How to Buy Seafood - Advice from a professional chef

Grouper
St. Petersburg Times photo

Recently I received an email from Diane who wanted to know why the grouper she bought in bulk didn’t look like grouper she purchased in the past. In fact, she questioned whether or not it was really grouper at all. Here’s what she said,

“I have been a grouper lover for years and up until recently I have enjoyed it frequently.  I purchased it through a food company that provides meat, poultry and fish in bulk.  In my last two orders I have received a fish that they are calling grouper, but it doesn’t look or taste like grouper.

I am used to a nice white very light fish.  This fish is off white with brown coloration through it and it is a very thick fish.  It doesn’t flake like grouper; it forks off in larger pieces.  The company is insisting that it is grouper, just a different kind.

They said that there was a problem with the grouper from Florida so they are getting it somewhere else.  I told them that all grouper is a translucent white thin fillet until cooked.  Is it possible that I am getting grouper?  I have no idea where to turn with this issue….” -  Diane

Buying Seafood

So here was a situation where Diane was buying fish site unseen, very similar to when a chef buys fish from his supplier without seeing it. He has to trust his fish purveyor will bring him what he wants and the fish people know he will return it if it does not meet his specifications. We have the advantage of going to the market, seeing the fish and if feeling bold, asking the fishmonger to let us smell it for freshness.

Most of us wouldn’t dream of smelling fish before purchasing but it is a good practice to get into. Nothing is more frustrating than buying some fresh fish at the market only to bring it home, give it a smell and realize it is not as fresh as you thought it was. By asking the fish person to smell it, they realize you know what you are doing and will give you a little more consideration next time you come in to buy fish.

What Does A Professional Think?

I asked my friend Chef Alan Bickel about Diane’s situation. Chef Alan had been working at a seafood restaurant called Cascade’s Seafood Restaurant, part of the Gaylord Opryland Resort in Nashville, TN but just recently moved on to a brand new restaurant at the Union Station Hotel in downtown Nashville called Prime 108 and will be working with Chef Tom Cook. I’m hoping we get some updates from Alan as he settles into the new position.

Here is what said about Diane’s grouper situation:

”At first glance, when receiving a cut of fish that is not what you expected, it is understandable to think your fish company is ripping you off, sending you whatever they’ve got kicking around their coolers.  This can be particularly upsetting when you’ve been getting the same kind of fish reliably for a period of time and then it suddenly changes.

The first question I have for Diane is “What specifications did she provide her fishmonger?  How specific was she? Did she ask for:

Red grouper filets
Skin on
Scored
10-12 oz.
PBO (Pin Bone Out) - PBO Boned is similar to Boned but the additional step has been taken to remove the pesky little pin bones. Note the term “PBO Boned” does not mean completely boneless.
Firm White Flesh
No tail cuts

Or did she call the 1-800 number and say, “Yes, please send me 10 lbs of grouper.”

(Who knew there were so many specifications when ordering fish? - RG)

If you’re dealing with a company who knows anything about fish, they’ll be knowledgeable of what they’re sending as well as being able to answer all of your questions.  On the flip side if you want to consistently receive good product, it really pays to know your stuff.

At this time, I know there are almost twenty species of grouper that are commercially fished, some of which are not true ‘grouper’ but are close enough to be considered the same. The same goes for sea bass, salmon, trout.

Even some species of shellfish have counterparts and look-alikes that aren’t identical.  The only way to be truly sure that you’re getting exactly what you want is to go to the market and put your eyes on the piece of fish that you want to buy.

”Subbing out” is a common industry practice that comes from the fact that the only way to get fish (unless you’re talking about farm raised) is to send out a boat and drop lines.  Sometimes fishermen don’t catch much.  Sometimes weather prohibits day-boats from going out.  Sometimes the fish just aren’t there…

So instead of not selling you anything, most companies will send you something they feel is a close substitute.  If you haven’t discussed in detail what you are looking for, the characteristics of the meat, and the flavor profile, your purveyor won’t know what’s acceptable and what isn’t.

Which leads back to actually seeing the fish you’re buying.  I don’t know what part of the county you’re living in but there are many large grocery chains that have great seafood departments including Publix, Wegmans, etc that you should feel pretty comfortable buying from.

Aside from that, most cities have farmer’s markets and depending on your distance from large bodies of water, you might be able to get some really fresh stuff at reasonable prices. Hope this helps. – Chef Alan

If you want to learn more about Epinephelinae, I mean grouper, I suggest you try the following resources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grouper

For a good article on fresh grouper from the St. Petersburg Times, go to http://www.sptimes.com/2003/08/06/Tampabay/Fresh_grouper_Maybe_n.shtml

A reader asked what is best for baking, a gas convection oven or an electric oven so I asked Chef Leslie Bilderback, a certified master baker what she thought. As you will see from her answer, it’s not about gas or electric, but more about convection or non-convection. I have a 6-burner gas stovetop but the attached oven is electric, where Chef Bilderback has a gas stovetop and oven.

