Everyone likes burgers and getting them one of those top restaurants is more relishing as there is a unique taste associated with these restaurants. A good perfect can make one’s day, be it for lunch or snack or dinner.

The super juicy patty melted cheese on a squishy bun with a couple of crisp pickles make a burger work so well. The patty could be veg or ham or any other burger patty and it makes a great difference to a well-made burger.

It should be well cooked with a rightly greased burger.

Some of the tips to make the right burger are:

• Select your beef or veggies wisely – use good quality ones form reputable manufacturer like BUBBA, White Castle, Trader Joes, and other.
• Beef must be 80/20 – 80% beef to 205 fats. It must be fresh.
• Grind your meat as per your liking but thoroughly. Or buy grounded.
• Keep meat and patties cold.
• Sprinkle salt always at the end.
• Use a lid or a round hollow ring to make perfectly shaped patties.
• Use a dimple or the doughnut hole for even cooking.
• Make use of indirect heat – cooking on indirect heat reduces burning or charring.
• Choose a melty cheese. One of the most popular for melting is regular grocery store de-moisturized mozzarella cheese, but you can by American or other cheeses.
• Cook to internal temperature 160 degrees F for a well-done patty and always ensure it with a thermometer.
• Cast iron skillet or pan is better than regular pan as cast iron accumulates and gives away heat stronger.
• Use squishy buns and not dry flaky buns.
• Consider the right toppings like onions, pickles, cheese, bacon, avocado, dills and other.

1.  How to make a burger like Five Guys

Five Guys Burger Recipe

15 minutes cook time

10 minutes preparation time

Total cooking time 25 minutes

Ingredients

• Oil- One tablespoon
• Onion-one
• 1 Onion
• 15 percent mince fat steak- 250g (8.8 ounces)
• American cheese-4 slices
• Burger -2 Buns
• Toppings- Lettuce, tomatoes, mustard, and ketchup.

Instructions 

• Slice the buns and onions.
• Heat a non-stick and large pan and place the burger buns face down in the pan until toasted for 60 seconds.
• Remove the buns from heat and top them with favorite sauces.
• Heat oil and add onions to the same pan. Fry the onions on low heat.
• Grab a little minced steak and make a meatball on greased hand.
• Press like a patty on a parchment paper.
• Repeat for 4 patties for making 2 burgers.
• Since you stack 2 patties, you can make thinner patties than usual.
• Remove onions and place them on a kitchen roll.
• Cook the burger on high heat. Flip when done on one side.
• Position an American cheese on top of each patty and then cook for two minutes.
• Turn the heat, stack patty on top of one another with cheese in between.
• Transfer burgers on a kitchen roll for eliminating excess grease.
• Keep the patties on toasted buns.
• Now wrap the burger using a tin foil for 2 minutes for cheese to melt and bun to soften.
• Serve hot with fries or other side dishes.

2.  How to make a burger like McDonald’s

Mc Donald’s Veg burger

Preparation time is 60 minutes. It takes a little longer because of vegan aspect.

Cooking time is 10 minutes

Total cooking time is 70 minutes

Ingredients

For arrangement

• Fresh Burger buns- four
• Some lettuce leaves
• Mayonnaise
• Shredded celery
• Tomato sliced- Four
• Four cheese slices

For Patty

• 3 boiled potatoes
• 1/4 cup cooked peas
• 1 medium carrot
• 1 onion
• 4 crushed garlic
• 1/3 cup bread crumbs or cornmeal
• 1.5 tbsp All-purpose flour
• Salt
• Spice powder
• 1 tsp Paprika
• 1 tsp Pepper powder
• 1/4 tsp Parsley

For coating

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup Cornflour
• Oil a tbsp

Instructions

• Powder the cornflakes or use cornmeal.
• Mix all the spices.
• Cook peas, carrots, and potatoes. Mash them well after eliminating the skin.
• Chop onions and meanwhile heat oil in a wok and sauté onions.
• Crush garlic cloves and put them in hot oil. Add the mash till soft.
• Add the 1.5 tbsp all-purpose flour to the mix and make a thick dough.
• Cool the mixture and refrigerate it after making it into a cylinder.
• Cut into roundels after half an hour.
• The patty size should be exact to the burger and in even thickness.
• Prepare all-purpose and cornflour with little water and keep bread crumbs powder on a flat plate.
• Dip the patty in the flour mixture, coat it with bread crumbs and then put them aside for a minute.
• Heat the oil for deep fry and fry patty. Cook in low flame till golden brown. Flip as needed.
• Remove them on a kitchen towel to drain excess grease. Repeat for all the patties.
• Arrange the burger now by slitting the burger bun into two pieces. Toast the burger with butter or oil.
• Take a bun and apply mayonnaise over it. Keep the patty.
• Arrange celery, lettuce, tomato slices, onion slices, and cheese slice over it. Cover it with another piece of bun.
• Serve with ketchup.

Mc Donald’s Hamburger

Cooking time-15 minutes

Ingredients

• Dried onion flakes-1/2 tsp
• Boiling water-2 tsps
• Ground beef-1/8 lb (lean)
• Hamburger bun- 1
• Salt to taste
• American yellow mustard-1/2 tsp
• Dill pickle-1, sliced and sour

Procedure

• Mix the boiling water and dried onion and let it sit until hydrated.
• Roll the ground beef to a ball to a patty on butter paper. It should be 1/8″ thick.
• Toast the bun after slicing it into two on medium heat for 2 mins on each side.
• Remove the top bun and keep it aside. Begin arranging the half with ketchup, onion, mustard, and pickle.
• Place the beef on the bottom bun and put the bun together.
• Microwave for 10-15 seconds on high.

Mc. Donalds Cheeseburger

Follow the above recipe of Mc Donald’s hamburger with an addition of American cheese in the arrangement over beef patty in the final assembly. Microwave for around 15 seconds on high to steam the burger.

3. How to make a burger like In-n-Out

Double-Double Hack In-N-Out Burger

The preparation time is 18 minutes.

The cooking time is 2 minutes.

The total cooking time is 20 minutes.

Ingredients

For the Spread

• Mayonnaise- 1/2 cup
• Ketchup- 3 tsps
• White onion finely minced- 2 tsps
• Dill pickle relish finely minced -1 ½ tsps
• Granulated sugar-3/4 tsp
• White vinegar- 1/2 tsp
• Yellow mustard- 1/4; tsp
• Paprika -1/4 tsp
• Salt- 1/8 tsp

Burger

• Ground chuck- 1 lb- 25 to 30 percent fat
• Plain hamburger buns- 4 small
• American cheese- 8 slices
• White onion slices-4
• Large tomato slices-4
• Torn iceberg lettuce- a small handful
• Salt and grind black pepper

Procedure

• Combine all the spread ingredients in a small bowl and make the spread.
• Roll 2oz. beef portions into balls and then make 4-inch circular patties over wax paper.
• Preheat sauté pans over low to medium heat. Start at low or medium heat and then raise the heat post 5 minutes of preheating.
• Separate or slice a hamburger bun and toast them on the heat with butter until they turn crispy.
• Cook the patties by sprinkling ground pepper and salt.
• Cook for two minutes and flip until beef is seared nicely.
• Add an American cheese slice on the patty after folding it around one quarter over it and folded side below.
• Place the top bun on top with a slice of onion and cook the patties for another two minutes.
• Prepare the hamburger bottom portion by spreading 1/2 tsp spread prepared over the bottom face of the toasted burger.
• Stack lettuce, tomato slices and top it over with the other half of the burger with patty.
• Wrap it with sandwich paper and serve.

4.  How to make a burger like Steak-n-Shake

1. Steak and Shake Garlic Double Steakburger

Ingredients

• Hamburger buns
• Ground beef chuck
• Ground black pepper
• Salt
• Onion salt
• Butter
• Garlic
• Garlic salt
• American cheese

Procedure

• Combine pepper, salt, garlic salt, and onion salt in a small bowl. Keep it aside.
• Add minced garlic with melted butter and brush this paste over the sliced hamburger face and toast.
• Brush a little amount of topped butter on the beef top and garlic salt is sprinkled over the top.
• Heat the skillet or grill to medium-high heat.
• Place the beef balls on the heated surface by pressing them as thin patties.
• Season the patties with salt mix.
• After burgers have cooked on either side, add a cheese slice to the patty.
• Stack 2 patties and position them over the buns.
• Dress it as per your choice and it is ready to serve.

2. Steak n’ Shake Garlic Cheeseburger

Ingredients

• Ground beef-2 lbs.
• Homemade garlic butter
• garlic salt
• Melted butter-1 Tbsp
• American cheese-12 slices
• Hamburger buns-6

Procedure

• Spread the face of the slit hamburger bun with garlic butter.
• Place the buns spread side down over the skillet and toast them.
• Pat the patties to circle and place them over the preheated skillet to mid-high heat.
• Cook the patties till done and add in cheese over the patties to melt.
• Place the cheeseburger to the bottom bun with a little more garlic butter on the burger top.
• Position the top bun with melted butter brushed over it.
• Sprinkle garlic salt and serve.

5.  How to make a burger like Shake-Shack

1. Shake Shack’s Classic Cheeseburger

The preparation time is 20 minutes.

The cooking time is 10 minutes

The total cooking time is 30 minutes.

Ingredients

Shak Sauce

• Hell man’s Mayonnaise- ½ cup
• Dijon mustard -1 tbsp
• Heinz ketchup- 1 tsp
• Kosher dill pickle brine- 1/4 tsp
• Cayenne pepper- A pinch

For the Burgers

• Hamburger potato buns- 4
• Melted unsalted butter- 4 tbsp

Dressing

• Green-leaf lettuce- 4 pieces
• Plum tomatoes-1/4 inch and 8 slices
• Cold ground beef- 1 oz.
• Kosher salt
• Fresh ground pepper
• American cheese- 4 slices

Procedure

• Make the sauce by blending all the sauce ingredients into a smooth paste.
• Heat an iron skillet on mid-low heat.
• Brush both bun sides with melted butter.
• Place the buns on a hot skillet with butter side over the pan.
• Cook for 2 to 3 minutes to a golden brown.
• Transfer the buns to a plate with 1 tbsp sauce over each bun with tomato slices and lettuce piece.
• Enhance the heat to medium. Let the skillet heat for 2 to 3 mins.
• Season the ground beef patty or puck with pepper and salt.
• Position the pucks on the skillet which are about 1/3 inch round.
• Cook for 2 and half minutes and flip.
• Transfer the burger to the bottom bun and sandwich with lettuce, tomato, and top bun.

2. Shake Shack’s ‘Shroom Burger

Preparation time is 30 minutes

Total cooking time is 1 hour

Ingredients

For the filling

• Portobello mushroom caps- 4- 4-inch
• Canola oil-1/4 cup
• Kosher salt-1/2 tsp
• Fresh ground black pepper-1/8 tsp
• Flour- Divided to 1/4 tsp and 1 1/2 cups
• 1 egg yolk and 3 eggs
• Panko breadcrumbs-2 cups
• Grated Muenster-1 1/2 cups
• Grated cheddar-1/2 cup
• Minced onion-1/2 tsp
• Minced garlic-1/8 tsp
• Kosher salt

For burgers

• Hamburger potato buns-4 toasted
• green leaf lettuce- 4 pieces
• Ripe plum tomatoes

ShackSauce: same as above

Procedure

• For the filling and mushroom caps, you should oven preheat to 375 deg F.
• Place the mushroom caps on the baking pan.
• Rub caps with canola oil.
• Season with pepper and salt.
• Arrange gill side down of the mushroom and roast till tender for around 30 to 35 minutes.
• Place 1 1/2 cups in a wide dish. Take 3 eggs in a wide dish and place the panko in another wide dish and keep aside.
• Mix the cheddar and muenster cheeses, garlic onion, flour, cayenne pepper, and egg yolk in a mixing bowl.
• Shape the filling to 4 disks around 1/2 inch small in diameter as compared to mushroom caps.
• Place disks of cheese on the gill side of the cap, cover with another half of the cap.
• Cut side down and secure filling by gently pressing down.
• Stuffed caps of mushroom should be dredged in the flour.
• Then dip this set in beaten egg and dredge in panko.
• Refrigerate the prepared mushrooms.
• Heat the oil for deep frying them. Let the temperature reach 350 deg F.
• Deep fry the mushrooms till golden brown to around 3-4 minutes.
• Season with salt after taking them out on a drain towel.
• Spoon the shack sauce over the top portion of the hamburger.
• Add in tomatoes, lettuce pieces and transfer the mushroom burgers to a plate.

