Broiling Fish

[project]

For diet food, want to broil some fish fillets. Will start with frozen, skinless, white fish, e.g., cod, flounder, etc.

Will broil on aluminum foil on a baking sheet in a standard home electric oven with a good broiler element.

But, for flavor? What can I do to get some decently good flavor?

Sure, I can start with garlic, onion, pepper, lemon, soy sauce, vinegar, white wine, etc. but need more details!

I'm willing to add some fat and/or some carbohydrates, but, since this is to be a diet dish, want to keep down, or at least known, the quantities of fat or carbohydrates.

Ideas?

Thanks!

[rlibkind]

You might also want to consider baking the fish in aluminum foil packets. I find this works better than broiling for diets, because the packets (akin to cooking en papillote, just using foil instead of parchment) keep those delicious juices in. The only fat needed is some cooking spray or olive oil (latter preferred) lightly brushed onto the foil to prevent sticking.

It also encourages a wider flavor palette, I think. Dice some vegetables to enclose with the fish, along with your herb or spice flavorings. I'd pre-cook veggies like carrots, potatoes, because cooking time for foiled filets won't be that long -- a six-ounce, three-quarter inch thick filet in a 450 oven should take 12-13 minutes or so, maybe less (the wrapping increases cooking time) if the filet is thoroughly thawed first.

You might also want to consider adding fruit instead of vegetables! A bit of fresh papaya or mango, or even pineapple, diced into the packet would be a nice touch; grapes (peeled if you're compulsive) would make it veronique-ish. Or you can even use dried fruit, after letting it steep in boiled water for 15 or 20 minutes first. Your favorite olives (a mix of varieties is nice) would add a trifle of additional fat but lots of flavor. Chopped scallions (green onions) are always a nice addition, especially after brushing the fish with your choice of an Asian fish sauce and perhaps adding a touch of fresh grated ginger.

Of course, good flavor depends on getting good fish. And there's no reason why you can't get good frozen fish. If you have a Trader Joe's available, they offer an excellent selection of quality frozen fish filets, considerably better than that found in the some supermarkets, though I've seen improving quality there.

[ludja]

...

You might also want to consider adding fruit instead of vegetables! A bit of fresh papaya or mango, or even pineapple, diced into the packet would be a nice touch; grapes (peeled if you're compulsive) would make it veronique-ish. Or you can even use dried fruit, after letting it steep in boiled water for 15 or 20 minutes first. Your favorite olives (a mix of varieties is nice) would add a trifle of additional fat but lots of flavor. Chopped scallions (green onions) are always a nice addition, especially after brushing the fish with your choice of an Asian fish sauce and perhaps adding a touch of fresh grated ginger.

...

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I'm picky about how fruit is incoporated into a savory dish but I might lean more towards used an uncooked fruit salsa to garnish the fish with after it's cooked. One combination is mango, lime, cilantro and chile; I'd consider something similar with pineapple as well. (I need the lime, cilantro and chile as a counterpoint to the sweetness of the fruit; maybe a little grated red onion as well.) Another idea would be think of Sicilian or Greek flavors--a salsa of oranges, black olives, lemon and olive.

I've had some nice fish entrees garnished with olives as well. They add a lot of flavor so you don't need many of them. Chopped olives incorpated into a compound butter are wonderful; another lower fat option would be an olive and tomato-type salsa.

I could probably eat simply broiled fish with chimichurri sauce every week. Bright, intense flavors mean that you don't need lots of sauce if you're trying to minimize calories.

I think a preserved lemon would be nice as well. Maybe just chopped up and served as is or maybe a component of another type of salsa/sauce. I think preserved lemon and tomato would be great.

For some reason I'm also thinking of Greek preparations and flavors. I am not so familiar to make suggestions but this may be another avenue to explore. The packet idea might also work nicelly with adding some sliced potatoes, lemon, oregano and little olive oil. The added "fat" in the olive oil then does double duty in flavoring the fish and potatoes.

Edited March 12, 2007 by ludja (log)

[project]

Okay, maybe wrap and bake instead of broil.

What about: Suppose I make maybe 1 C of finely diced mirepoix, soften it in 1 T of butter or olive oil, add 1/2 C of dry white wine, reduce, spread over the fish, wrap, and bake?

[eje]

Okay, maybe wrap and bake instead of broil.

What about:  Suppose I make maybe 1 C of finely diced mirepoix, soften it in 1 T of butter or olive oil, add 1/2 C of dry white wine, reduce, spread over the fish, wrap, and bake?

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It will be quite delicious!

I do this all the time with salmon, halibut, and cod. Salmon is my favorite. For herbs with the salmon, I like thyme and a little tarragon.

[rlibkind]

I think Ludja makes a good point about being careful with which fruit you use; I certainly don't want you to create a thin fruit sauce! But given the quick cooking time, the studier fruits will merely be warmed, not broken down.

One other advantage of the foil packets: minimizes pan clean-up compared to broiling.

[maher]

i always steam when preparing a fish filet for diet purposes.. it is much more moist than broiling without fat, and and water thats packed with the frozen filet will fall off the fish into the steaming water keeping the flavor fresh.

Ive found that i get a great flavor kick from almost any far eastern seasoning... any preprepared indian or thai curry paste, plack bean paste, ... almost anything. i use just a bit, and thin it with rice wine vinegar. either use it to marinate the filet in for thirty mins before steaming/broiling or baste the fish as it cooks

you can also use the basic ginger/garlic/rice wine vinegar with a couple crops of sesame oil.

its my favorite diet food, though not the most exciting. if you get a fairly thick filet you can steam it straight from the freezer if you need to without much of a loss of texture or flavor.

[Henry dV]

I would steam the fish and lay on a bed of fennel that has been finely sliced and wiped with a minimum amount of evoo then cooked hot and fast in a griddle pan.

Delish IMHO.

[Syrah]

If you want to try steaming, I have made a recipe for "tea steamed fish" that is very good. Basically, you get a two tiered steamer and in the bottom you have jasmine green tea, slices of ginger and strips of green onion (scallion). You let that get aromatic for about 10 minutes and then steam fish. It is served with a soy, ginger chilli sauce. Quite delicious and no added fat at all.

[project]

Wow!

Thanks!

eG rocks!

[Blether]

Salt only - find yourself a good explanation of (Japanese) shioyaki. This involves salting 30 minutes in advance, then a rinse and dry before broiling. Here I just salt liberally and adjust the timing to the thickness of the fish: some methods specify a quantity of salt.

My favourite pieces of white fish (locally), sea bream, I simply salt, dredge in lightly-peppered flour and fry in olive oil. Nothing else needed.

Or in the Indian vein, try marinading in a paste of ginger, garlic, salt, vinegar, chilli, coriander, cumin, and oil and/or yoghurt: tandoori fish. It's quite delicious.

Edited March 13, 2007 by Blether (log)