what to do with fish steaks that still have scales on?
I am in Montreal and the Portuguese community here has a few grocery stores; Portuguese frozen fish is also for sale in quite a few places. It's very inexpensive and I think I now know why. I bought a kilo of redfish (with some research I think it's most commonly called ocean perch*).
It's described as bland fish and apparently best to cook in a sauce, but the steaks still have scales on them! I hate scaling, and during scaling the scales get all over the meat, I can't see them and after adding butter and orange juice and poaching the fish in the oven, they made it to the final dish and the sauce.
Obviously, the fish with scales is best to cook whole, but I have the steaks. Any advice on how to cook them unscaled and still use seasoning/sauce?
[*edit] apparently also known as rockfish
Best Answer
Assuming you're cooking the the fish in a sauce, cut the meat away from the skin, liberally (it sounds like you really don't like the scales). Put what remains of the skin in cheese cloth (like a bouquet garni) to get the flavor out of them. The cloth should keep the scales out. You may need to layer the cheesecloth. You can remove it toward the end of cooking.
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Can you eat fish with scales on?
As long as fish have been properly cleaned and the outer scales fully removed, the skin is typically safe to eat. Because fish is a great source of nutrients like iron and omega-3 fatty acids, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends eating a 4-ounce (113-gram) serving of fish 2\u20133 times per week ( 2 ).Do you have to remove scales from fish before cooking?
If you want to get the best taste from your freshly caught fish, you must remove the scales before you cook it. Even if you plan to burn the scales off, it might interfere with the flavor.Can you bake a fish with scales still on?
Fish skin: For fillets with skin, if desired, use a sharp fillet knife to remove the skin from the raw fish. You can also remove the skin after baking. If any scales are on the skin, scrape them away before baking fish.5 Fish to NEVER Eat
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Answer 2
First cook them flesh side down on a grill. Then finish cooking skin side down. Have the sause as a side dish to dip them in.
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