Why are my groupers and snappers cooking into rubber??

[nilsonov]

I can't figure out what the hell I'm doing...for years whenever i visit the carribian, most, not all, of the snapper and grouper i catch and cook turns into a rubbery shoe sole. Tried baking, grilling, and pan frying; tried filleting and whole; Tried thick cuts, thin cuts; Tried undercooking, tried overcooking; tried baking covered in foil to keep moisture in, and baking without foil.

In all of the above options, 80% of the time the meat comes out like rubber. On the bigger fish (~20" mangrove), the skin is unedible. WTF gives?! Online search says I'm overcooking, but i tried undercooking, with insides clearly raw, and got same results.

I never have this problem with cold water fish (bass, tog, sheepies, fluke, grey trigger, blues, even friggin stargazers etc).

desperate for help...tierd of turning prized fish into fish salad. thanks

[agbiv]

1. Soak fillets (yes remove the skin) in icey salt water bath for at least 30 minutes prior to cooking.
2. When baking use an oven temp. of 450'F and bake for 10 minutes for every 1" of thickness.

I live in Texas and have to do this for any warm/ hot water fish whether fresh or marine. Large Mouth Bass turn out excellent in 100' F weather using this. I catch hybrid Red Drum from a local power plant lake that is ALWAYS hot. Even when I want to cook them on the half-shell they get an ice bath.

[CatDiver]

Probably overcooking. You can cook them all the ways you mentioned. Hardest to screw up is fried fish in the fryer. Second hardest to screw up is in a hot cast iron pan in butter, flip once, and pull it sooner than you think. If it's fresh, and you're cooking it hot enough, it's almost impossible to under cook it. I skin all mine first when I clean them but I think that's just a personal preference and shouldn't impact whether the fish is overcooked.

[Marco]

It could also be the "rigor mortis". I like to let the fish rest in the fridge for al least a day before eating it so they loose the tension in their muscles.

[popgun pete]

It is good to ice down the fish as soon as possible after capture and let the meat rest.

[Behslayer]

Get Cast Iron Skillet. Use some oil and some butter. Maybe you are cooking too long.. not overcooking but on too low a heat.

Some fish lend themselves to being prepared differently. But a Hot Cast Iron Skillet with Oil or Oil and Butter is good with everything.

[SEATUX]

Originally Posted by Behslayer

Get Cast Iron Skillet. Use some oil and some butter. Maybe you are cooking too long.. not overcooking but on too low a heat.

Some fish lend themselves to being prepared differently. But a Hot Cast Iron Skillet with Oil or Oil and Butter is good with everything.

I agree...too low a heat for too long ruins fish.
I let the grill get to 500 degrees ( all burners on high) season the filet, spray it down with olive oil, throw it on the grill for 2.5 minutes on each side ( 5 minutes TOTAL!) take it off...
DONE

[popgun pete]

Yes, fish need to be cooked fast and hot, cooking oil needs to below smoking, but only just and a high temperature vegetable based oil, not olive oil.

[agbiv]

Correct on the oil. I prefer grape seed oil OR Extra Light Olive Oil. ELOO does not have the suspended solids like EVOO (which has a greenish cast to it)--which causes scorching at lower temps. ELOO will have a light golden color. An easy way to tell if the oil is at a good temp is to drop a few pieces of fresh cracked pepper in and if it sizzles, it's ready. If it sinks, not hot enough. An electric cook top is the most difficult to regulate the heat. Slowly increase the heat until desired temp reached. If too hot...remove pan for 30 seconds as element is turned down. Good eats!

[Jakeup]

Originally Posted by nilsonov

I can't figure out what the hell I'm doing...for years whenever i visit the carribian, most, not all, of the snapper and grouper i catch and cook turns into a rubbery shoe sole. Tried baking, grilling, and pan frying; tried filleting and whole; Tried thick cuts, thin cuts; Tried undercooking, tried overcooking; tried baking covered in foil to keep moisture in, and baking without foil.

In all of the above options, 80% of the time the meat comes out like rubber. On the bigger fish (~20" mangrove), the skin is unedible. WTF gives?! Online search says I'm overcooking, but i tried undercooking, with insides clearly raw, and got same results.

