When should you wash fish?

Do I need to wash fish before cooking? Depends on where it was purchased or caught, as well as taste preferences. Be sure to wash the outside of the fish to remove large debris, such as leaves. Almost always - cleared of scales. In rare cases, it is necessary to wash off dirt and mucus before cooking, for example, when a task arises how to clean catfish.

Pickling

The salting procedure itself does not imply high temperatures, but one must understand that salt destroys all pests that could be on the meat. The skin of salted fish is also disinfected, but, as a rule, is not eaten.

Chefs note that it is not necessary to wash fish before salting if there are no noticeable traces of dirt on the skin. It is not worth washing the inside at all, as this spoils the taste of the finished dish.

However, many housewives prefer to rinse the carcass both outside and inside after cleaning and gutting. This removes small scales and remaining entrails. It is necessary to sprinkle with salt and then rinse the fish with cold running water if the gall bladder is affected - otherwise the meat will be bitter.

Important
Wash the fish under low pressure, in a deep sink, so that there is no splashing, otherwise you will then have to wash half the kitchen from the smell and bacteria.

Freezing

Extreme cold completely kills germs, viruses and parasites in one day. Therefore, there is usually no great need to wash the fish - just dip it in a basin of clean water to remove sand, algae and other “accessories”.If the fish was bought alive in a store, there is no need to wash it at all - just remove the scales from the carcass.

For the same reason, there is no need to disinfect fish after defrosting. Although if you are preparing dinner for a cat, then one of the quick ways is to place the fish in a bowl and under running water (be sure to be cold, otherwise the carcass will be cooked and not defrosted).

If the fish goes to the human table, it should thaw in the refrigerator, at most at room temperature, so that the skin does not crack and the meat does not lose its taste. In this case, it is advisable to place the fish on a wire rack and place the dishes underneath - quite a lot of water and juice will drain out.

Interesting fact
Domestic fish is superior in health and nutritional value to its foreign counterparts. However, you need to buy it either live or frozen. As a rule, Russian fishing companies freeze fish directly on the ship - therefore, the “chilled” carcass in the store is actually formerly frozen.

Before boiling, baking or frying

Heat treatment is the best disinfectant, so there is no point in washing the skin of the fish before cooking (unless there was noticeable dirt). The inside of the carcass is washed only if bile has been spilled; in other cases, this only reduces the appetite.

The fish is cooked for at least 10-15 minutes, and this time is enough for all dangerous microorganisms to be destroyed. The main condition is that the meat must be cooked completely, become soft, and easily come away from the bones. If you have small children and you are worried about their tummies, purchase a cooking thermometer: the fish meat should warm up to 55 degrees (with at least 10 minutes of cooking).

Before frying or baking, if you had to wash the fish, you should pat it dry with paper towels.Excess moisture will not allow the crust to set in time, and the taste will suffer greatly.

Lifehack
If the heat on the stove was too high, and the skin was browned, but the fish meat was not cooked, place the entire batch on a plate and microwave at medium power for about 10 minutes. Be sure to cover with a cap or lid to preserve the juiciness of the dish.

Fish is a healthy, tender meat that is quick and easy to prepare. The main difficulty is cutting if you buy live or ungutted fish. At this stage, it is sometimes necessary to dip the carcass to get rid of stuck debris. In other cases, there is no need to wash fish before cooking (whether salting or frying). It is much more important that the meat is cooked completely.