The art of food preparation can yield results that are rewarding if done correctly! With so many different types of meat to cook, there are an accompanying number of standards that must be followed to yield the best results. This is especially the case when it comes to seafood! We’ve gone over ways to properly prepare your seafood in the past, but there’s a crucial step that we still haven’t covered – how to season your seafood! There are a few basic steps you should take depending on what it is you’re cooking. We give you our expert tips on properly seasoning your seafood meals below!
Consider The Flavor Of Your Fish
If you’re just starting to season your fish and you’re throwing spices on at random, you likely aren’t going to be happy with your end result! This is because fish have a wide variety of flavors, so each fish will need a different spice pairing to bring out the best of their flavors. Your spice pairings shouldn’t overpower your fish, but rather complement the flavors they bring. Look at some common spices below and see where they work best!
- Cajun: Cajun is a spice that has a powerful and strong flavor! For this reason, it works better on those fish that don’t have too much of it. Fish like tuna, salmon, and scallops benefit most from powerful spices like this one.
- Garlic: While garlic has quite a flavor profile, the important thing to note is that it isn’t an overpowering one. Seasonings that aren’t as flavorful – but still do enough to change the taste of a dish for the better – work well with seafood like lobster, crab, and tilapia, which have sweeter flavors than other seafood.
Don’t Season The Marinade
Marinading your fish is an important step of the cooking process, but it’s one that people often get wrong. People tend to add a majority of their salt and other seasonings directly to the marinade. This is actually a mistake! During cooking, your fish will absorb the meat but leave the crystals behind, which will add a lot more surprising crunches than you want. To avoid this problem, add your seasonings to the fish directly. The flavors will absorb much easier and won’t leave much to the imagination.
Choose Your Spice Blends Carefully
Don’t feel like you’re limited to only one spice per seafood pairing! There are plenty of spice combinations that work well with different types of seafood. For example, cajun works well with chili powder and garlic pepper. Garlic goes well with black pepper and oregano among other spices. Improper spice pairings can make or break your meal, so make sure you do your research!
Delicious Seafood Pairings at Mare Oyster Bar
At Mare Oyster Bar, great-tasting seafood is our bread and butter! We carry a wide variety of seafood dishes that bring out the best in flavor, seasonings, and freshness. Come see what makes our seafood stand above the other options by making a reservation with us today!