6. How to Make a Burger Like Smash-Burger

Smash Sauce Recipe:

A key part of many of the different smash-burgers is the delicious smash sauce. The good news is that you can easily make that same sauce in your own kitchen with just a few ingredients. Follow the directions below, and you will have your very own smash sauce for your delicious smash burgers or to dip your french fries in.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Cup of mayonnaise
• 1/4 Cup of Yellow Prepared Mustard
• 2 Teaspoons of Pickle Juice
• 2 Teaspoons of Chopped Dill Pickle
• Vegetable Oil

Directions:

1) In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, prepared yellow mustard, chopped dill pickle, and dill pickle juice.

2) Stir well to combine the ingredients.

3) It should be a thin sauce. If not, use a small amount of vegetable oil to reach desired consistency.

4) Let sauce rest in the refrigerator a couple of hours before serving.

Classic Smash-Burger Recipe

The classic smash burger is absolutely delicious. It is thin, flavorful, and of course, has that fabulous smash sauce on it. Follow the directions below to make the classic smash burger in your own kitchen for yourself, friends, or family.

Ingredients:

• Vegetable Oil
• 1 Pound of Ground Beef Chuck
• Kosher Salt
• Ground Black Pepper
• 4 Slices of American Cheese
• Sliced Tomato
• Sliced Red Onion
• Pickle Slices
• Ketchup

Directions:

1) Take the ground beef chuck and create 4-ounce pucks. This should make 4 hamburgers. Once you have formed the patties, let them sit out for 5 to 10 minutes to come to room temperature.

2) While the patties are coming to room temperature, preheat a large skillet or griddle over medium heat. The pan or griddle you use should have enough room to squish the four patties without them touching for the best results.

3) Season both sides of the patties liberally with the salt and black pepper.

4) Increase the skillet or griddle to high heat and lay the patties down flat.

5) Take a sturdy spatula without any slots and press down on the patties. You can use two spatulas if you need more pressure to flatten out the burgers.

6) Cook the burger for 90 seconds and then use the spatula to flip the burger to the other side.

7) Add a slice of American Cheese if desired and allow the burger to cook for another 30 seconds.

8) Remove the burger from heat and place it directly onto a toasted bun.

9) Add sliced tomato, red onion, pickles, ketchup, and smash sauce. The recipe for smash sauce is found above.

Bacon Smash Burger

The bacon smash burger may not have any smash sauce on it, but it does have crispy and delicious applewood smoked bacon. The good news is, it is super easy to make your own bacon smash burger at home! Just follow the directions below.

Ingredients:

• 1 Pound of Ground Beef Chuck
• 4 Slices of American Cheese
• Applewood Smoked Bacon
• Lettuce
• Sliced Tomato
• Mayo
• 4 Toasted Potato Buns
• Salt
• Pepper

Directions:

1) Create 4 equal patties out of the ground beef and then allow them to sit out for 5-10 minutes to come to room temperature.

2) While the patties are coming to room temperature, cook the bacon on a griddle or skillet at medium-high heat, then set aside.

3) Generously season both sides of the hamburger patties with salt and black pepper.

4) On the same skillet that you cooked the bacon on, lay the hamburger patties.

5) Take a spatula without slots and press down the hamburger patties so that they are very thin.

6) Allow the patties to cook for 90 seconds before flipping them

7) Add cheese and allow to cook for another 30 seconds.

8) Remove burgers from heat and place them onto a toasted bun.

9) Add slices of bacon, lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise.

6. How to Make a Burger Like Burger-King

Burger King Whopper

Now you can make your favorite burger king whopper at home in your kitchen, and chances are you already have many of the ingredients. Just follow the directions below, and you can have a delicious, juicy whopper without ever leaving your home.

Ingredients:

• 4 Sesame Seed Hamburger Buns
• Ground beef
• Salt
• Dill Pickle Slices
• Ketchup
• Onion Cut into Rings
• Sliced Tomato
• Chopped Iceberg Lettuce
• Mayonnaise

Directions:

1) Preheat a barbecue grill on high.

2) While the grill is preheating, toast the hamburger buns face down on a large, hot skillet and set them aside for later.

3) Take 4-ounce sections of the ground beef and form thin patties slightly larger than the buns.

4) Lightly salt the hamburger patties on both sides

5) Place patties on the grill and cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side.

6) When patties are done, build the hamburger from the bottom up as follows:

• Bottom bun
• Hamburger patty
• 3 Dill Pickle Slices
• About a Teaspoon of Ketchup
• 3-4 Onion Rings
• 2 Tomato Slices
• 1/4 Cup of Chopped Iceberg Lettuce
• About a tablespoon of mayonnaise
• Top bun

Double Bacon King Burger

The double bacon king burger is quite the hefty burger, but it is definitely a fan favorite at Burger King. If it is one of your favorites as well, you can now make it at home in your own kitchen! Just follow the directions found below.

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds of ground beef
• 16 slices of bacon
• 8 slices of American Cheese
• 4 Sesame Seed Buns
• Ketchup
• Mayonnaise
• Salt
• Pepper
• Garlic Powder

Directions:

1) Create 8 4-ounce hamburger patties. They should be thin and slightly larger than the hamburger buns.

2) Season both sides of each patty with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

3) Heat up your griddle or cast-iron skillet to medium-high heat.

4) Place your bacon strips down onto the pan and cook until crispy. When crispy, take the bacon off the heat and let sit until later.

5) In the same pan, lay the burgers down and cook for two minutes.

6) Flip burgers, add cheese, and cook for another two minutes.

7) Remove burgers from heat, stack two on each bun. Then layer four slices of bacon, mayonnaise, and ketchup.

Sources:

https://copykat.com/smashburger-smashsauce/

https://topsecretrecipes.com/burger-king-whopper-copycat-recipe.html

Conclusion

Above, we have seen some of the ways to make a burger like 7 different restaurants. These burgers can be made at the comfort of your home which is an exact copycat and uniquely flavorful like them. Now, you do not need to miss them anymore, just make them at home.

The post How to Make a Burger Like 7 Different Restaurants appeared first on Make Your Dinner Easy.

Salmon fish cooking can be a little challenging. Still, if you know the basics and cook more and more salmon, these challenges vanish by themselves. For salmon fish, ways to cook are abundant. It is a very nutritious fish, and it is readily available as it is delicious and versatile. 

The best and most delicious ways to cook salmon fish include baking, broiling, sautéing, simmering, grilling, and pan-frying on a stovetop. You can also cook and eat salmon fish head in several different ways. 

Let us go slowly but thoroughly to describe essential details to help you hit the ground running and cook your salmon fish on the first day. 

Ways to cook salmon fish head 

Can you eat salmon head?

You can cook salmon fish head and eat it. But you should remove salmon gills before cooking as they are not a good part of the fish because their main task is to filter the water to retrieve oxygen. Thus, they main contain much bad staff filtered from the water. 

You can quickly cook and eat the salmon heads. There are many ways to do that, including boiling, baking, grilling, or making a soup from the salmon head. When cooking salmon head, besides removing gills, you also need to remove any extra parts which are not part of the salmon meat. You can leave salmon eyes and eat them once cooked. 

Note: the fish head may contain some parasites, more so than in the body. One of the ways to prevent that is to buy previously flash-frozen salmon. If your salmon has never been frozen before, then freeze it in the fridge and keep it for 5-7 days should kill off parasites. 

On the other hand, most fish sold in US markets were previously frozen, and salmon is often farmed. Farmed salmon feed an anti-parasite diet and, most of the time, are clean from parasites to the point that it is good enough to be used raw to make sushi. 

This section will tell you how to cook a salmon head for a surprisingly enjoyable meal. 

What do you do with the head of a salmon?

Even the United Nations says that it is not wise to waste yummy fish heads. http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/214442/icode/

Instead of throwing away salmon heads, why not just cook and then eat it? 

Note that if you have a cat – cooked small bones are dangerous for them.  

1. The simplest salmon heads recipe – salmon head dormitory soup. 

• If you are not about elaborate cooking, then here is the simplest way to cook salmon head. Did you know that in many parts of the world, people make soup out of fish heads? You can do it too. 
• Remove gills from the salmon head.
• Cut the head in two or more parts, depending on the size of the head.
• Boil water in a relatively large pot.
• You can add salt if you want. 
• You may add onions or some spices that you like.
• Throw in some jasmine rice and boil rice.
• Once the rice is cooked, throw in salmon heads or heads. 
• Bring back to a boil and simmer on low medium for another 15-20 minutes, until fish is ready.

You just have made a soup with salmon heads. Was not it easy? If you want more, let us dive into cooking some specific delicious ways to cook salmon heads.

2. Salmon heads with rice noodles and soup.

 Ingredients

• Salmon heads – 3
• Sea salt
• Sweet wine – 1/4; cup
• Chopped onions – 1 cup
• Sliced chives and chiles
• White miso paste – 1 Tbsp
• Kombu seaweed – 2 pieces, 2 inches each.
• Rice noodles- 1 pack

Procedure  

• Remove gills from the salmon head.
• Place the salmon heads in a big pot with enough water to dip them.
• Now add in ginger, onions, kombu, and place the pot on the stove.
• It would take to simmer around 20 minutes.
• Take the broth and remove the salmon heads into a bowl.
• Add mirin to the broth and then add soy sauce and add salt as per taste.
• Cook noodles in salt and water.
• Pour the broth, add miso, and noodle with a salmon head as a topping. 
• Cover more broth and add chives and chiles for garnish.
• Serve and enjoy.

Source: https://honest-food.net/salmon-head-soup-recipe/

However, generally, when it comes to salmon, chefs prefer not to use it in soup but to roast or bake it. 

3. The roasted salmon head

Ingredients

• Salmon head- large
• Lemon
• Chopped onions-1 cup
• Grill rub or homemade seasoning
• Aluminum foil
• Chopping board, knife
• Rice noodles- one pack
• Oil

Instructions

• Remove gills from the salmon head.
• Cut the salmon heads in half. Everything besides gills is edible in the salmon head.
• Rub the packaged or homemade rub over it to make it sweet, a bit spicy, and salty. 
• Rub the seasoning over the parts on all sides.
• Place the salmon head with skin on a baking sheet that is covered with foil.
• Preheat the oven to 250-400F (120-205C), with the average being 180C (350-375F).
• Place baking sheet with salmon heads in the oven.
• Bake them at 250 degrees F for 40 mins or at 400 degrees F for 10-15 minutes. Time is based on the head size as well.
• Now turn the oven heat to 450 deg F. Flip the salmon head.
• Cook for 8-20 minutes more or until it is brown and crispy.
• Serve with a slice of lemon once the meat is ready. 
• Serve on a large platter with rice and green beans to enjoy.

Source: https://guides.brit.co/guides/cook-a-roasted-salmon-head/particle-8

Rough total baking estimation of time for an average salmon head is as follows:

Note: if you use an air fryer for cooking salmon heads, then the timing and temperature regime will be like that above. Source: https://thetopmeal.com/roasted-salmon-head-recipe/

4. Garlic and butter broiled salmon heads

This recipe is based on Filipino recipes. 

Ingredients

• Butter- ½ a brick
• Salmon head -1
• Garlic cloves – 8-10
• Broiler or conventional oven with broiler
• Chopper or good chef’s knife. 