I never have this problem with cold water fish (bass, tog, sheepies, fluke, grey trigger, blues, even friggin stargazers etc).

desperate for help...tierd of turning prized fish into fish salad. thanks

Did you ever end up trying any of the options mentioned above?

[Hpwatson]

You can also try putting some lemon on the fish and letting it sit out for 20 or 30 minutes before cooking. Lemon will tenderize the meat pretty fast.

[kmoose]

First, Don't float your fish in ice and salt water after shooting. Even though this is often done in many places of the world it is the worst practice for maintaining quality meat. Commercial fishermen don't do this and neither should you. Gut fish immediately and pack with ice and keep coolers drained.

Cooking could have been an issue but considering all the different methods I am betting the issue was how the meat was handled originally. If not, Hot and fast with a short plate rest works every time with no need to cold water brine if the fish were handled correctly. The only time I use a brine is prior to both hot and cold smoking. Once brined the fish is dried on an elevated rack until a good pellicle forms prior to smoking. (Note: never use iodized salt for smoking or brining anything.)

Like fish used for sushi, it is best to dry chill fillets for best cooking and quality retention. The worst thing you can do is refrigerate in plastic bags unless you drain and dry twice a day. Preventing salt and or fresh water osmosis is key to maintain tender flesh as brine osmosis destroys the cell walls of the tissue allowing the liquid to replace the original moisture and flavor. The best fish fillet is one that remains exactly as it was when you cut it off the fish. Cold, translucent with no added or infused moisture.

[2fishin2]

Originally Posted by kmoose

First, Don't float your fish in ice and salt water after shooting. Even though this is often done in many places of the world it is the worst practice for maintaining quality meat. Commercial fishermen don't do this and neither should you. Gut fish immediately and pack with ice and keep coolers drained.

Cooking could have been an issue but considering all the different methods I am betting the issue was how the meat was handled originally. If not, Hot and fast with a short plate rest works every time with no need to cold water brine if the fish were handled correctly. The only time I use a brine is prior to both hot and cold smoking. Once brined the fish is dried on an elevated rack until a good pellicle forms prior to smoking. (Note: never use iodized salt for smoking or brining anything.)

Like fish used for sushi, it is best to dry chill fillets for best cooking and quality retention. The worst thing you can do is refrigerate in plastic bags unless you drain and dry twice a day. Preventing salt and or fresh water osmosis is key to maintain tender flesh as brine osmosis destroys the cell walls of the tissue allowing the liquid to replace the original moisture and flavor. The best fish fillet is one that remains exactly as it was when you cut it off the fish. Cold, translucent with no added or infused moisture.

Beg to differ with ya big guy but, after living in the fish capital of the world Japan for 21 years and fishing/spearing with many commercial guys I can tell you with 100% certainty part of what you are saying is incorrect. You want to put fish in a mixture of ice and seawater as it lowers the freezing temp of water. That is exactly what Japanese commercial fishermen do in the south. You DO NOT want to put your fish in freshwater and ice. Japanese people are the pickiest fish eaters in the world and if they do it in regards to fish, Im listening and following their advice.



Does any of this have an effect on fish that turn to rubber? Personal opinion is no. For the life of me I have never figured this out. Sometimes it happens, sometimes not doesnt matter how the fish are cooked....its just one of those mysteries of life Ill never know the answer too.

[tuffstuff]

You most definitely want to put the fish into an ice slush....the process is to dump seawater into your ice chest. This makes a "brine" and keeps them far colder and for far longer than just the ice alone. Every commercial fishermen down here in the keys does this.

[Gary H]

Just throwing this out there - when I cook beef, I don't try to cook the whole cow in one piece.

Same goes for larger fish and even lobster. If you try to cook a large piece of fish on high heat, when the outside is done, the inside isn't. When the inside is done, the outside is overdone!

Back to cooking beef example, when I grill a whole filet, I cook it on low heat for 45 minutes to an hour for rare. If I cut the filet into smaller pieces, then rare is achieved in 5 minutes or less. I prefer cooking in one large piece because being off a minute or two isn't a big deal - it also gives me more drinking time

So, I suggest either cooking smaller sized pieces hot and quick as suggested in other posts, or if you want to cook large pieces, do it on low heat for an extended period of time.