Freezer Fish

Pangasius and salmon that had sat in the freezer too long, buried under dill, garlic and mustard, with seasoned rice and raw veg

· 46 minutes start to finish · experimental salmon seafood supper

Two trays

Twelve pieces, three broad pangasius fillets and nine narrower cuts of Atlantic salmon. Spread out on parchment rather than stacked, so the thin tail ends thaw at the same rate as the thick middles, and salted lightly while still frozen so it has the whole thaw to work in

start Twelve fillets spread across two parchment-lined trays, still frosted

Rice

Straight into the pot with stock powder rather than salt, since the fish was never going to carry the plate on its own

+2 min Stock powder poured over rice in the pot

Everything for the coating

Mayonnaise as the base. It clings to a wet fillet where oil slides off, and the egg and oil in it brown instead of just drying out

+6 min Mortar, garlic, dill, lemon, mustard and mayonnaise laid out on the counter +7 min Mayonnaise squeezed into the measuring jug +7 min Mustard added on top of the mayonnaise

Coriander seed and peppercorns cracked in the mortar rather than taken from a jar, so they stay coarse enough to notice

+8 min Coriander seed and black peppercorns in the mortar +12 min Garlic minced fine on the knife +12 min Garlic and the cracked spice weighed into the jug

Dill, then lemon

+14 min Dill added to the garlic and spice +14 min Lemon juiced into the jug

Too thin

Somewhere in the last additions it stopped being a paste and turned into something closer to a dressing. More mayonnaise went in to bring the body back and did not do it

+15 min The jug filling out, dill and garlic loose in the liquid +16 min More mayonnaise squeezed into the thinned sauce

Poured on rather than spread, and most of it kept going, off the fillets and onto the parchment

+17 min The thin sauce poured over the fillets, running off onto the tray

In

+20 min Oven knob turned up +20 min Both trays in the oven

Something raw

Cucumber, red pepper and red cabbage, cut while the trays were in. Nothing cooked, just oil, salt and pepper

+26 min Cucumber cut into chunks +28 min Red pepper sliced thin +30 min Cucumber, pepper and cabbage on the plate with oil poured over

Out

What was left on the fish baked down to a thin savoury crust, patchy where the sauce had run

+41 min The baked fillets, coating dried to a thin speckled crust

Everything that ran off is still in the tray, and it is the best thing in the kitchen at this point. Drained into a measuring cup and poured over the rice

+45 min The pan juices poured over the rice, with the fish and raw veg alongside

The verdict

Approval from across the table, which is the only review that counts on a Sunday clear-out

+46 min Two plates: fish, seasoned rice, cucumber, pepper and red cabbage

Recipe

Baked white fish with dill and mustard

Good UnitsBad UnitsItemDirections
220 °C430 °FOvenHeat
3 filletsPangasiusSpread on lined trays, salt lightly, thaw
9 piecesAtlantic salmonSpread on lined trays, salt lightly, thaw
RiceCook in stock or with stock powder
51 gMayonnaiseAdd to jug1
12 gMustardAdd to jug1
pinchCoriander seedCrack in mortar, add to jug1
pinchPeppercornsCrack in mortar, add to jug1
10 g3 clovesGarlicMince, add to jug1
15.5 gDillChop, add to jug1
15 g½LemonJuice into jug1
jug1Spread over the fish, bake ~20 min
1CucumberCut into chunks
1Red pepperSlice thin
Red cabbageShred, dress all three with oil, salt and pepper
Tray juicesDrain into a cup, pour over the rice

Commentary, extra notes

  • Keep the coating thick enough to sit where it is put. Once it pours it runs off in the oven, and adding more mayonnaise to a thin one does not bring the body back. Hold the last of the liquid until it has been looked at on a spoon
  • Freezer fish wants the aromatics loud. Garlic, cracked coriander and dill at these amounts are what carried it, and a subtler coating would have left the fish tasting of the freezer
  • Leftovers go back under the tray juices in the fridge. The fish dries out uncovered, and the juices are seasoned enough to keep working overnight