Instructions

• Clean the salmon heads cautiously.
• Rinse them in cold water. 
• Eliminate the gills and set the head aside.
• Make use of a food processor for thorough garlic cloves chopping. Or use a good chef’s knife to make your life a little bit harder.
• Add the room temperature butter to the chopped garlic and chop them together to make a paste.
• Add in herbs and spices, and salt (if using unsalted butter)
• Spread or place the butter and garlic on both sides of the fish head. 
• Preheat to the highest setting in the broiler. 
• Place the fish with eyes side up for even and fast cooking.
• Keep checking for around 5 minutes periodically.
• The butter begins to melt around 5 minutes, and garlic browns up.
• Now spread the melted garlic and butter mixture over fish with a long brush or spatula again for even spreading.
• Cook for another 2 to 5 minutes.
• Flip the fish head and cook the other side the same way also for 2-5 minutes.
• Eyes are also edible.

 Source: https://cookingwithstellaaa.wordpress.com/2013/01/30/garlic-and-butter-broiled-salmon-heads/

Below is one of the most popular recipes for baked salmon heads.

5. The salmon heads with potatoes

Ingredients

• Salmon heads – 2-3
• Fresh dills – 1/3 cup
• Whipping Cream -1/2 cup
• Bay leaves – 2
• Onion- A large size
• Kosher salt- 1 tsp
• Potato cubes- 2-inch cubes- 8 oz or about 3 medium potatoes. 
• Are you feeling lazy? You can cut potatoes into few large pieces each instead of cubing them. 
• A little bit of butter for frying.

Procedure

• Melt some butter in a pan on medium heat.
• Pan fry added onions until soft for 5-7 minutes.
• Add salmon heads, potato cubes, bay leaves, and dill leaves. 
• Add in water to just enough to cover everything and bring to simmering temperature.
• Cook until the fish heads and potatoes are tender. It may take about 20 minutes.
• Take the fish head and split the edible parts from the skeleton without breaking them into pieces. (Optional, you can have leave whole heads if you want)
• Add these parts into the broth. (optional)
• Add in cream and chopped dill with some salt and pepper.
• Serve, and it can be stored in the refrigerator.

You can add other ingredients into this receipt – carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, for example, can be cut and thrown in to cook along with potatoes. 

Source: from Serious Eats

6. The salt grilled salmon head

Ingredients

• Salt -1/2 tsp
• Salmon head- ½ – 1
• Lemon slices – several

Procedure

• Dry head after washing carefully. Pat dry with a paper towel. Using hair drier only if you keep drier away from the fish to avoid it start cooking a little. 
• Prepare grill. Use aluminum foil to line the tray for grilling. Put in the racks. Now preheat the grill to 400 F or 200 C temp.
• Sprinkle salt on the slit side of the salmon head. Sprinkle all over the fish.
• Grill till it is somewhat charred for about 8 minutes.
• Once the fat begins to spit and bubble, turn the head to the other side and sprinkle the salt.
• Grill this side as well until it is charred a little. This site will also take around another 8 minutes.

 Adapted from http://kitchentigress.blogspot.com/2011/02/salt-grilled-salmon-head-kabuto-yaki.html

How to prepare salmon fish in the oven?

You can cook salmon fish in the oven by baking it. Baking is probably the best way to cook salmon fish. Baking in the oven is identical to broiling. It is easy to make a quick and perfect salmon. 

Baking salmon fillet is one of the best methods and is a primary way to prepare salmon fish in the oven. 

Using one large fillet is better than trying to cook several small ones. There are some pre-preparations to be done before proceeding to bake it in an oven. 

How to cook salmon in the oven? Starting tips.

• Take the large spatula, large enough for lifting and turning a good portion of the fillet, lift the fillet, and transfer it to a platter (the whole thing). It would help if you got spatulas meant for this purpose because you will need them for baking.
• Take preferably a cast iron pan which is suitable for searing fillets and putting them into the oven. A non-stick pan that can go into the oven and sustain its heat is also good. But cast iron transfers heat better. 
• A small plier, needle-nose type, does an appropriate job of yanking the pin bones. Get it if you cook fish often. Strong tweezers could be used; however, they are less efficient in doing the job.
• You may bake salmon or other fish in aluminum foil. Foil traps the moisture, reducing fish dry-out, and keeps the flavor in. Have aluminum foil or parchment paper on hand. 
• Note that wrapping salmon in foil results in a kind of steaming-baking salmon fish combination.
• Many blogger chefs recommend using parch paper if you do not have or do not like aluminum foil. The foil or parchment paper makes it easy to line up and makes cleaning easier. I personally never tried parchment paper when baking salmon. 
• It helps to remove bones from salmon for a better overall experience unless you buy a boneless fillet. 
• Get salmon fillet. There is no need to mess with cutting salmon fish unless you want to do it yourself. If you missed the fillet into smaller pieces or slices before cooking, it would cook slightly faster, and You will be able to serve it right away.

What is the best temperature to bake salmon?

As a rule, you can bake salmon at a temperature in the range of 325-450 degrees F, with 400 F being the average consensus temperature level. A higher temperature will cook salmon faster. I like to use high temperatures for cooking my food faster.

Also, large salmon fish or fillet size may require higher temperature settings than smaller fish or pieces of salmon.

How long should I keep salmon in the oven?

As a rule, you should cook salmon fish for about 5 minutes per half an inch of thickness at about 400 F – 450 F degrees. So, for a 2-inch-thick salmon fillet, it should take about 10-12 minutes to bake. Just make sure you preheat the oven to that temperature before putting salmon. 

Other chefs roughly estimate that it takes about 1 minute baking time per 1 ounce of salmon. It means 5 minutes per 5 ounces or 10 minutes per 10 ounces. Therefore, the large the salmon is, the longer you should keep it in the oven.

A rough estimation of the time necessary to bake salmon in the oven:

7. A basic general recipe for cooking salmon fish in the oven. 

• Preheat the oven to a desired baking temperature.
• Pat salmon dry with kitchen or paper towel.
• Spray it with some salt and pepper.
• Line baking sheet or baking pan with aluminum foil.
• Put salmon on it and place in the oven.
• Bake the fillet skin side down for 10-25 minutes, depending on the temperature selected.
• Season with garlic, thyme, and honey, or anything else you deem necessary.

Should salmon be baked covered or uncovered?

It is not required to cover salmon when baking it in the oven. But covering salmon when baking may speed up the cooking process, and salmon may cook slightly faster than when left uncovered. Covering salmon also may help to trap moisture in the salmon fish. 

For example, when you want to cook it in foil or parchment paper, you wrap it. But note that wrapping salmon fish in foil may result in a longer cooking time. 

Alternatively, you can use an oven-proof baking dish for baking the salmon. 

8. Oven-baked salmon tasty recipe

Ingredients

• Salmon fillet – 12oz. Cut into four pieces.
• Salt
• Black pepper- Freshly ground 
• Almond toasted- 1/2 cup
• Parsley Salsa 
• Baked squash
• Red wine vinegar 
• Shallot-1
• Capers-2 tbsps
• Fresh flat-leaved parsley-1 cup
• 1/2 cup toasted almonds
• Olive oil- Extra-virgin

Procedure

• Preheat to a temperature of 450 deg F.
• Season the fish with pepper and salt.
• Position the salmon skin side downside over a non-stick baking sheet. You can also use a non-stick pan with an oven-proof handle. 
• Bake until cooked all through to around 12-15 minutes.
• Serve with squash and parsley salad made by mincing shallot, vinegar, and salt to let it sit for around 30 minutes to an hour. Chop the parsley, capers, almonds. Blend these in the above mix. Add in olive oil, mix, and add in seasoning.

Adapted from https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/oven-baked-salmon-recipe-1911951

How do you know when salmon is done in the oven?

Salmon is ready when the fillet is opaque and pink and maybe slightly overcooked if it already flakes easily with a spoon. That moment between being fully cooked and overcooked is hard to catch for a newbie. 

First, salmon gets pinky, then opaquer. Then, ff you press firmly with a spoon, and the meat starts pulling apart. Then it is ready. 

Note that it keeps internally cooking for several minutes after you remove it from the oven.

So, take a fork or even a spoon, open the oven, press firmly on top of the baking salmon. It is ready or even overcooked if it flakes easily when pressed. 

Salmon must reach an internal temperature of 135-145 F degrees to be fully cooked on a well-done level. 

Also, suppose you check with an instant read thermometer in the thickest part of the salmon, and that part shows 140F degrees. In that case, many chefs say they remove fish from the oven right away to avoid overcooking it. Some chefs say that reaching 135 F degrees is enough for a well-done salmon. 

Source: https://www.wikihow.com/Tell-when-Salmon-Is-Cooked

How do you keep salmon from drying out in the oven?

Salmon fish may often dry out when cooked in the oven. There are few methods you can use to keep salmon from drying out in the oven. 

• Brush salmon with oil to cover lightly, and it will keep it moist.
• Keep salmon very tightly wrapped in aluminum foil or parchment paper to trap moisture. It may take a longer time to cook it this way.
• Bake salmon in a closed oven-proof baking dish to trap moisture.
• Bake it on no more than 350-375 F degrees to avoid too much drying out, essentially roasting it. 
• Note that baking salmon on low will take a noticeably longer time, but salmon will keep much of its moisture in the end. 
• You can bake salmon fish on as low as 225F – 250 F degrees to trap most moisture. 
• Another technique is to freeze the salmon and then bake it straight from the frozen. 
• A combination of some of the above methods should have an even better effect. 

Different ways to cook salmon fish

Let us talk more about salmon fish and ways to cook it without a sweat. Other methods of cooking salmon can be broiling, stovetop pan-frying, grilling, poaching, and so on. So, let’s dive into different ways to cook salmon fish.

Cooking salmon fish on a stovetop

You can cook salmon on the stovetop and in a pan by sautéing, pan-frying, or poaching. 

9. Boiling salmon on the stovetop.

You can boil it, but this method is quite bland, and we will not discuss boiling here as discussed above in the soup-making section. Boiling salmon is good if you want to make salmon soup. 

You bring pot with water to a boil, through in salmon or pieces of salmon, add salt, pepper, seasonings, and boil salmon until ready. 

It takes anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes to boil fish. We discuss a similar process below in the poaching salmon section. 

Otherwise, cooking salmon on a stovetop is the easiest and quick way to pan-fry or sauté it. Poaching generates a clean-tasting tender salmonю

How to cook salmon in a pan?

Sauteing and pan-frying are somewhat the same, except sauteing means cooking quickly on high heat with very little oil or butter. 

When you pan-fry salmon, you get crispy skin and golden crush which is fantastic to eat.

Salmon pan-frying tips:

• Use good quality clean medium-sized pan.
• A medium-sized cast-iron skillet is even better for frying because iron accumulates and transfers heat better. 
• Brush salmon fillet in olive oil before frying. 
• Fry over medium heat to avoid drying salmon too much. 
• Fry only on preheated hot pan or skillet.
• The skin side takes a couple of minutes longer to cook when fried. 
• Use the only fillet at room temperature. Do not use cold, and especially frozen, fillet for pan-frying. About 30 minutes at room temperature out of the fridge is enough. Completely thaw salmon before frying if frozen. 
• Pat dry salmon fillet with a paper towel. 
• I prefer frying anything in olive oil, but you can use butter too.
• Be careful as hot oil may splatter. Use glasses or splatter screens. 

10. The most straightforward fried salmon recipe with instructions!

• Take a salmon fillet and brush it with olive oil.
• Put a thin level of olive oil in a pan or skillet to cover the bottom.
• Put pan or skillet on medium-high heat on the stovetop.
• Preheat. When oil shimmers and starts sizzling and covers the bottom of the pan or skillet, put salmon in, skin side down. 
• You may turn the pan or skillet around to make sure the oil completely covers the bottom. 
• Sear on medium for about 6-8 minutes.
• Then use a spatula to flip the salmon fillet over the skin side up.
• Now sear for another 3-4 minutes.
• Now, when salmon is pink and opaque, it starts to flake when you press on it – it is ready, and you can take off the pan or skillet.
• Put it on a plate and let it sit there for 4-5 minutes while it finishes cooking internally. 
• Spray some lemon juice over it, seasonings, and serve.

