STORAGE

Scaled, gutted and untainted by water, your fish is now ready to store. Storage will vary depending on the size of the fish and your refrigerator. The key principles behind fish storage are:

• Low temperature, preferably between -2 and 2°C (28–36°F): fish deteriorates rapidly above these temperatures.

• Low humidity: it is important that the storage environment does not leave moisture on the fish’s skin. Dry skin is essential to creating crisp skin when pan-frying.

• Prevention of ‘sweating’ from contact with surfaces: fish skin will sweat if left in contact with a surface for a lengthy period of time. Fish left sitting on a tray or plate will eventually create a pool of its own juices beneath it. These juices will speed up the deterioration process and create that ‘fishy’ smell. To prevent this, hang large fish from butcher’s hooks in storage and store smaller fish and fillets on stainlesssteel perforated trays.

• Prevention of drying out: fish left uncovered in a fanpowered refrigerator will quickly dry out and eventually become ‘jerky’-like.

At home, I prefer to cook fish within two days of buying it. In this case it is sensible to fillet the fish before storing, especially if fridge space is at a premium. What you want to avoid is the fillet drying out from the fridge fan, but also to prevent the fillet sitting in its own juices, which expedite deterioration. To prevent this, store your fillets, skin side up, on a wire rack placed in a tray or on a plate to catch the drips. Wire racks are usually not stainless steel so to prevent any reaction with the fish, perforate a piece of baking paper to separate the wire rack and the fillet. To prevent the fish drying out, store the fillets uncovered in the crisper. (If your crisper is filled with vegetables – as most are – loosely cover the fish with plastic wrap to prevent it drying out under the fan in the main chamber of the fridge.)

Regardless of your choice of crisper or plastic wrap, gently dry the skin just before cooking by placing the fish, unwrapped, in the main chamber of the refrigerator for 2 hours, or until the skin feels dry to the touch.

If storing fish for longer than two days, leave it on the bone. This reduces the chance of direct moisture contact on the flesh and minimises bacteria growth. First, select a fish that will fit whole in your refrigerator. Scale and gut the fish. It is best to cut the head off along with the collars to use immediately, as these items do not age well in a domestic refrigerator with its frequent openings and fluctuating temperature. Keep the fish on a perforated tray and place in your vegetable crisper with the vents open. This way the fish stays at the lowest temperature and won’t completely dry out. Each day remove the fish from the fridge and carefully wipe the surface with paper towel to remove any condensation on the skin or in the cavity. Alternatively, if the refrigerator you have is static and relies upon coil chilling rather than a fan, then you can use butcher’s hooks or zip ties on the fridge racks to hang smaller species of fish.