For people like me who don’t go out marketing every morning, frozen dory fillets are heaven sent!
They keep forever (okay, about 3 months) and the best thing is that I don’t have to plan a fish eating schedule as I can literally pop them out whenever I feel like having some seafood.
# – Frozen dory fillets for the win!
Contrary to belief, they also taste really good, as long as you cook them properly. It helps a lot though if you bought high quality frozen dory fillets to begin with.
I tend to buy fillets that are not frozen stuck together. I bought mine from either Tesco, Jaya Grocer or Cold Storage and they usually cost between RM10-RM12 for 3 large pieces in a packet. Each bag is about 700-800 grams frozen.
Of course, I’m going to show you how to cook them properly ;)
Ingredients:
- Flour
- Frozen dory fillets, thawed completely
- Salt & pepper
- Ground black pepper
- Lime or lemon juice
# – First, make sure the frozen dory fillets are thawed completely. It’s best to leave it in the fridge overnight if you want to eat it the day before. Or, take it out half an hour before you plan to eat and nuke it in the microwave like I did. They thaw beautifully, don’t you think?
# – Use kitchen towels to dab the fillets till as dry as possible. Don’t be afraid to use some slight pressure to press the moisture out. When only light blotches of water stain the kitchen towels, the fillets are dry enough. Ideally, you can make them bone dry but that won’t be so fun now, would it?
# – Season both sides of each fillet with salt evenly. Don’t be too heavy handed!
# – Followed by a sprinkling of pepper on both sides.
# – Now, throw in a few spoons of flour to coat the fish.
# – Make sure the fillets are properly coated. You can hold them up and lightly tap them to remove excess flour.
# – Give them a sprinkling of ground black pepper. Set aside.
# – Now grease a griddle evenly with oil and heat it up.
# – When the griddle is hot, put the fillets in on one side. Cook for about 3 minutes if the fillets are thick. Lessen time if fillets are thin.
# – Flip them over to cook the other side. Remove from griddle and set them on your plates.
# – With the same griddle on low heat, pour in a bit of oil (alright, you can also use butter which is actually way tastier!). Use a wooden spatula and scrap of the bits and bobs off the griddle.
# – Then pour in lime or lemon juice. About 4 tablespoons for one fillet. Mix it up with the oil and the bits and bobs :D
# – Pour the citrus oil all over the cooked fillet.
# – Serve it with a side of potato salad.
# – Delicious pan fried dory with citrus oil, DONE!
# – As you can see, the fillet is still flaky and moist. It is delicious!!
I use the same method to prepare the fish for chinese stir fries too, except I cut the fillets into cubes prior to flouring. I think the flour keeps the fillets in shape.
I won’t go as far as saying it’s comparable to fresh fish but for a frozen fish, this is as good as it gets!