11. Tuscan Butter Salmon 

• Take a cast iron or non-stick skillet on medium-high heat. Coat the pan with the bit of oil of your choice. It could be butter, olive oil, or veggie oil. 
• Let the pan heat up.
• Place the salmon fillet skin side up. Enjoy the sizzle.
• Cook it till the filets release naturally when flipped or moved with a spatula.
• Do not force with a spatula as the crust is still forming.
• Once the crust is formed totally in around 6 minutes, you flip the fillet.
• Let the skin get crispy and nice post-flipping to around 4 extra minutes.
• This should cook the fillet inside out. If not, pop the skillet into an oven preheated to 350 deg F. Roast it for around 5 minutes.
• Your salmon is ready to serve and enjoyed.

12. Sautéing salmon fillet

You can also sauté salmon fillet over a high flame, resulting in the best, fast and easy fillets. 

Procedure

• Melt just a little bit of butter, about a tablespoon, in a non-stick skillet on medium-high heat. 
• Cook it till the foam subsides, and it turns golden in color. This will take around 3 minutes.
• Turn heat on high.
• Season the salmon fillet with pepper and salt.
• Add to the skillet or pan skin side upwards.
• Cook for around 5-6 minutes on one side till the fillet turns deep golden brown.
• Flip the fish and cook for 2 to 4 minutes longer.
• Cook and check for its doneness.

13. Poaching Salmon

Poaching provides you with cleaned, cooked salmon, which is the right way to get no added fat fish. Poaching is a simple way to make sure moist and nice salmon every time. Similar to boiling, poaching, nevertheless, is different. 

Procedure

• Season the fillets on both sides.
• Take a large skillet, bring a cup of dry white wine and a cup of water.
• Fill water as much as to cover a salmon fillet.
• Now add salmon.
• Sprinkle some salt, add a bay leaf and peppercorns.
• Bring it to a simmer.
• Turn off the heat.
• Cover the skillet tightly and let the fish self-cook for around 20 to 30 mins.
• This will result in medium-rare salmon. If you want it well done, turn it down to low instead of turning it off completely. The salmon should cook within 10-20 minutes to a well-done level.
• Remove the salmon cautiously with a spatula.
• For additional flavor, season it with garlic cloves and herbs like fresh dill in the skillet.
• As per FDA, salmon ought to be cooked to an internal temperature of 145 deg F. When done, check for it using a fork instead of a thermometer.
• Check at the thickest part of salmon to make sure meat is cooked and starts falling apart when pressed.

Adapted from https://cooking.nytimes.com/guides/19-how-to-cook-salmon

Broil Salmon

Broiling salmon is the easiest and simplest of techniques. 

14. Broiled Salmon Horizontal

• To begin with, preheating the broiler too high.
• Place it on an oven rack to make sure that salmon is within several inches of the source of heat.
• Position the fillets on a baking sheet or an aluminum foil to avoid sticking.
• Season the fillet all over with pepper, salt, and other seasonings.
• You can use garlic, grainy mustard, herbs.
• Broil five to eight minutes to make sure it is cooked.
• The salmon top will become brown to indicate readiness.
• Check for doneness using a fork or spoon.

 Adapted from https://cooking.nytimes.com/guides/19-how-to-cook-salmon

15. Grilling Salmon

If you are looking for some smoky flavor and some char marks. 

Procedure

• Season your fish and preheat the grill on medium-high heat at 350 F degrees or more.
• Oil the grates to make salmon easy to flip.
• Add the salmon to the skin side and cook on the grill for around 5-8 minutes. 
• Grill until the bottom fish half appears opaque and easy release when flipped.
• Flip it over.
• Grill after flipping for about 4-6 minutes longer.
• Place the salmon over the foil. 
• Check for doneness. 
• You can also choose flavor components and veggies. 
• You can use veggies like asparagus, bell peppers, zucchini, sliced potatoes, and onions.
• Season with pepper and salt. 
• Cook until tender.

Adapted from: https://www.delish.com/cooking/a19856198/how-to-cook-salmon/

Tip: a trick to keep moisture in salmon when grilling is to cover it with olive oil and set the grill on high temp (450 F – 500 F) to cook quickly before moisture comes out. You can also wrap it in foil to keep moisture in when grilling. Marinating salmon may also help salmon to retain moisture on the grill. 

Marinating salmon for grilling. 

You can marinate salmon for 30 minutes in the mixture of olive oil and lemon juice with some herbs before grilling. Marination will make salmon softer, juicier and it may cook on the grill faster. 

Source: https://rasamalaysia.com/grilled-salmon/

16. Way to grill skinless salmon fillet.

You can grill salmon’s fillet in foil or without foil. Here is how you can grill skinless salmon fillet in foil the easy way.

• Get skinless salmon fillet. 
• Brush it with olive oil, spry seasonings on it.
• Preheat grill to 350 F – 450 F. 
• Tightly wrap salmon in foil and place it on the middle rack of the grill.
• Grill for 15-20 minutes, depending on the temperature and size of the salmon.

Should I flip salmon on the grill?

You should flip salmon on the grill because, unlike the oven, heat distributes unevenly in a grill. Flip once in the middle of cooking, as soon as one side is cooked. 

 FAQ

How long does it take for salmon to be cooked?

Usually, it takes on average 4-6 minutes cooking time per ½ inch of salmon thickness or about 1 minute per 1 ounce of salmon fish. This is especially true for the salmon fillet. 

According to FDA, fish, including salmon, is cooked when its internal temperature in the thickest part reaches 145 F degrees. 

Source: https://www.fda.gov/food/people-risk-foodborne-illness/meat-poultry-seafood-food-safety-moms-be#:~:text=Finfish%20s

You can use an instant thermometer to stick it in the thickest part and measure temperature while still cooking. Be careful, it is hot, and it is still cooking. 

Note that once you remove fish or other food from the oven, frying pan, or grill, it still cooks internally for a few minutes while cooling down. 

How do you tell when salmon is done cooking?

Salmon flesh must become pink, opaque and meat must start pulling apart when pressed even with the spoon. If it flakes easily with the fork, it is cooked and is on the verge of overcooking. 

Also, salmon is done cooking if the internal temperature reaches 145 F degrees in the thickest part. Note, this rule is valid only if all salmon parts were cooked evenly. 

Chefs recommend stopping cooking salmon as soon as it reaches 140 F degrees in the thickest part. 

How do you cook salmon without drying it out? How do you keep salmon moist when cooking?

Cook (roast) it either on very low heat at about 230-250 F. Or cook it fast on high heat before salmon loses much moisture. You can also keep salmon moist with preliminary preparations such as brushing with olive oil and tightly wrapping salmon fillet in aluminum foil. 

Do you eat the skin on salmon?

You can eat salmon skin because it cooks well. 

Final word

There are about million more ways to cook salmon. But now you know most basics of different ways to cook salmon fish. 

The post 16 Delicious Ways to Cook Salmon Fish appeared first on Make Your Dinner Easy.

The fish intended for sushi preparation usually must be frozen in the freezer for 3-7 days, unless it was previously flash-frozen by the fishing company. Then after the fish is thawed, it is cut into a fillet. The fillet is then cured and cut into pieces or blocks for sushi. Always use good quality fish from a reputable seller. 

Since you are dealing with raw fish, you must learn the instructions well before making your first sushi. Let us dive into the sea of detailed but easy-to-understand instructions for sushi preparation.

What fish can I use for sushi?

You can use several types of fish for making sushi. The most common sushi fish types include salmon, tuna, yellowtail, halibut or flounder, seabass, porgies. Lesser-known types are mackerel, kampachi, sardine. 

Other types of fish more rarely used for sushi are swordfish, blue marlin, to name a few. 

Mackerel and salmon may have more parasites or bacteria, but freezing and treating fish kills most of them. Fish intended for sushi sometimes may be treated with vinegar to protect from parasites. 

Tuna has the least parasites but can contain more mercury than other types of fish. Mackerel, sea bass, yellowtail, swordfish, blue marlin tuna are all often high in mercury, so do not indulge in sushi too much. Salmon is usually farmed, so it has less o that. 

Farmed fish from the USA, Canada, or European Union countries or Australia is better because it contains fewer parasites. These countries have solid rules controlling fish farming and food safety.

I would not recommend you use eel, as eel sometimes contains many serious parasites. Only well-trained and experienced sushi cooks should use this fish to make sushi. 

We are selecting fish for sushi.

FDA or USDA do not regulate such terms as “sushi-grade fish.” Therefore, you should follow a few rules when choosing fish for sushi. 

First, you must choose the proper type of fish. Read the following section about that.

Then rule number one is that it should be as fresh and as recently caught as possible. The freshest fish makes the best sushi. Do not buy old fish. 

The second rule is fish must be of good quality. Preparing sushi is a serious endeavor, and good quality expensive fish is necessary for making good sushi. 

Third and important, fish must be previously frozen. Prolonged or deep-freezing fish kills parasites. You can read FDA rules for freezing fish in the link I listed at the end of this article. I am talking about the required temperature ranging from -4°F (-20°C) to -31°F (-35°C).

Most home freezers will not work. Only commercial or medical freezers can achieve such low temperatures. But you can freeze fish in the home freezer and keep it there for 5-7 days to compensate for the lack of deep-freezing capabilities of the home freezer. 

For making sushi preferably, use fish that was unfrozen only recently within the last 24 hours. Preferably one that was commercially deep-frozen. 

Finally, the fish you buy to make sushi better be flash-frozen by a fishing company within 6-8 hours of being caught. So, look for a description or label where it says something like “flash-frozen.” This is the fish that you want to use the most. 

If not, in this article, I will describe how to freeze fish yourself. Read on.

The fish you select must be firm when touched, with clear eyes. Its scales should not fall off easily. The fish should not have too much of a fishy smell and no ammonia (rotten) smell. It is preferably frozen or laid on a sheet of ice. 

Tip: you can go to a good grocery store or good fish market, fishmonger, and specifically ask for sushi-grade fish. Usually, it is good quality fish that is more expensive. I suggest buying an already cut fillet not to have to mess with cutting and skinning fish. 

You will still need to freeze your fish in a freezer until you are going to use it. Take it out and thaw right before skinning and sectioning up as a fillet. Or you can fillet it and then freeze the fillet.

Overall, I recommend buying fish and fillet it right when you are about to make sushi.

A note: FDA says that farmed fish that has been fed anti-parasite feed when raised can be eaten raw without freezing. But it is hard to know what was fed to the fish by the farming company in the grocery store.

Do you wash fish before making sushi?

You can, but typically no, you do not need to wash any fish that has been bled out correctly. This method is done when a fish is taken directly from the sea and is clubbed on its hindbrain.

This allows a fish to remain alive to be bled naturally by cutting the gill arteries and removing the tail.

Essentially, all the blood is pumped out, so the fish meat does not retain any fishy smell or have an overbearing fishy taste.

How to cure fish for sushi

You can buy prepared fish for sushi, such as smoked salmon. But here, I will describe how you can cure and prepare fish for sushi yourself.

Note: The common conception is that when we think of sushi, we think of raw cured fish. Let me note right away that sushi can be made not only with raw fish. Tasty sushi or sashimi can be made with grilled fish fillets, making it safer for newbie sushi makers.

It is essential to mention that some fish require selective curing before the preparation of sushi is completed. Some types of fish will require complete curing to help fish meat to develop complex and appealing flavors.

Note that you should cure fish after you cut it into filler (unless you purchased fillet) before you cut it into sushi slices. See the separate section below about how to cut and slice the sushi.

Let us just say that you have picked up a fresh fish that has not undergone a proper bleed-out. This is called ‘ikejime’ and is often done with living fish only.

But there will be times when you need to cure your fish further so it does not develop those fishy flavors that most people do not like tasting. And curing removes liquid from fish.

One relatively simple method is used to draw out these unwanted flavors before you prepare your sushi.

It is not uncommon that every fish has undergone this process unless you buy fish from a fishing boat or were unprocessed. Follow these steps to get the best results.

This is especially important for fresh salmon curing, no matter where it was caught! You’ll need to buy your salmon from a reputable fish seller, so you have fish that is no more than 2-3 days old.

Source.

Easy way to prepare (cure) fish for sushi

We will discuss several somewhat inter lapping ways of curing the fish for sushi. Here is the easiest way.

