Indoor Fish Cooking That Will Leave Your Kitchen Smelling Like Dinner, Not Fish

September 16th 2019

Once the days start getting shorter and the weather cools, we find many of our customers who typically grill their fish are suddenly at a loss… How to keep eating beautiful fish through the colder months without stinking up the house!?! While we obviously have a vested interest in having you maintain your healthy fish eating habits all year long, we understand the issue at hand.

Enter the HOOKED COOKING CLASS!!!

Seriously. Our classes are packed with information, cooking tips and techniques and great instruction. Munchies, at least 3 different fish dishes to enjoy, plus recipes emailed after class. The goal of a Hooked class is to get you eating more good fish, more often. Registration is open and we still have a few spots available in a few classes. We’d love to host you at Hooked!
Sign up for a class

While our classes are a blast, know that we are here to help in the shops, every day. There are so many ways to cook every type of fish indoors, with terrific results and zero lingering odours.

A few key points…

1. Always start your fish from room temperature. Pull fish from the fridge at least 20-30 minutes before cooking. Trust us.
2. Season your fish with sea salt, both skin and flesh sides. Marinating is great too, just no longer than 2 hours if you still want to taste the actual fish.
3. Set a timer. Fish isn’t cheap and it’s such a shame to overcook it. We advise setting a timer for a few minute BEFORE you think the fish will be done. That way if it isn’t fully cooked, you can let it continue cooking until perfectly cooked.
4. To check for doneness, we recommend sticking a paring knife or metal skewer into the thickest part of the fish. Hold it there for 3-4 seconds, then touch it to the inside of your wrist. Filets should feel ‘just hot’. Whole fish needs to feel ‘very hot’ against the skin (it must be fully cooked to come off the bone)

Have a look at our favourite indoor, no-stink cooking methods for great fish:

Broiling: we love this method for fattier fish like mackerel and black cod. It’s quick, easy and once you get a sense of timing, yields terrific results.
Slow Baking: one of the best cooking methods, hands down. Salmon, halibut, steelhead, rainbow trout… So good, SO simple.
Sous vide/Immersion Cooking: this method is amazing for fish (and meats and vegetables…), everything is fully contained and cooking can be done anytime as reheating is a snap.
Steaming: sea bream, branzino, pacific cod, ling cod, pickerel… so many options! Add ginger and scallions to your steamer basket and finish your fish with soy, sesame oil, chilies and cilantro.
En Papillotte: literally the simplest dinner solution, all in one package. Thinly shaved vegetables, butter, a few herbs, sea salt and a filet of fish on top, wrapped up in parchment paper and roasted in the oven.
Braising: coconut curry, tandoori sauce, provençal, simple tomato sauce… Just add sliced pieces or chunks of fresh fish or shellfish, cook through for a minute or two and serve.
Oven Roasting: high heat is best (unless you’re slow baking). Salmon, halibut, ling cod, branzino, black cod…

Ask us about any of these cooking methods, our team is waiting to help make tonight’s dinner exceptional.