How to quickly and tasty fry frozen fish in a frying pan?

When you're running out of time to prepare a dish, you can't help but wonder if it's possible to fry frozen fish? If we are talking about steaks, fillets or other fish preparations, skipping the defrosting step is quite acceptable. It’s another matter if the fish is whole and unpeeled. If you fry from frozen, it is likely to fall apart in the pan and may cook unevenly.

Frozen fish: can it be fried or not?

When talking about frying frozen fish, they often mean cooking an undefrosted product. Is it possible to fry fish immediately after taking it out of the freezer?

• Definitely yes, if you have a semi-finished product like fish nuggets or fish cutlets. You can immediately fry medium-sized salmon steaks or cleaned fish. Frying such products has its own peculiarities.
• It is not advisable to fry any uncleaned carcass, as well as frozen large fish steaks, without first defrosting. When frozen, it is difficult to remove the insides. But the main thing is that the frozen product cooks unevenly. It begins to burn on the outside, but only thaws on the inside.

How to quickly fry frozen fish?

If guests are about to appear on the doorstep and you need to fry frozen fish as quickly as possible, you should deal with it as follows:

1. Rinse under cold running water (with the exception of semi-finished fish products with breading).
2. Clean the scales if necessary.
3. Trim the fins with kitchen scissors.
4. Cut off the head and tail. Subsequently, they can be used to prepare fish soup or fish soup.
5. Remove the entrails by making a cut from the tail along the belly.
6. Cut the fish into equal pieces 2 cm thick.
7. Rinse under cold running water.
8. Rub with salt and pepper.
9. Grease with vegetable oil.
10. Fry in a heated frying pan on both sides until cooked.

Preparing the fish for frying will take approximately 10 minutes. The cooking process will take the same amount of time.

Attention to cooking time

Frozen fish takes 1.5-2 times longer to cook than fresh fish. It is important to make sure that it does not remain raw inside. There are several ways to determine readiness:

• Using a food probe thermometer. The internal temperature should reach 63 degrees.
• According to the color of the meat. When the fish is ready, it is no longer transparent in the middle and becomes white or orange, depending on the type.
• Bone separation test. Fried meat easily bounces off the bones.

The average time for frying frozen fish is 4-7 minutes on each side.

Advice. If you have doubts whether the fish is cooked inside, you can additionally stew it in sour cream or tomato sauce. The perfect combination with salmon is a creamy sauce made from cream, butter, garlic, cornstarch, broth and seasonings.

Frying temperature

It's a big mistake to fry frozen fish over too low a heat.Not very experienced housewives do this, believing that they can first melt a carcass or steak, and then it will begin to fry. But instead the meat separates and becomes dry. High heat is also contraindicated for frozen products. He chars the outside, but the inside remains raw.

It is correct to start frying frozen fish steak at medium temperature, and then finish cooking over low heat.

Do you need a lid?

When frying frozen fish, cover the pan with a lid during the last minutes of cooking. Thanks to the steam, it cooks well inside and does not remain raw. The downside to using a lid is that the steam makes the crust less crispy.

For crispy crust

Those who love a crispy golden crust on fried fish should prepare it in a certain way:

1. You need to use deep fat for frying or pour a lot of vegetable oil into the frying pan. It should cover half of the steak or carcass.
2. After preparation, the pieces should be rolled in flour and the fillet should be breaded in breadcrumbs.
3. You should start frying after the oil in the frying pan is well heated.
4. For a crispy crust, fry the fish without a lid.

To prevent the fish from falling apart

Some types of fish easily fall apart when fried (for example, sturgeon), others retain their shape well.

To keep the pieces intact, you should listen to the following advice:

1. When frying, steaks must first be sear over high heat for 1 minute on each side.
2. After this, the product is brought to readiness over low heat.
3. Do not stir the fish and turn it over frequently to avoid damage.
4. Thick breading will prevent the product from falling apart during frying.

For juiciness

Dry meat is a common problem with fried fish that has been frozen.This happens especially often with low-fat varieties like pollock.

To maintain juiciness:

• They use batter. It envelops each piece and prevents the juice from leaking out. In a separate bowl, beat the egg, add salt, seasonings and flour. You should get a mixture similar in consistency to sour cream. To fry, fish pieces are first dipped in batter and then rolled in flour or breadcrumbs.
• Soak the carcass before frying in a solution of salt and sugar. Dissolve 1 tbsp in 1 liter of water. a spoonful of salt and 1 tbsp. spoon of sugar. Soaking time – 20 minutes. After this, the dish is no longer salted.

Cooking frozen fish correctly

Frozen fish is not as tasty and healthy as fresh fish. But it is safer. At low temperatures, worms die and bacteria cannot reproduce. Many people consciously choose a frozen product.

Frozen fish can be incredibly tasty, aromatic and juicy. You just need to know how to prepare it correctly.

Pan-frying a frozen steak is not a good idea. More flavor and juice are retained when baked in foil or a sleeve. The thick shell helps prevent charring on the outside and ensures good cooking on the inside. If frying is an important issue, the product should be defrosted.

Pay attention to the following nuances:

• Fish must be defrosted in the cold. The gradual thawing process reduces the loss of juice and prevents the product from spoiling. You can use the refrigerator or other cool place. On average, 1 kg of frozen fish takes 12 hours to defrost, and a whole salmon takes 24 hours.
• To speed up the process, you can leave the steak on the kitchen counter in a vacuum sealed bag (bag) in a plate of cold water.At room temperature, defrosting time is reduced by 3-4 hours.
• Owners of a microwave or oven with a defrosting function can resort to the help of equipment. But it’s important not to overdo it here. At a certain stage, seafood begins to quickly lose juice. When frying, the meat will turn out dry. Properly place the fish between two paper towels and defrost for 1-3 minutes on each side.
• There is no need to defrost the fish until it is very soft. It should remain elastic. As soon as the product becomes pliable and flexible, you can safely fry it.
• Before frying, it is necessary to remove moisture from the surface of the product with a napkin.

Questions and answers

What frozen fish should not be used for frying?

Do not fry a product that has expired. Frozen fish can be stored for 2 to 8 months. Damage is indicated by an unpleasant odor or a slippery coating. Also, you should not choose for frying a product that has been re-frozen, with a large layer of frost.

How to cook delicious frozen fish?

To prepare fresh fish, you don’t need anything other than salt and pepper, but frozen fish is best cooked with seasonings. These can be universal “fish” seasonings from the store or your own set. Lemon juice, thyme, lemon balm, sage, marjoram, white pepper, paprika and curry are often used. Frozen fish can be easily marinated and baked in the oven. Marinating time is 5-15 minutes. It can also be used to prepare all kinds of dishes: fish soup, fish pie, fish fillet in sweet and sour sauce and others.

In conclusion, fish is considered a delicate food. It cooks quickly, is easily digestible, but has its own cooking characteristics.It is important not to dry out the meat or break it into small pieces. Frozen fish is more difficult to cook tasty than fresh fish. You need to know the subtleties, which we tried to describe in as much detail as possible. We advise you to listen to the recommendations to prepare a truly delicious fish steak or crispy fried fish for dinner.