• Take fish fillets or already cut fish pieces.
• Pour in clean water into a glass or ceramic bowl (or other types of the bowl).
• Add a lot of “kosher” salt and stir until salt dissolves and water becomes clear again.
• Add a bunch of white sugar to the water and do the same.
• Now you have a curing brine solution.
• Put fish into this brine, stir a little, and leave it in the brine for 5-15 minutes.

Essentially, you just cured fish for sushi, but I suggest adding additional steps now.

• Take that fish out of the brine and dry it with paper towels.
• Coat all fish with a salt layer on both sides. Make sure to cover fish evenly everywhere on the fish. This will draw moisture out of the fish.
• Put it on a clean tray for 15-30 minutes. You can put it in the fridge for this time.
• Take the fish and wash off the salt.

You effectively drained most of the extra liquid from fish.

I suggest using a clean tray. Cover the bottom with salt. Put fish fillet on top and press fish a little. Then cover the top side of the fish with a layer of salt. Close the tray and put it in the fridge for 30-120 minutes.

The Morimoto method

Famous Japanese sushi chef Morimoto uses different methods. To speed things up, he buys quality fish and says that the curing process can be done as follows:

• Place fish fillet in a tray, spray fish fillet with salt all over the fish, on both sides, and leave it like that for 30 minutes.
• Then wash off the salt, dry the fish fillet, and immerse it in vinegar for 15 minutes.

Source.

On the other hand, I think beginner sushi makers could stick to longer curing timeframes purely for safety reasons. 

As you progress in your sushi making, you may want to use more elaborate ways to prepare and cure fish for sushi. Here is one below.

Step one

Take some saran plastic wrap and lay it on a countertop. Then add sea salt onto the plastic wrap followed by paper towels to cover the salt. Ensure that you do not put salt outside the area where your paper towel is folding over onto your fish.

Each overlapping section should have complete contact with the cling wrap as much as possible when it comes time for wrapping.

Step two

• You placed a good layer of salt on that plastic wrapped.
• You have spread a clean paper towel over the salt.
• Now take the fish fillet you have rinsed with very cold water and completely dry it with a paper towel.
• Place fish onto the paper towel and salt. Spray more salt over the fish and cover all fish parts – for a more substantial effect.
• Wrap fish in the salty paper towel.
• Now tightly wrap your salted fish and paper towel in the plastic and allow it to sit for a couple of hours in your fridge.
• The moisture of the fish soaks through the paper towel and activates the salt.
• The salt will draw extra moisture and a fishy smell out of the fish.

Step three

After this, you open the plastic wrap, re-rinse your fish again and pat it dry with a dry paper towel. This fish meat is then ready to be sliced and served after that.

This is just another method for curing since many types of fish need curing to help develop the Umami flavor. Keep in mind that this method usually works for fish that were not bled out properly.

Video instruction for this elaborate fish curing method: 

Step four

Suppose you want additional safety and favor treatment, like treatment of mackerel or salmon against the parasite. In that case, you may want to do two more steps.

• Take a tray and place dry fish fillet(s) in it.
• Pour enough rice vinegar or other vinegar to cover the fish fillet.
• You can add some ice to the tray.
• Put the tray in the fridge for a day or overnight. Up to 24 hours is fine.

This way, fish gets flavor treatment. Some people also add alcohol like sake or whiskey, or white wine to the tray, but alcohol is not my thing.

Alternative curing method to prepare your fish

Find a shallow tray used that can fit into your fridge. The best tray to use is suitable for baking brownies and should only be 1-2 inches deep.

Now lay your fish onto the tray and begin making your cure mixture.

This is simple to make since you only need 3 parts sugar to one part sea salt, which is a 3:1 ratio. This mixture is sprinkled on both sides of the fish while it is laid in the tray.

Again, I suggest you cover the bottom of the tray with the mixture. Then put a fish fillet on top of this layer of the mixture. And now completely cover the top and sides of the fish with another layer of the mix.

This can sit in the fridge for 1 to 3 hours. But you can keep it in the refrigerator for 2-3 days like that. No more than that, though. If you need to keep it for longer, you would be better off freezing fillet than thawing and curing it.

Here is a helpful video on how to cure fish for sushi:

Step 5 Freezing fish which was not previously frozen.

Sometimes you will buy fish where the label states “never frozen.” If you want to make sure no parasites remain in the fish, you can dry and freeze it now.

If you purchased commercially frozen fish, then you can skip this freezing step. 

Commercial or medical deep freezers can do this in no less than 24 hours. Still, a traditional home freezer may hold the fish up to 7 days of freezing before you eat it in sushi.

But generally, if you made the steps above, it will be enough to freeze the fish for about 48-72 hours before you use it in sushi.

Freezing your fish for sushi

Wrap your fish in plastic wrap without catching any kind of air inside the cling film. Wrap it twice over so you get a good seal.

Now you place this into your freezer for 48 hours to 7 days.

Suppose you have a quality freezer with more advanced freezing capabilities (less than -20 Celsius). In that case, you can go for no more than 2 days without much problem. Be sure to place your wrapped fish at the very bottom of the freezer, where there is less moisture.

Here is a deal. If the fish was never frozen commercially, you might need to freeze it for about 3-7 days before making sushi to kill off any bacteria and parasites. That is why I recommended looking for flash-frozen fish so that you would not have to wait for so long.

Another good tip for freezing fish is to wrap your fish in plastic wrap followed by aluminum foil. This prevents freezer burn and is better than directly putting foil on your fish, which can leave an odd taste.

If you have a vacuum sealer, this is the best method for freezing since the air is effectively removed from these sealed plastic bags. This will reduce the moisture if you’ve dry-padded your fish before placing it into each bag.

Great quality freezers that freeze fish more quickly meat will reduce the slow build-up of ice crystals in the flesh itself. Add this to the reduced amount of air within a plastic vacuum-sealed bag, and you have got the best freezing solution.

After recommended freezing time has passed, move the fish to your fridge, where it can thaw out slowly.

How to prepare frozen fish for sushi

This is a big question for most sushi lovers that always wonder how eating fresh fish can be preserved by pre-aging it first.

The method for pre-aging fresh fish helps by storing your fish for more extended periods with freezing up to 7 days before using it.

Reminder: You should first freeze and thaw fish. THEN you can cure and slice it for sushi. This is the better order of preparing fish for sushi. 

Thawing frozen fish for sushi 

Standard sushi assortments will all contain different sushi and sashimi, so you will need to know which fish to take out from your deep freeze.

If you were clever, you would have added printed labels (simple sticky labels used for envelopes) to mention the date when it was frozen and what kind of fish it is.

These are removed at least one day before your sushi meal, intended for lunch or dinner.

Note: Once thawed, you should preferably use the fish within the next 24 hours. Potentially harmful bacteria may start growing in the fish flesh if you keep it unfrozen longer than that, even if you keep it in the refrigerator.

It is better to put all your frozen fish pieces into a shallow pan so you can keep track of them. When you need one of them, you can quickly go to the fridge and take out only what you need while making sushi rolls or sashimi pieces.

The only exception will be with high-grade tuna, which is almost always flash-frozen when caught. Nonetheless, fresh tuna still needs to be frozen until you plan to use it for sushi much later since it tends to spoil more quickly than others.

How to defrost frozen fish for sushi

Pro sushi thawing tips

The preferred defrosting method should be a slow overnight process since you want to preserve as much of the meat texture. This process can also help preserve the color of fish meat depending on how it was initially sealed.

Once the fish meat is thawed within the fridge, you can then cure it further with a dry cure or another method mentioned above. This only needs as little as 20% salt or, as mentioned before, using a 3:1 mixture of sugar and salt.

This helps thawed fish meat slow down the enzymes that will cause fish meat tissue to break down. It also allows the meat to become springy once again, making it perfect for preparing sushi.

Defrost fish slowly.

The real trick to defrosting fish meat when making sushi is not rushing the defrosting process. Many people make a significant mistake by taking the flesh out of the freezer and letting it defrost on the counter.

This will speed up the meat faster and make your meat mushier as a result. It needs a nice slow thaw that can take overnight, but most sushi experts advise that longer thaws are better.

But if you need to defrost it in a rush, place fish in a plastic bag, close it tightly, and throw it in cold water. Fish should defrost for the most part within 1-2 hours.

If you are in an extreme rush and just about to make sushi, then you can thaw fish in a microwave as a last resort. Nothing scary, but the fish meat structure will be mushier after microwaving.  

We still recommend that you give this meat a salted dry cure before it is used to make your sushi. Either way, you will always have better results when following these helpful bits of advice.

After this, you can rinse the salmon with ice-cold water and pat dry with paper towels. The fillet is then sectioned into ‘Saku’ blocks wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated.

This allows you to use each block section for sushi portions as you need. Do not forget that you’ll need to use this fish before it starts to go bad. Even though it has been cured, it can still go bad within 5 days.

Do not unfreeze long in advance. Each subsequent freezing and thawing destroy fish meat, and each thawing may allow harmful bacteria to grow. I highly recommend freeze and thaw fish no more than one time at home. 

Cutting the fish for sushi

If you decided to do the whole process from A to Z, you would need to cut the fish. In the US, people often associate sushi with salmon. Let us use salmon as an example.

You can see the detailed process of cutting salmon here.

Here is how to cut fish for sushi

Cutting fish is the most challenging part of making sushi. It is not easy, especially the first few times.

Here is the order of cutting fish to prepare for sushi and then slicing it specifically for sushi.

1. First, cut fish in half for fillet.

• If you have the whole fish, then first cut off the head. You should carefully cut the head behind the fish gills with a good sharp knife.
• Then you cut off the fish’s tail fin and tail portion because it does not work for sushi.
• Then cut off the top and side fins.
• Then you put the fish back to you and cut half-deep the fish from head to tail side along the spine.
• Then you turn the fish’s stomach side to you and half cut through the stomach from head to the tail side.
• Now you can finish the job and from the backside, cut to separate both sides of the fish finally.

You have two fish half-sides now.

2. Cut off the main belly because the belly is not the best part of the fish for sushi.

Take all the intestines out. After taking the intestines out of the fish, you may want to wash the fish’s stomach to clean it better.

3. Peel out the bones that you see in the flesh. Remove bloodline, if any.

4. It is time to cut of the skin.

Here is one skinning technique:

• Place the half-side of fish skin down on the kitchen surface in front of you. Again, fish spine side to yourself will work better.
• You pre-cut the fish in one or more places from the top of the meat down to the skin, but do not cut the skin on the bottom just yet.
• Now put the knife all the way down through the cut up to the skin.
• When the knife touches the skin, turn it to one side and gradually slice the skin off, cutting with the knife as close to the skin as possible.
• Press fish from the top with your one hand (if you are a righty), and cut the skin with the knife right below where you are pressing with your other hand.

The goal is to separate the flesh from the skin in that segment. It is easier to separate the flesh and skin of the larger fish like salmon in segments rather than trying to cut through the whole fish.

Here is another fish skinning technique to skin the whole fish side:

• This time place the fish skin up.
• You make a small cut between flesh and skin on the tail end.
• Grab this piece of skin with your left hand.
• Start cutting left to right (if you are right-handed). While you do, you keep holding the skin with your left hand and pull skin a little bit to the left.

Once the skin is off, inspect the flesh to see if any skin coloring (connective tissue) remains on the fish. Carefully slice off that tissue.

Ensure to cut off all white non-fleshy connectivity tissue between skin and flesh because they are too hard and chewy to eat raw.

Ok, now you have good looking fish fillet, and you can cure it as explained above and then cut it into sushi pieces or blocks.  

Cutting fish methods for sushi or sashimi

We will briefly overview this because cutting fish for sushi is an art and deserves a separate article. There are several traditional ways to cut fish for sushi.

Hira-zukuri

For large fish, you cut the fillet into long strips about 2 inches wide. Then you can cut this strip into smaller sushi slices.

Under any scenario, you can cut fillet or fillet strips into sushi slices, each about 1/3-1/5 inches wide (0.5-1 cm). You should end up with similar blocks of sushi slices. This works well for tuna or salmon.

Usu-zukuri

The next type of cutting is more difficult. It is thin-slicing, where you diagonally cut thin slices off the fish fillet. This works better for soft fish flesh like flounder.

