I finally gave in and tried the zaluti trick on fish...

I've been a line cook for about 8 years now and always thought salting fish 30 minutes ahead was just hype. Last Tuesday a customer sent back a sea bass at my station because it was "mushy" and my sous chef made me do it his way with the extra time. The texture came out completely different, flaky and tight instead of that weird wet sponge thing. Has anyone else been burned by being stubborn about a prep method?

3 comments

3 Comments

patriciap521mo ago

Dropped a whole tray of scallops once because I was too stubborn to believe in drying them off first. Live and learn, right?

hayden_butler271mo ago

That thing about the scallops really hits home for me. I had a similar wake up call with scallops a few years back where I was just patting them with a paper towel and calling it good, then wondering why they steamed in the pan instead of searing. A buddy of mine runs a food truck and told me to toss them in a single layer on a sheet tray lined with paper towels, cover them with more paper towels, and let them sit in the walk-in for at least 20 minutes before hitting the pan. Night and day difference, you get that nice crust without that weird rubbery skin.

sean_johnson161mo ago

Hated to admit it too man, but that prep method changed my whole view on fish. The thing nobody talks about though is how the timing can change depending on what type of salt you use. I picked up a trick from this old Italian cook where you only salt for 10 minutes if you're using fine table salt because it pulls moisture way faster. With kosher or flaky stuff, 30 minutes is the sweet spot. @patriciap52 probably knows what I'm talking about because that tray of scallops was probably the same kind of lesson, just with a different protein. It's weird how one bad experience can completely flip your thinking on a basic step you always skipped. I still catch myself almost skipping the salting step when I'm in a rush, but then I remember that mushy fish and slow down.