Fix Dull Fish With Salt and Sugar Medicine
When it comes to simple and straightforward cooking tips that really improve your kitchen game, Chef Lucas Sin is one of the best Instagram accounts you can follow. From simple fried sweet potatoes to mapo lasagna , his account is full of reliable tricks and delicious recipes, including several options for tomato and egg soup.
His latest post is about simple quick salt and sugar cures, and he falls into the first category – reliable methods. This is a simple and easy way that everyone should know, and it will make your fish – any fish – stronger and tastier. Shin adopted this technique in Japan, where it is commonly used by sushi chefs, but that doesn’t mean you should think of it “just as a ‘sushi chef’s secret’.” “It’s tempting,” explains Shin in his post, “but the cliché would betray the fact that this technique is a common culture + industry-wide standard practice.”
Sin can walk you through the entire process in the video above, but all you have to do is coat a piece of fish, including the skin, with a strong spray of two parts salt and one part sugar and wait 15 minutes. The salt and sugar will draw out excess water, giving the fish a denser, firmer texture and a more intense flavor.
After a quarter hour of waiting, rinse the fish with cold water, pat dry with paper towels, and cook as planned (no extra salt, of course). I tried this quick remedy with grocery store halibut and salmon fillets and both evolved into improved versions of their soft, bland selves. After the cure (and rinse), I sautéed both fillets in a little oil, and each came out hard and flavorful, with a crispy crust like a cracker. (Full disclosure: I used iodized table salt and it still worked great.)