Professionally trained sushi chefs cut their pieces to make them similar, if not identical. This requires lots of practice.

Conclusion:

Now you have prepared fish for sushi and have your slices. Learning how to prepare fish for sushi requires time and practice. It is ok if something does not work out the first time. I recommend focusing on safety for beginners.

Make sure you freeze and cure the fish adequately. Then keep safe when you are cutting it. Making sushi is a recognized skill.

Do not rush. If you beginner, then do things a little bit in slow motion. Cooking can be a mess or an art.

Some sushi chefs train for years before they start working as sushi chefs. Of course, sushi-making involves much more than only curing and cutting it.

How to select fish, keep fish, and check for parasites – sushi chefs learn many different things and techniques.

Enjoy your sushi-making! Not many people know how to do it.

The post How to Prepare Fish for Sushi (Complete Guide) appeared first on Make Your Dinner Easy.

To cook pizza on a gas grill, you will need to make or purchase a pizza dough, prepare and put toppings on it. Preheat the pizza stone in the gas grill to 425-475F, depending on the durability of the pizza stone. Place pizza on the hot pizza stone sitting in a gas grill, and cook for 8-15 minutes, depending on the cooking temperature.

This is the right time to consider what is also called ‘The Emergency Oven’- your BBQ gas grill. Cooking outdoors not only serves as a new experience in good times but can also come in handy in the worst of times.

It is quite reassuring to know that you can pretty much cook anything on a gas grill, from boiling water to making a pizza. Even if you have an electric power outage, you can still cook pizza. And do not forget about the camping opportunities this represents!

Using a grill is a good choice. Pizzas are the best thing to make on a grill. It is easy, faster than many other grilled foods, and enjoyable. The grill may reach temperatures higher than a regular kitchen oven, which is better for making an excellent crusty pizza.

 In this article, we cover all basics necessary for you to cook pizza on a gas grill, even if you are not an experienced chef.

How to Cook Pizza on a Gas Grill?

There are essentially three different methods to make a pizza using a Gas grill:

• On the pizza stone
• On bare grill grates. 
•  On a baking sheet or such other type of item.

Use a wide spatula or mobile surface that aids you in transferring the entire pizza in and out the pizza stone. This is to assist in the transfer of the pizza in and out of the grill.

Preliminary preparations:

Buy the pizza dough

We covered this topic extensively in our other pizza articles on this blog. You can buy them already made pizza dough, frozen in a grocery store, or fresh from mom-and-pop pizza-making places. Even large chains may sell you pizza dough.

If not, then you can use bread dough. But if you want to make the dough yourself, then see below.

Make or buy the crust.

You can also buy the crust online or in some grocery stores. Check around – some might have it. Or, make the crust yourself by creating and dough, flattening it, and pre-grilling crust lightly till very light golden brown before placing any toppings. But let us take it to step by step.

NECESSARY INGREDIENTS FOR PIZZA

• Lukewarm water -1/3 cup (Ensure it is not too hot, for it could kill the yeast. You should bathe them at a comfortable temperature!)
• Honey – 1 tsp (If you have some agave, then use that instead)
• Active yeast -1 tsp (Make sure it is far from moisture and is completely dry)
• Salt (Kosher Salt preferably) -1 tsp
• Flour -1 cup 
• Olive oil -1 tbsp (It is preferable to use virgin oil, but if you do not have it, use the ordinary one)
• Pizza Sauce- 5 tbsp (NEVER use a watery sauce. You do not want a soggy pizza, do you?)
• Custom toppings (choose whatever you like, from cheeses, meats, olives to vegetables like tomatoes or pickles)

INSTRUCTIONS

Make the dough: 

The first and foremost thing to make is a pizza base, which is essentially flattened dough. Be mindful of the expiry date of the yeast, for the results will not be as expected if they expired. To prepare the yeast mix, mix water and yeast in a clean bowl.  

Add a pinch of sugar. Leave it alone for about 15-20 minutes. You should see a frothy texture if you did your duty correctly and checked the expiry date of the yeast box.

To make the actual dough, take a large bowl, add flour in it, and add some salt and the yeast mixture we prepared 20 minutes prior.

Add some olive oil and combine everything by mixing until you get a doughy texture – the dough ball should hold enough together when you take it out of the bowl. Then pizza dough is ready to be worked on.

Put a thin layer of flour on some clean, dry large surface and put the dough on. Knead it thoroughly for about 3 minutes and roll it into a ball.

Grease another bowl with cooking spray or just olive oil and cover the dough ball with the grease by tossing it around the bowl.

Take a clean towel and dip it in lukewarm water. Then press the towel as much as you can to remove extra water. Make sure the towel is not dripping.

Place a towel over the bowl with dough and let it sit for about 2 hours (depending on the weather, literally).

After two long hours, you should get two times the size of the dough you originally made.

Flatten the dough, leaving the edges rolled inwards if you do not want a thin-crust pizza.

Sprinkle with some flour periodically to avoid any annoyance from the stickiness.

Once ready, you can spray the pizza sauce all over the flattened dough – future pizza crust.

Add your toppings on top of that, and transfer everything onto the pizza stone after coating it with some oil.

Instructions for cooking your pizza on the grill

• You must begin your preheating process when your dough has already is still doubling up in size. 
• Place the pizza stone inside your gas grill.
• Close it and heat it on medium-low flames. 
• When your pizza is assembled, you put it on the stone directly
• Grill pizza for about 15-20 minutes until you see that crust has become golden brown, and toppings are cooked.

What temperature do you cook pizza on a gas grill? 

You want your pizza to look beautiful on the outside and thoroughly cooked on the inside. Even cooking must always be the goal, mainly when you use raw vegetables for toppings. The

Temperature control can become quite tricky when you are cooking pizza on a gas grill. Because the required temperature depends on the grill you are using – maker, model, age, and so on.

But here are general recommended temperature settings for cooking pizza on a gas grill.

The temperature range used by different chefs is from 375 to 550 F degrees. Some chefs insist that the higher temperature is, the better. But we found that the consensus for the best temperature is around 425-475 F degrees.

When using indirect grilling, the temperature could be lower at about 375-425 degrees to avoid burning the crust. It might take longer, but it is worth it.

When using a pizza stone to make your pizza on a gas grill, the temperature should be higher at 450-500 F as the pizza stone must be heated well. Read below for details.

You should preheat the pizza stone for about 30 minutes and place the pizza in the grill after it reaches room temperature. Do not place cold refrigerated raw pizza straight onto the hot pizza stone directly on the hot grill as it may ruin the pizza. You may use a pizza peel to move pizza on and out of the grill. 

Preheating is necessary in all cases, for about half an hour, or the pizza is ruined.

Once you put pizza on stone or directly on/in the grill, close the lid right away and wait until the temperature gauge reaches the desired temperature. Essentially, this creates an oven effect.

Still, you may cook frozen pizza on a gas grill. Read the instructions. You may thaw the pizza first at room temperature for 30-60 minutes.

If you use non-authentic but steel pizza stone, you can up the temperature to 500-600 F. Steel will distribute heat to pizza more evenly, and steel does not crack from sudden temperature changes. Read below for details.

Grilling methods and temperature summary:

Everything has style, even grilling. There are three options when choosing the grilling a pizza:

• As the name suggests, the direct method needs the pizza to be placed directly above the burners of the grill. Counter-intuitively, you may want to up the heat so that your pizza cooks faster and spends less time over the direct source of heat, reducing the chances of burning it. 
• The indirect method has an indirect heat source that has a resemblance to your standard home oven. The indirect way suggests a lower temperature setting – 350-400F – and slow heating for pizza. 
• The pizza stone method requires a half-hour stone preheat and then popping the pizza on the stone. 

How to cook pizza on a gas grill with stone? 

Can you use a pizza stone on a gas grill?

There is no simple answer to this question. Generally, you can use a pizza stone on a gas grill, but how well it will fare depends on the quality and durability of a pizza stone.

We have some information about types of pizza stones in another pizza-making article on this website.

A pizza stone will enhance the ease by preventing any stickiness and adds to the taste, as using a pizza stone is a proper way to cook pizza. Also, the stone helps to heat pizza more evenly, thus counterbalancing uneven grill heat distribution.

But some chefs or cooks do not use stone when grilling pizza because stones may crack. Please read below about it.

Will pizza stone crack on the grill?

Some reasons why pizza stone can crack on the grill are:

• Placing a cold pizza stone in a hot oven.
• Too much moisture within the pizza stone.
• Placing cold pizza on the pizza stone.
• Overuse of pizza stone.
• Removing it quickly from a hot oven.
• Too much heat.

You can prevent pizza stone cracking on the grill as follows:

• The sudden temperature change will cause thermal shock to the stone, therefore increasing the chances of cracking. You should counter that by preheating the stone on low-to-medium heat for at least 30 minutes, slowly, carefully, gently, and lovingly. 
• Please wait until the stone cools down before removing it. Use a spatula to remove pizza from the grill while leaving the stone to cool down for 40-60 minutes. 
• Minimal handling of the pizza stone. I know, this goes against the advice of moving pizza around for even cooking. You will need to find the balance depending on your specific grill. 
• Do not oil or wash the pizza stone. This is a general rule for tone.
• Use warmer or room temperature pizza base (pizza dough base). Do not place frozen or fridge temperature raw pizza on the hot pizza stone. 
• Use good quality stones. When buying, read the manufacturer’s instructions. Some stones are designed to withstand thermal shocks or high temperatures. 
• You can use pizza stone made of modern, stronger materials (although not truly authentic pizza stones). You may use pizza steel stone for good brown crusting. Steel does not crack. 
• But the truth is said, this is not a rule of thumb that pizza stones crack when used on a grill. May the pizza stone serve you for a long time!

Steps for making pizza on a grill with a pizza stone

Get your pizza stone according to your preferences.

Step 1: Choose the kind of dough you want to make your base. Most convenience stores provide you with different picks, usually located in the ‘Frozen’ section. If you are going healthy, then whole wheat is the better option. Make or buy your dough.

Step 2: Choose the sauce and toppings you want on your pizza. This depends on your taste, and honestly, you can customize it to your liking.

Make sure the sauce you pick is not watery, or else you will get a soggy boring pizza, and no one wants that. Expand your options. Make more than one if you can’t choose.

Step 4: Set raw dough aside to reach at room temp, if necessary. Or thaw it if frozen.

Step 5: If the dough is room temperature already, then stretch your dough and make a dough disc for the crust.

Step 6: Start the grill, set the temperature to 375-550, depending on your grill and type of pizza stone. Start preheating the pizza stone for at least 30 minutes while you work on pizza dough and cut and prepare toppings.

Step 7: While you are heating a stone, cover the dough pizza disc with a thin layer of sauce and place prepared toppings on it.

Step 8: Once the pizza stone is hot up to the level of grill temperature settings, you can get to cooking pizza by placing raw pizza with toppings on a hot pizza stone in a grill!

Indirect heating described earlier is the best method for pizza stone grilling. Remember, do not place cold pizza dough on a hot pizza stone!

Step 9: Be mindful that pizzas are quick to make on the grill. You may need to move the stone if the pizza gets browner, but toppings are not melted yet. Your pizza is ready when the crust gets brown, and cheese is melted.

Step 10: Enjoy the pizza!

What temperature do you cook pizza on a stone?

The temperature depends on the thickness of the dough and the durability of the pizza stone. The less thick the dough is, the higher the heat must be.

With the stone, it is recommended that your grill be preheated until it reaches 400 degrees.

After that, you should keep a constant heat of 400-450 degrees for about 10-15 minutes. This will make sure your pizza is cooked evenly and has a nice golden-brown color with cooked toppings and melted cheese.

But if your pizza stone is of excellent quality or made of steel, you may try to use higher heat – 500-600 F. 

How long do you cook a pizza on a pizza stone? 

You must cook it for about 8-15 minutes on a pizza stone, depending on the temperature you use. You may need to turn the pizza stone with the pizza around and watch out for that golden-brown crust.

Be mindful that pizzas are pretty quick to make on a grill, especially when you use a pizza stone. Do not lose track of time unless you want a burnt pizza.

