The answer to this question really depends on the way you're preparing your fish. If you've steamed, baked or sauteed your fish, you're in luck -- all you have to do is turn the heat off, put a lid on your pot or pan, and let it sit for up to 20 minutes. The steam will gently warm your fish until you're ready to serve. If you've taken care not to overcook your fish in the first place, keeping it steamy for 20 minutes won't dry it out.
But when it comes to retaining a crispy skin or batter on skin-on or fried fish, it gets a little trickier. The biggest cooking error that leads to sogginess is wrapping or covering anything with a crunchy coating. Though it's tradition in Britain to deliver fish and chips wrapped in newspaper, it's actually a huge mistake. The contents of the package end up steaming themselves into soggy submission.
To keep batter or skin crispy when you're cooking up fish in batches, try this technique:
Heat your oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
When fish is thoroughly cooked and ready to keep warm, transfer it to a wire rack placed over a baking sheet. Do not cover or wrap in foil! Hold in the oven for up to 30 minutes.
When it's ready, eat it immediately, and eat it all -- especially if it's fried. Fried foods turn to mush as leftovers, so enjoy it in all its crispy glory.
* And when keeping food warm or letting it sit out at room temperature, always keep in mind the cooking "danger zone," of which few home cooks are aware. Food should never stay between 41-135 degrees Fahrenheit for more than four hours. At that temperature range, bacteria begins to grow rapidly and will quickly take over your food. (Keep this in mind for those summer picnics!)
place the fried fish ontop of a wire rack right out of the oil. when all done, place fish in paper bags. place wire rack in the cool aluminum foil pan or steam tray, place hot fish out of the paper bags, then place fish ontop of rack. Cover fish on a rack with paper, paper bags or wax, or parchment paper.
Heat your oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. When fish is thoroughly cooked and ready to keep warm, transfer it to a wire rack placed over a baking sheet. Do not cover or wrap in foil! Hold in the oven for up to 30 minutes.
If you've steamed, baked or sauteed your fish, you're in luck -- all you have to do is turn the heat off, put a lid on your pot or pan, and let it sit for up to 20 minutes. The steam will gently warm your fish until you're ready to serve.
If you have to hold them for any length of time, place them on a baking sheet, in a single layer, and keep them warm in a low oven. 150 degrees will do the trick. Again, you've got a very narrow window before sogginess starts to take hold, so serve asap.
Like many people, fish tend to be less active in the cold. As cold-blooded creatures, their metabolism dips when temperatures take a dive. The layer of ice that forms on top of a lake, pond, river, or stream provides some insulation that helps the waterbody retain its heat.
If your oven doesn't include a “keep warm” preset, aim to manually set the temperature somewhere between 170°F and 200°F to help keep food in a safe range.
You don't have to throw out leftover fish fillets or shellfish after dinner. You can safely reheat seafood for up to 4 days after it has been cooked. Seafood dishes with garlic or onions can taste even better the second time around. The only challenge to reheating seafood is that it can dry out or get a fishy smell.
Place the fillets on a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet, cover them with foil (to prevent the exteriors of the fish from drying out). Heat fish in a 275-degree oven until it registers 125 to 130 degrees, about 15 minutes for 1-inch-thick fillets (timing varies according to fillet size).
After cooking, store seafood in the refrigerator 3 to 4 days. Any frozen fish or shellfish will be safe indefinitely; however, the flavor and texture will lessen after lengthy storage. For best quality, freeze (0 °F / -17.8 °C or less) cooked fish for up to 3 months.
Fish and shellfish lend themselves well to moist-heat cooking methods, especially steaming, poaching and simmering. Steaming best preserves the food's natural flavors and cooks without adding fat. Poaching is also popular, especially for fish.
Just keep in mind the foil will keep in the heat for only about 30 minutes or so. If you are trying to keep a roast, steak, or whole bird warm, tenting with aluminum foil while it rests will benefit the meat in two ways: It will keep it at a warm temperature while allowing the juices to redistribute.
Always cover fish to keep it heating evenly and preventing dry out and help combat fishy odor. Try and avoid the microwave if possible. Don't expect it to taste exactly like it did freshly served.
Introduction: My name is Frankie Dare, I am a funny, beautiful, proud, fair, pleasant, cheerful, enthusiastic person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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