Why scale a fish to be skinned?

On Sat, 02 Apr 2011 10:54:34 -0800, Mark Thorson
wrote:


Sometimes some pretty nasty stuff is held under the scales even after
cleaning well. Bacteria and other things that could flavor the end
product after cooking.

Its always wise to scale the fish and then wash it again before adding
it to your pan or grill.

Cooking with the skin on adds quite a bit of flavor to the cooked
dish. Leaving the head on will also add a lot of flavor to the fish
meat during cooking.

The head fat is delicious by-the-way, and can be added to any broth or
sauce that is made from the dish.
 
On Sat, 02 Apr 2011 10:54:34 -0800, Mark Thorson wrote:


The scales could flake off and get all over the cooked fish. Do you
want to rinse the fish after cooking it?

-sw
 
Landon wrote:



We'd scale the king salmon after fishing the Pacific ocean, heading in
across the San Francisco bay to the Berkeley pier. The process drew a
wealth of seagulls, almost blackening the sky. We cooked the filets pan
fried in butter with the skin on, which slid off after cooking.

First time out I was taken quite by surprise when the BUM!!! pulled one
on board and slammed it on the head with a 2x4 plank of wood. He showed
why. They have hundreds of needle teeth! Could have shredded your head
off, given the chance!!!

Tasty! :)))

Andy
 
On 2011-04-02, Mark Thorson wrote:


Some fish, like carp, have very large/thick scales. Leaving them on
is like trying to skin a dead crusade knight while he's still wearing
his armour. Baking an unscaled fish may get you a curly scales.

nb
 
I'm watching a show with Julia and Jacques, and at the beginning
Jacques shows how to scale a fish in a big plastic bag to keep
the scales from going everywhere. But now at the end of the
show, the skin of the cooked fish is being removed. Would
it not be simpler to cook the fish without scaling, then remove
the skin and scales from the cooked fish?
 
Landon wrote:

20RFC/?


Landon,

I'd beg to differ.

Could be old age in your photo!

Some things you just never forget!

Best,

Andy
 
On 4/2/2011 1:54 PM, Mark Thorson wrote:
Skin is usually left on to provide more flavor, scaling it keeps other
flavors from permeating the meat. I was taught by my father to do the
same thing about 65 years ago and, as far as I know, people who catch
their own fish do the same thing.

The only time I leave scales on a fish to be cooked with the skin on is
when I grill them outside, the fire takes care of the off flavor and
generally removes the scales as the fish cooks.
 
In article ,
Landon wrote:





I was reading an account of a fishing trip in South America. The men
operating the boat were bare footed, and one was missing a big toe.
When asked, he said that he had caught a piranha some years back, and it
was flopping around in the bottom of the boat. He got too close, and
the piranha took his toe right off!

--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA
[email protected]
 
Mark Thorson wrote in news:[email protected]:





If the fish is cooked with the scales on, and being prepared for the table by
having the skin removed, there's always the finnicky bit of picking scales
off the fless when they fall off and get stuck.

Scaling first alleviates that problem.



--
Peter Lucas
Hobart
Tasmania

Nothing ever truely dies
the Universe wastes nothing
everything is simply... transformed
 
On 2011-04-03, Brooklyn1 wrote:


Oh, shut the Hell up!!

Yer not even here and you're causing an argument!

(granted. a great one! To bad yer missing it) ;)

nb
 
ItsJoanNotJoann wrote in news:36c005e2-e8fd-
[email protected]:




Eckchewly..... I have had a chicken that was cooked without
plucking/gutting etc. Along with a lambs head, fur intact.

They were both boiled for a bit, and chucked into a container with the
veges, soup, and dessert... 3 course meal in one box :-)

It was a phase of a course that I was doing at the time, called 'Lucky
Dip'.



--
Peter Lucas
Hobart
Tasmania

Nothing ever truely dies
the Universe wastes nothing
everything is simply... transformed
 
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