I was recently watching the Bon Appetit YouTube channel and one of the "restaurant tips" was to pre-season meat overnight. I have done this for years with steaks and whole chickens to great effect, but the clip made me wonder: can I do this with fish fillets as well? If so, would I do it the same way (liberally salt and leave uncovered in the refrigerator overnight)?
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COMMENTS
Keith A.
March 13, 2020
With seasoning roasts, I often see "up to 24hrs", in reality, does it make a difference if the meat is seasoned for two or three days? Thanks.
Keith A.
March 13, 2020
With seasoning roasts, I often see "let sit for up to 24 hours." Is this a hard rule and/or are there any issues when letting salted meat sit for a couple of days prior to cooking? Thanks.
Matthew CardMilk Street Staff
March 18, 2020
In her fantastic Zuni Cafe cookbook, Judy Rodgers writes of learning how to salt meats in advance from the Troisgros brothers, arguably some of France's best chefs of the past century. They salted everything ahead, including fish. Rodgers speaks of salting larger cuts of meat as soon as she brings them home from the store. Do be careful with fish. If left too long, you'll be halfway to gravad lox!