So here is Judy’s Ask A Chef Question and Chef Bilderback’s answer. By the way, you really want to read my Novice to Pro Interview with Chef Leslie, and if you are thinking of going to culinary school, you definitely want to read her book, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Success as a Chef.

Judy asks, “Would you please inform me if a gas convection oven is better to bake cakes, cookies, etc than an electric oven. I am ready to purchase a gas convection oven to bake with. Thanks”

Chef Leslie Bilderback reply’s,

“In my opinion, convection ovens are only useful if the fan can be disabled. The fan makes it hotter, which is useful when you want to cook something faster. This works for cookies, biscuits, muffins, puff pastry, and other laminates, and small stuff.  Larger items will brown on the outside, and look done, before they are done on the inside. This is terrible for large loaves of bread, pound cakes, white meringues, or anything that’s delicate, like custards.

Gas or electric is not an issue for me in terms of ovens, but I must have a gas stove, and the oven is attached, so that’s what I have.

If you can disable the fan, then go for it.  Otherwise, stick with a conventional oven.

FYI, convection ovens were developed for restaurants to speed things along.  The fan was supposed to circulate air so that things brown evenly. Unfortunately, it didn’t work. Things still brown unevenly with the fan.  It is always necessary to rotate pans throughout baking.

One more note…Don’t be in such a hurry… stop and smell the rosemary!  Some of my most enjoyable kitchen experiences happen while waiting for things to be done!”

Desperate to Deep Fry

When I received this question from Brenda who was having trouble frying chicken tenders for her kids, I asked a few my chef friends who brilliantly responded with ideas and suggestions.

Brenda wrote, “I need some pointers on frying…I’ve been cooking for years and just recently I’ve been having problems with the grease foaming up when I deep fry meats.

I’m using Canola Oil…and a wok. I flour and season the chicken, dip it in egg, then into Japanese breadcrumbs, then put it right into the hot oil. All of a sudden, it foams up and wants to over flow!!!

This has never happened before and nothing has changed, I’ve been doing it this way for years.  HELP!  I’m getting to the point where I don’t want to deep-fry anything anymore!

My kids MISS my Chicken Tenders and I know they’re much healthier than the ones in restaurants and would like to make them again…but I’m “reluctant”.

HELP ME OUT PLEASE!!!
Desperate To Deep Fry, VA.

THE ART OF FRYING

Moisture

One thing all the chefs agree on is water and oil do not play well together. Chef Alan says, “All foods contain moisture and water will react violently with hot oil, even in small amounts.”

One thing all the chefs agree on is water and oil do not play well together. Chef Alan says, “All foods contain moisture and water will react violently with hot oil, even in small amounts.”Chef Ricco points out a little more dramatically, “Hot oil or for that matter cold oil and water don’t mix, but hot oil and water, Danger, Danger Will Robinson. “ (a quote from a popular TV show when I was a kid, Lost In Space - rg)

Keeping It Dry Suggestions

It is important to ensure that your food is as dry as possible” says Chef Alan “and this can be achieved by patting your chicken tenderloins dry with a paper towel.  In addition, try to let as much excess egg drain off of your chicken before breading it. You only need a small amount on the surface to adhere the bread crumbs to.”

Chef Garrett suggests, building a little rack for the chicken tenders and letting them dry for 20 to 30 minutes before frying them.

Keep an Eye On Your Temperature

The chefs agree the type of oil you are frying with and the temperature is critical to successful frying. Although Canola is fine to cook with, it has a very high smoking point of 400 degrees F.  This just means it takes more heat to get it hot enough to fry something. Alternatives are sunflower, safflower & peanut with lower smoking points.

Chef Alan says, “for frying purposes, you don’t need a temperature above 350 degrees F. or so…  at a higher temperature, the oil will be more reactive (to water) and also, an un-necessarily hot pot of oil is a safety concern.”  -
Chef Ricco also thinks Brenda’s oil may have been old and “one thing for sure, used oil that is already broken down, isn’t any good. “

Consider the Level of Oil You Are Using

If there is too much oil in the pan and you start adding ingredients, the oil level is going even higher. If the ingredient has any moisture in it at all, you are going to have foaming over.

Chef Alan says, “It should never be more than a third of the way up the pan, mostly for safety reasons. “

Don’t Crowd the Pan

Chef Ricco says, “Never crowd the pan. You must make sure the oil can cook all around the food. You can hold cooked food in the oven at 200 degrees F while you fry the rest of the batch.”

Chef Alan agrees and adds, “Consider if you are only making a small number of tenders, for a family of four of five, there is no need to completely immerse them in oil.   Simply put an inch or slightly more in the wok and cook through on one side, then flip over to complete.  This alternative will not only save you oil (and money!), but there will be much less of a chance that your oil will foam over.”

Two Important Safety Tips

“Don’t use those spring loaded tongs to fry with. They are very dangerous.” Chef Ricco says. “If your fingers slip off the tongs while in the hot oil, it’s like a loaded gun of splattering oil.”

Also, if the fry pan catches fire, quickly cover it with a lid and it’s not a bad idea to always have a full chemical fire extinguisher in the kitchen.