How do you keep pizza from sticking to pizza stone?

When the pizza is sticking, it could be because the pizza stone was not preheated sufficiently, or it could be that the pizza stone is not hot enough.

The pizza stone should be made hot as much as that when you place your pizza over it, it should instantly start crisping on the outside without having a chance to do any sticking.

The primary reason for sticking is improper heat. Heat the grill oven properly before placing the pizza stone in it.

Suppose it sticks to the pizza peel, then you should dust the peel with little cornmeal or non-stick spray or flour. You can brush the pizza stone with a little bit of cornmeal or flour. Recall that too much cornmeal or flour may cause burnt crust. Just make a bit thin layer.

Shake the pizza a little before load in it into the oven. The ingredients over the pizza sometimes get loaded with several particularly wet ones causing a big mess. When you make use of tomato sauce, bring the sauce and toppings within just half a minute of placing the pizza on a hot stone to prevent sogging the toppings and pizza in it.

You can also use special baking parchment paper. The coating or the surface is treated to provide a non-stick surface and higher temperature resistance than a standard parchment paper. Slide it out before the bake is over.

On the other hand, I would avoid using parchment paper as it may not withstand the grill’s heat and will burn the pizza.

• You may buy non-stick pizza stones made from modern materials.

• The wet dough can also stick to a hot pizza stone. Hence, that is why you stretch the pizza dough into a disk on a surface with a thin layer of flour. See why now?

• Do not use oil for greasing pizza disks, as it may make things even worse.

• Let pizza crust a little before you start turning it on the stone.

Remember that we must place the pizza on the stone while the hit stone is in the grill. We do not remove a stone from the grill to put pizza on it.

 How do you grill pizza without burning the bottom?

• Make sure your grill is clean. 
• Some chefs recommend leaving some grill burners off to raise grill temperature slower to avoid burning pizza. 
• Others also recommend oiling the bottom of the crust with olive oil. 
• Do not put too much sugar as too much of it can cause a crust to burn.
• Do not put too much flour around the dough ball – just enough for a very thin transparent layer. 
• Use indirect heat for less burning. For example, place pizza above the middle burner, turn off the middle burner and leave side burners. If using a large grill, turn on the middle burner, then move pizza to the side above the side burner, which you should keep turned off.
• Check the bottom of the pizza while grilling.
• If necessary, move pizza around with a spatula to prevent it from over-burning one side while undercooking another. But not in the first 4-5 minutes.
• Leaving the lid closed for the first 5-8 minutes will help distribute more evenly around the pizza. Even heat is less likely to result in the burned crust.
• Do not use too much heat as, unlike the oven, the grill does distribute heat evenly. Heat comes from the bottom. Use temp settings lower than 500 F.
• Do not place cold or frozen pizza dough on the grill. Thaw it or warm it up slightly in the microwave or under room temperature.
• You may place pizza on additional stone or stone on top of grates higher closer to the dome if pizza crust keeps burning. Or reduce the heat next time.
• Once you see pizza starts burning, shut off the grill, close the lid, and leave it for 5-10 minutes to finish off without a source of heat.

You can read more about how to avoid burning your pizza in another article on our blog.

How to cook frozen pizza on a gas grill?

Cooking pre-made frozen pizza on a grill saves plenty of time and because you do not need to mess with making dough and preparing toppings for pizza. 

As a rule, you should use lower temperature settings if you cook the frozen pizza to avoid ruining it. Frozen and not thawed pizza should be grilled at about 375-400 F for about 15-20 minutes, away from direct flames below it, as it will drip water. This should be enough to allow you to cook pizza from frozen one. 

Frozen pizza is excellent for large parties as you can quickly cook many pizzas like that. Grilling frozen pizza on a gas grill has nuances which you should keep in mind. 

I prefer to buy premade frozen pizza crust. Then I would put my sauce, my fresh toppings on the frozen pizza crust and cook it. Sausages, kielbasa, tomatoes, pineapples – you name it. You are the boss! 

Here are instructions for cooking frozen pizza on a gas grill:

1. First, preheat the empty grill with the closed lid for 10-15 minutes at about 400 F degrees.
2. Take frozen pizza, unwrap it, and add any extra toppings if you want.
3. Use a spatula to put a pizza in the grill to the side of the working burner. Some chefs prefer to cook frozen right above the burner by turning down the heat a little after placing the pizza in the grill.
4. Close the lid, and let it cook for about 7-12 minutes.
5. Now use a spatula to rotate pizza half-time in the process of cooking it on a grill. Turning pizza in the grill will make sure pizza is cooked evenly. 
6. Close the lid and wait about another 7-12 minutes while the pizza is cooking. 
7. Once the crust becomes brown and cheese has melted, your pizza is ready.
8. Take the pizza out of the grill with a spatula, and let it cool down 5-10 minutes on the table. 
9. You will cook it on indirect heat, although some cooks place pizza right above the working center burner, cooking directly above the burner.
10. Be cautious of the heat when rotating or removing pizza from the grill. Use a metal spatula. 

Useful Tips for cooking frozen pizza on a gas grill

The exact time for cooking pizza depends on your specific grill, the thickness of the pizza, and toppings. Cooking on indirect heat will take a little longer than direct. Thicker pizza will cook for about 1.5 times longer than a thin one.

For example, thin pizza with few toppings may be ready in a total of 6-8 minutes on a grill. Thick pizza with plenty of toppings may take 15 minutes or longer to cook on a grill.

Generally, chefs recommend using a thermometer to check the temperature when cooking frozen pizza on a grill. Pizza’s internal temperature should reach 160 F degrees to be ready. This temperature is also necessary for food poisoning safety reasons.

If crust became brown but cheese has not melted yet, turn on low or turn off the heat entirely and let grill with pizza stand for 5-10 minutes. You will avoid burning crust while still letting cheese melt and ingredients to cook through.  

Suppose you have a large party and cook several pizzas simultaneously on a single grill. In that case, you may need a little bit more time until your pizzas are ready.

We already explained that you should not put a frozen pizza on an authentic pizza stone in a grill as a hot stone may break from thermal shock. 

That is because you must preheat the pizza stone in the grill to make it hot. And its fragile stricture may break when it suddenly comes in contact with very cold frozen pizza. 

You have several ways of grilling frozen pizza with or without a pizza stone.

• You can thaw the frozen pizza for 2-3 hours and bring it up to least to room temperature before putting on a pizza stone in a grill. Although, this method adds extra hassle. Alternatively, you can microwave pizza to thaw it.
• You may put pizza on a cold stone in a grill and then heat them together. This is also popular, but pizza may come out quite differently for different people using this method.
• Use steel pizza stone, artificial material stone, or other similar items instead of an authentic fragile pizza stone. Nowadays, manufacturers make pizza stone from materials that can withstand thermal shock. 
• Grill frozen pizza without pizza stone. You may grill frozen pizza directly on grill grates on indirect heat by moving pizza to the side from the flaming burner. Note that frozen pizza will release some water dripping down. 
• If you place pizza directly on grill grates, then use aluminum foil to prevent grates from the burning crust. 

Source 1

Source 2                                       

Conclusion

This is how to cook pizza on a gas grill on a pizza stone or spatula. While by no means comprehensive, you now have covered all the basics of making your pizza on a gas grill.

Now, you can experiment with toppings and the size of your pizza as much as you please. Try to make a couple of good pizzas on a grill before you invite your friends or family. Everything requires some training, including cooking pizza on a gas grill.

The post How to Cook Pizza on a Gas Grill: Full Starter Guide appeared first on Make Your Dinner Easy.

As a rule, basic chicken marinade consists of cooking oil, olive oil, and an acid liquid, such as vinegar, lemon juice wine, and some spices. Marinate chicken for anywhere from 2 to 48 hours, with 6 to 24 hours being the standard. The whole chicken should be marinated for longer than its pieces because marinade penetrates parts more easily. 

In this article, we shall see how to marinate chicken using different ways to make it flavorful and unique. The chicken marinade is primarily two types-dry and wet. Chicken marinated both ways make the meat tender, flavor-rich and moist.

What are marinades?

Marinades mix acid, oil, seasonings, and herbs to create juicier, tastier, and tenderer. Oils in the marinade make the meat sustain its moisture during cooking. The outcome is a juicier chicken. 

Acids like vinegar or fruit juice, or lemon juice result in denser protein break down and tenderize the meat. Seasonings boost the flavor, and herbs add in aroma with taste. 

With homemade marinades, you can skip the additives, preservatives, colorings, and low sodium and sugar with monosaturated fatty oils like olive oil. Apart from all this, marinating chicken minimizes the cooking time.

Two primary types of chicken marinades

The two primary types of chicken marinade are wet or dry. Both are suitable for different cooking types and equally delicious.

How to marinate chicken dry?

Begin with skinless, boneless chicken meat. Add in all your marinade powders and oil. There are many marinade powders you can purchase in your local grocery store or online. 

They are often called chicken rubs or dry chicken rubs because you will rub that powder all over the chicken before cooking. They range from garlic or exotic herbal, from chile spicy to gentle laurel leaf rub powders, and from salt to cumin or paprika. You can even make one yourself at home. You can also use chicken seasoning with it or instead of a rub. 

Purchase or make a dry mix and rub over your chicken. Coat nicely all over the chicken to make a coat of marinade over it. 

Please note that dry rub or seasoning does not tenderize chicken as much as a wet marinade.

Therefore, you can use dry ingredients mixed with oil or butter to make chicken more tender. Or put a layer of rub or seasoning, and then a layer of oil or butter on top of that. The dry ingredients will remain stuck on the chicken as a coat enhancing the flavor of the chicken in the process of marinating the chicken.

Place the chicken in a ziplock bag, place the rubbed-over marinade chicken pieces into it, and refrigerate for 1 to 12 hours depending on your chicken and marinade type. 

When you remove it for grilling or cooking, or broiling, you need to pat dry appropriately to get an even crunchy golden-brown crust. 

How to marinate chicken wet?

Marinating chicken wet is a more common way. To marinate chicken wet, you must combine all the wet and dry ingredients in a zip log bag and shake well to blend them well. 

A wet rub forms a liquid base with spices and herbs. The liquid moisturizes the chicken and makes it juicy and tender. This way, you add more flavor to your chicken. 

Now place your chicken pieces in the bag and seal the bag. Now shake them and rub them with the dressing or marinate thoroughly. 

Refrigerate them for one hour to 12 hours as per your marinade and chicken type. 

When you grill or broil or use the stove for cooking, remove the pieces and place them over the plate or grill. Turn on both sides to cook. Check for the internal temperature to 165 deg F using a meat thermometer and then remove once it is cooked.

The difference between marinating chicken dry or wet is just the choice of dry and wet ingredients. With wet, you moisturize chicken and make it juicy, tender, moist, and soft. With dry, you get a crunchy, golden brown, and flavorful surfaced chicken. Both the marinades make your chicken delicious and lower your cooking times.

Useful tips for marinating chicken

The easiest way to marinate chicken wet is by putting it into salted water for at least 30 minutes. It will help to tenderize chicken meat, but chicken will be slightly salty. 

Another easy and common way is to use vinegar or only plain lemon water. You can use any citrus or even wine. The goal is to create an acidic liquid that will tenderize chicken meat before cooking. Below we describe more exciting ways to marinate chicken.

Trick: You can use some wet dressing sauce for a chicken to marinate it too. Note that dressing will give its intense flavor to chicken in the process. Pick one type of dressing that you like to make sure that you will enjoy the taste of your marinated chicken. 

The purpose of marination is not to kill bacteria but to tenderize and favorite chicken meat for easier cooking and more enjoyable consumption. Do not eat raw chicken even if you marinated it thoroughly. 

How do marinades work?

Marinades are for surface flavors and do not penetrate the chicken. Therefore when you marinade, you should make the most of your marinade with the help of slashes over your chicken. 

Make medium surface cuts with a sharp knife. This gives the marinade more area of the surface to penetrate and for the marinade to work deeply. Marinating this way will also enable the chicken to cook faster. 

