cooking instructions

[strictlysalsaclare Profile]

Hi All

We bought some frozen salmon fillets in Asda this week, and I cooked the first of them last night. The packet instructions to cook in the oven from from frozen said to cook them wrapped in foil at Gas Mark 5 for 40 minutes!! At first I thought they might be a bit thicker than the ones we normally buy in Iceland, but they were about the same, i.e. about 1cm thick. The instructions on the Iceland pack normally say 25-30 minutes at Gas Mark 6, which is fine if you cook them for 25 minutes. Anyway, I decided to ignore the Asda instructions and set the timer for 30 mins. I checked them after 25 minutes and the salmon was perfectly cooked.

I couldn't help thinking that anyone else following the instructions to the letter would be very disappointed when trying to eat their overcooked salmon, and then be put off from buying frozen 'naked' fish!
Has anyone else on here been faced with similarly bizarre instructions?

[Renee Profile]

I always let salmon fillets thaw out first and then I can judge the cooking time more accurately, because I like salmon slightly translucent in the middle.

[Stokey Sue Profile]

Oddly enough I posted on a different site about Iceland frozen tuna steaks. They are very small, but cut quite thick. The instructions are to wrap in foil and bake for 30 minutes at gas 6 or equivalent,like the salmon you quote. I think this would yield inedible fishy rags, certainly it wouldn't brown them, might resemblecanned tuna.

The suggested alternative is to microwave for 4 minutes (without foil of course); this would probably be edible but uninspired

Nowhere does the pack suggest grilling or pan searing, surely the usual ways of dealing with a steak of either meat or oily fish?
I did thaw and sear, were very nice

I too wondered why the package instructions were daft. My suspicion is that they are trying to avoid giving instructions that require you to thaw the product first, to make it more convenient and also more consistent, as you can't really guess how long things will take to thaw in another kitchen. They need to employ a good development chef or home economist IMO

[Alexandria Profile]

Great Post !!


I rarely buy anything frozen " packed for a period of time " verses fresh fish caught and " laid on ice for a boat trip " to market stall or my parents door .. ( Dad loves to fish at weekends on his boat).

However, I do always thaw chicken or a roast first overnight in a glass casserole ..

Cooking something in an oven frozen is just not a very good idea if you care about your product ..


These manufacturers are NOT labelling properly ! So if someone is a beginner home cook, they shall surely find their frozen product a disaster if they follow the instructions on those packages ..

What a shame truly ..

Lucky, all of you have some common sense about the kitch ..

I grill ( norm for us ) all salmon, red mullet, scorpion fish or red dragon, and other varieties of " blue fish " ..

White fish varieties, norm is bake in White Wine in oven with our local or Italian Mediterranean ingredients, tomato, Evoo, garlic, sometimes Sicilian style with olives and capers .. Fresh herbs.

Depending on shellfish, pan sear ( sea scallops ) and either raw ( oysters or clams ) and grill Norway Bay Lobsters and Razor Clams etc. .. boil lobster & Crab in sea wáter etc.

[Alexandria Profile]

Renée,

I like my salmon extraordinarily rare in the interior ..

So, I grill mine and we say for rare: Vuelta, Vuelta = Flip it & Flip it again !

Have a lovely evening ..

[Renee Profile]

Absolutely, Member 461! I like tuna cooked that way too!

[jeral Profile]

....[clip]...
Lucky, all of you have some common sense about the kitch ...[clip]...

True, but what instructions would you give to "all and sundry" which is the retailer's task for cutlets which have no rub or glaze marinade.

Has to be primarily:
- Cooked through to "piping hot throughout"
Which would be overcooked for even "well-done" people, but H&S rules.

- Cook until done?
But what is done? Meaningless without experience of doneness and preference.

Member 461, in your example, when you wrap white fillets in foil you add liquid, which is what I do, so really it's gently simmering and steamin, and one can check when it's starting to flake. Same if microwaving (covered). Although, as earlier said, if done plain that way, might as well buy a tin of cooked salmon.

We on here have learned from experience, whilst supermarkets hope but also have to be St Delia foolproof first time and every time.

So what instruction would ye'all give?

As a PS, I reckon all fish is better thawed first, but our Dena said she cooked hers from frozen so if Dena was happy there must be a way.

[Joanbunting Profile]

Cooking fish to perfection is a real art - not to mention science.

I have a problem with salmon. M suddenly announced a couple of years ago that he has never ever liked salmon and only eats it to be poilite. Very rare/raw fish I just can't cope with - perfectly cooked is hard to do, but possible.

Because we live so far from the sea really fresh fish is not easy and always expensive. To add to the problem I will only ever eat sustainable fish - so rarely buy, cook or eat tuna because it is so hard to source sustainable fish.

For these reasons I sometimes buy frozen fish, always with the blue label but I always thaw it before cooking. How I cook it depends upon the season, my mood and the variety

Fish and shell fish, like all fresh foods are seasonal. It was always my understanding that oysters should not be eaten in the months without an r was beecause tat is the breeding period and, like all live things so we should be prepared to let them get on with whatever it is oysters do naturally. Just as sole, plaice etc don't taste or cook as well when they are full of eggs - roe.

[karadekoolaid Profile]

I have to admit that 40 minutes seems a heck of a long time to cook salmon steaks. I made some salmon on Wednesday and it took barely 10 minutes to cook.
On Friday night, I cooked some cod loins in a coconut sauce - again, about 10 minutes and that was that. Any more and I would have had cod soup.

[Alexandria Profile]

Jeral,

Number 1) I do not wrap my fish in foil when I Oven Bake it in the oven with White Wine ..

Number 2) As I have stated, we get most of our fish from my dad´s boat, wild and fresh.

Number 3) I have never bought frozen supermarket fish ..

I am wrong person to ask, as I am in the Travel Business !!

So, I cannot answer what a product vendor should do, to "correct instructions " however, in my viewpoint: Thawing the fish would be number 1.

And second: If baking in oven: ( approx. minutes ) ..
Rare:
Medium Rare:
Medium:
Well done ( disasterous way to eat fish or meat )

And list times approximately

And temperatures best suited


Have a nice day ..

Have a lovely day ..

[Alexandria Profile]

Renée & Karakoolaide,


1 ) I do not cook red tuna at home as I prefer Red Tuna Nigriri and have little time to prepare Japanese cuisine at home .. And it is so cheap here that it is not worth the time to prepare it .. I could not do it as well as our fave Japanese restaurant ..

2) I agree 100% with you .. For rare salmon wild, it is approx 3 minutes to 4 minutes per slab of fresh wild salmon to grill on one side and 3 minutes on the 2nd side ..

Have a lovely day .. 40 minutes is a " death march " to that poor salmon !! Unedible !!!!!

[Lusciouslush Profile]

Number 2) As I have stated, we get most of our fish from my dad´s boat, wild and fresh.

And presumably when there is no 'R' in the month............... !!

[Pampy Profile]