As the weather turns colder and the nights draw in, our palette tends to change. We move away from salads and lighter dinners, turning instead to hearty, warmer meals such as stews and soups. Is there anything better than ending the day with a delicious, hot and comforting meal? Not in our book.
Fish is the perfect base for autumnal soups and stews but there are specific textures you simply don’t want to be associated with your seafood dinner: tough and dry, and mushy. Nothing puts you off your food quite like sloppy or shrivelled seafood.
So what type of fish should you choose for your seafood stew, soup or braise? Here’s what you need to know.
The best types of fish for slow cooking
Crab
It’s really easy to turn delicate seafood such as crab into an unappetising pile of mush when slow cooking but a fantastic workaround is to stew it whole in the shell. This technique would also work well with lobster, pippies, tiger prawns, abalone and scallops. Seafood shells are also great for creating your very own homemade stock that will add an amazing flavour to any future fish pies, stews and chowders.
Octopus & squid
If you’re looking to braise your fish then octopus and squid are some of the best fish you can use. Braising is quite a gentle way to cook your fish and your octopus and squid will remain tender even after a few hours.
Eel
Eels are a great fish for slow cooking a stew. The eel can be quite dry, so the longer cooking methods are better. The middle cuts are best for use in stew and you’ll need to skin the eel before cooking.
Oily fish
Oily fish like mackerel, swordfish, tuna and yellowtail kingfish work well when creating flavourful curries as these are firm-fleshed fish with a stronger flavour that not only hold up well when slow-cooked but won’t be overpowered by the spices you use.
Salmon & trout
When creating a delicious fish soup, flakier fish like rainbow trout, salmon and whiting, and delicate fish and seafood like anchovies, oysters, clams and urchins, work best. However, for ‘chunky’ style soups like bouillabaisse or chowder, keep to firm flesh varieties of seafood, like calamari and prawns.
Browse our range of frozen fish and seafood and if you’re stuck for inspiration, check out our recipe section for more amazing fish dishes and meal ideas!
