Dorado

Best way to cook

Oven baking: Baking fish in the oven enables you to control the cooking temperature and limit how much you handle the fish, preventing it from overcooking or falling apart.

Season fillets with pepper, dip in egg and coat in bread crumbs. Preheat the oven to 275°C and line a baking tray (glass or metal) with aluminium foil. Brush with olive oil. Arrange the individual fish fillets on the baking tray in a single layer. Don’t allow the fish fillets to overlap one another. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 15 to 25 minutes or until the fish flakes easily, basting frequently with butter.

Grilling: Grilling fish gives you a great advantage as you have complete control over the temperature. Always coat your fish with oil or fat to prevent sticking. As you’re heating your grill, cover the grate loosely with aluminium foil. The intense heat will cause any residue to dissolve, starting the cleaning process for you. This also minimizes sticking.

Blast the heat to 288°C. Remove the aluminium foil. Using a grill brush, scrape the grate clean. Fold a few sheets of paper towels into a small pad, dip them in oil using tongs and rub over the bars of the grate until it looks glossy.

Choose fillets that are thick and sturdy for grilling and can stand up to the intense heat of a live fire. Cut your fish into portions that have an even thickness to ensure you don’t have any dry or undercooked parts. Coat your fish with some olive oil, salt and pepper and place it skin-side down and diagonally on the grill.

This makes it easier to flip the fish as it’s lying on an angle. The fish will take 8 minutes to cook through per inch of thickness, taking about 3-5 minutes per side. Reduce the heat to medium, cover the grill and let it cook. When cooked properly, the meat will be firm to the touch, flake easily with a fork and appear opaque all the way through.

Braaing: The first thing to know about braaing a fish is to properly oil the grid and both sides of your fish. Braai your fish skin down at first before turning to cook the other side. For seasoning, you can use some salt and pepper with melted butter mixed with lemon juice or a little garlic or chilli.

If you’re braaing a whole fish, place the whole-fish skin side down in foil and wrap the parcel to lock in steam. You can open now and then and base with a marinade as you would in the oven.

Fish fillets are quicker to braai. Five minutes a side is a good rule of thumb, but the cooking time will depend on the thickness of the fish. It is done when it flakes easily when prodded with a fork.