsley, ground black pepper, lemon juice, and chopped chives or shallots. Place fish in pan and cook over medium heat. When half-cooked, add white wine and allow the liquid to reduce to about half the original volume. Cover and simmer until cooked.

Steaming

Steaming helps make fish even more digestible, particularly recommended when cooking for people on fairly bland diets. Wrap fish in cheesecloth and tie. Fill a large pot with two inches of water and add salt and the juice of half a lemon. Cover and bring to a boil. Place fish on a wire rack or tray in pot so that it does not touch the water. Cover and steam for about ten minutes per inch of thickness.