Different marinades work differently and give a unique flavor on the surface. Barbequing, grilling, roasting, and pan-frying will transform this marinade into a golden brown crunchy or smoky crust. It gives a unique texture, flavor, and taste.

Important tips from USDA

• When marinating whole poultry (chicken) or chicken parts, immerse the chicken entirely into the marinade.
• To make chicken marinate better, use a knife to make cuts in the meat, and use a fork or knife to make holes to allow the marinade to penetrate the chicken.
• Marinate chicken in the fridge. DO not marinate for longer than two days.
• Use food-grade plastic bags to marinate chicken – this will make cleaning easier. Discard the bags after marinating.
• You can also use stainless steel or food glass, or plastic containers.
• DO NOT re-use marinade that you used on raw poultry unless you boil it to destroy bacteria. DO NOT use a left-over marinade.

1. Chicken – how long to marinate?

Generally, you can marinate chicken for anywhere from 10 minutes to 24-48 hours. Longer than 24-48 hours is not recommended. An overextended marination period may break down chicken meat and ruin the structure, taste, and flavor. The chicken will become too mushy. 

You all know that marinading is done before cooking. Chicken is marinated to increase its flavor and for tenderizing the meat. How long the chicken should be marinated depends on which part of the chicken you are marinating. If you are marinating whole chicken then, the marination time can go for about 12-48 hours.

If you are doing chicken pieces marination in a rush, then as short as 2-5 hours can work. 

On average, chefs usually marinate chicken for 6 to 24 hours. You should keep marinated chicken in the fridge if you expect to marinate it for longer than 1-2 hours. 

Chicken meat is a light protein that is thin and has a less dense structure than pork or beef. Therefore, it might not take such a long time to marinate chicken to penetrate every meat section. Another aspect of marinating time is the marinate type and chicken type as well.

As per USDA, you can marinate a chicken in the fridge for as long as 2 days. It is borderline and not a number to determine flavor. Leaving chicken in acids for long can make the chicken tougher and denser or, on the opposite, make it too mushy. 

When the chicken marinates in an enzyme-based marinade such as papaya, ginger, and pineapple, the enzymes break the protein down, turning it too soft to make it mushy.

Let’s take a look at how long a chicken should be marinated based on its cut:

• Whole Chicken-Maximum 12 Hours, Minimum 4 Hours 
• Boneless, Skinless Breasts-Maximum 2 Hours and Minimum 30 Minutes
• Bone-in, Skin-on Breasts-Maximum 4 Hours and Minimum 1 Hour
• Bone-in Skinless Thighs-Maximum 4 Hours and Minimum 1 Hour
• Skin-on Wings-Maximum 6 Hours and Minimum 2 Hours
• Skin-on Legs-Maximum 6 Hours and Minimum 2 Hours

Source

2. BBQ chicken – how to marinate

Marinating a barbeque chicken makes a delicious, juicy grilled chicken. It will enhance the flavors of the marinate deep within the chicken while giving a smoky, crunchy flavor outside.

Ingredients

• Ketchup- 2/3 cup
• Light brown sugar- 1 tbsp
• Worcestershire sauce- 1 tbsp
• Apple cider vinegar- 1 tbsp
• Grated garlic- 1 clove
• Paprika- 1 tsp
• Ground cumin- 1 tbsp
• Black pepper-Freshly ground 
• Kosher salt 

Directions for marination

• Combine Worcestershire, sugar, ketchup, vinegar, paprika, salt, garlic, and pepper in a plastic bag. 
• Use a resealable bag. 
• Place four chicken breasts- boneless and skinless types, or place 8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs. 
• Seal the plastic bag after squeezing the air out. Seal tight. 
• Massage the marinade gently over the chicken to coat the chicken all over. 
• Now place the bag in the refrigerator for at least two hours. 
• BBQ the marinated chicken.
• Freeze for a month at maximum if you do not want to use it right away as a part of your meal prep. 

How to cook frozen marinated chicken

Defrost the frozen marinated chicken overnight in the refrigerator and then cook. You can cook by removing the chicken from the bag and grilling it over indirect heat or by boiling on the stove or baking it in the oven. 

Cover it until cooked inside out. Lightly char it and remove it when the core temperature reaches 165 deg F. 

3. Chicken marinated in Italian dressing

The typical Italian dressing marinating also benefits as a salad dressing. It makes the marinating process effortless by creating a two-in-one sauce. 

Italian dressing gives a unique Italian flavor to the marinated chicken. It prevents the meat from becoming chewy and dry and makes the chicken juicy, tender, and acts as a preservative. This way, you also minimize your cooking time.

Ingredients

For Italian dressing 

• White wine vinegar- 1 to 4 tbsp, depending on how you like it
• Garlic- 2 cloves
• Extra virgin olive oil- 2 tbsp
• Dijon mustard- 1 tbsp
• Sugar -1 1/2 tsp
• Salt -1 tsp
• Black pepper  

For marinating

• Italian dressing
• Additional Olive oil- 1/2 tbsp
• Mixed Italian herbs dried such as thyme, basil, oregano, parsley, and rosemary- 2 1/2 tsp
• Dried red chili flakes- 1 tsp 
• Chicken thighs or breast or boneless skinless-1.5lb or 750 g

Directions for marinating

Place all the ingredients for dressing in a jar and mix well. Add for marination place ingredients in a sealable bag. 

Pour at least 5 tbsps of dressing in it and mix well. Now add in chicken pieces and coat well. Set them aside for at least 20 minutes to 3 hours, up to 24 hours maximum.

To cook

You can either barbeque grill or cook on the stove without any oil. Brush some oil on the grill on a stovetop, or you can skip. Cook thoroughly on both sides until the meat gets light brown, and inside the meat, the temperature reaches at least 160 degrees F.

4. Chicken marinated in buttermilk

Marinating chicken in buttermilk, preferably full-fat buttermilk, makes the chicken soft. It enhances its flavor and tenderizes it. 

The buttermilk is acidic, and which breaks down the chicken meat protein structure. This makes the chicken less chewy post 24 hours of marination. Chicken retains more moisture this way.

Ingredients

• Buttermilk- 1 1/2 cups
• Garlic powder-1 tbsp
• Dried Italian Seasonings-1 tbsp (of your choosing)
• Ground red pepper-1 tbsp
• Coarse salt- 2 tbsps (often people, including me, incorrectly call it “kosher” salt.)
• Bone-in chicken- 3lbs.

Directions for marination

Take a small bowl, whisk garlic powder, red pepper, salt, seasonings in buttermilk, and blend well. Pour this buttermilk mixture into a plastic sealable bag. You can also pour it into a large baking dish and dip the chicken in it. 

Coat the chicken well by tossing around. Refrigerate it for about 2 hours or overnight. Turn the chicken periodically. Eliminate the chicken from the fridge 30 minutes before grilling.

Cooking

Heat grill to a flame on medium or low. Put the chicken on the grill after discarding the marinade. 

Cover and cook the chicken by turning it over occasionally. Cook until it is cooked through and golden brown or reaches at least 165F degrees. It will take around 30 minutes to 60 minutes.

5. Chicken marinated in pickle juice

When chicken is marinated in pickle juice, it can enhance the texture and flavor in a big way. Note that the low-fat content can dry out quickly if you overcook it after marinating this way. 

But chicken in pickle juice marinates in a shorter time, sometimes as little as one to two hours. The chicken will be succulent, tender, and super juicy. 

The flavor is fantastic, and when the pickle juice is mixed with coconut flour and spices mixture to sear it to perfection, you make it tasty, moist, and juicy.

Ingredients

• Boneless and skinless chicken thighs- 8
• Dill pickle juice-1/2 cup
• Egg- 1
• Coconut milk- 1 tbsp
• Coconut flour- 3 tbsps
• Garlic powder- 1 tsp
• Onion powder-1tsp
• Paprika -2 tsp
• Pepper -3/4 tsp
• Salt-3/4 tsp
• Ghee or substitute- 2 tbsp

Directions

• Place chicken thighs in a ziplock bag and pour the dill pickle juice over this chicken.
• Shake the bag after sealing it tightly.
• Refrigerate it for around one to two hours. Do not leave it overnight.
• Whisk coconut milk and egg in a small bowl.
• Open the bag and pour the contents of pickle juice.
• Now add in the coconut milk and egg mixture and coat the chicken.
• Let chicken stand so that its outer layers soak in this liquid.
• In another bowl, blend in garlic powder, paprika, coconut flour, salt, pepper, and onion powder.
• Open the bag, and the egg mixture should be poured out. 
• Now add in the dry ingredients.
• Close the bag and rub the chicken with this dry mixture to make a nice, good coat over your chicken.

Cooking

Add in some olive oil in a skillet to cover the bottom, and then fry the marinated chicken thighs. 

Cook for at least around 4 minutes on each side. Cook until each side is golden brown. Simmer the heat—Cook for 8 to 12 minutes with periodic flipping of your chicken over the skillet. 

Check the internal temperature using a meat thermometer to 165 deg F. This is when the chicken is cooked.

Some other popular chicken marinades are:

• Mediterranean marinade where the ingredients included are olive oil, lemon zest/juice, garlic, oregano, dried red chili, and pepper.
• Tandoori marinade where the ingredients included are yogurts, garlic, ginger, turmeric, chili, and garam masala.
• Jerk marinade where the ingredients included are garlic, ginger, chili, thyme, soy sauce, brown sugar, and allspice.
• Teriyaki marinade wherein the ingredients included are honey or sugar, soy sauce, and mirin or substitute if you cannot find one. You can skip mirin if you do not like alcohol.
• Barbecue marinade wherein the ingredients included are garlic, wine vinegar, brown sugar, and paprika.

But you can marinate chicken in many other exciting ways. You can buy ready-to-use marinating liquid in a grocery store. You can use orange, apple, tomato, vegetable, pineapple, or pomegranate juice, for example. 

The exciting part of cooking is that you can experiment in many ways. 

Conclusion

Marinating is more straightforward than many people think, and now you can marinate chicken in at least several ways. The purpose of marinating is to make the chicken flavorful. Now we have shown you how to marinate chicken; you can marinate chicken dry and wet. 

We suggest wet marination of meat. Wet marination tenderizes the chicken and enhances its flavor a great deal. The taste depends on how you make, how you cook, what type of chicken you are using, part or whole, what kind of marinade you are using, and so on. 

Whatever the case may be, a marinade softens, make your chicken juicy, tender, moist, and flavor-rich. Happy marinating!

USDA and other sources:

Source 1

Source 2

Source 3

Source 4

The post How to Marinate Chicken: The Ultimate Guide appeared first on Make Your Dinner Easy.

Traditionally, chicken wings, or buffalo wings, are served with celery and carrots or celery salad and blue cheese. But chicken wings also go well with mashed or baked potato, coleslaw salad, baked or fried onion rings.

In this article, you will find many side dishes you can enjoy with your chicken wings. Everything from fries, cheese, avocado to vegetable salads and fruits is listed below at your convenience.

Let us admit – chicken wings are undoubtedly a king amongst foods, and they are irresistible to many people. Add to this combination of juicy chicken, crispy skin, finger-licking sauce, creamy and rich dip. Wow!

There are several delicious things to serve with chicken wings, making the chicken wings even more appealing to eat. This article will see some of the foods to serve with chicken wings and some side dishes that go well with chicken wings. Let us dive in.

Foods to serve with chicken wings 

What goes with wings for dinner, and what is the best side dish for chicken wings? 

To get the hands-on best food to pair up, you should essentially need to recognize which sauce you are using with chicken wings. Look for hot or sweet sauce, and then pair them up with an ideal combination to go with them.

General ingredients:

• You can add cayenne or black pepper and salt to pretty much any of the side dishes listed below.
• Lemon slices are always good with any chicken meat dishes.
• Serving some green vegetables with chicken wings is an excellent choice.
• Traditionally side dishes to chicken wings were seasonal – more vegetables, greens, and fruits in the summer, and more potatoes, zucchini, or squashes in the winter.
• You can sprinkle sesame seeds on your chicken wings if you like those.

1. French Fries

Crispy French fried is one of the well-known sides that go with chicken wings at many food places, including the finest of the finest restaurants.

Try air-fried French fries and be amazed at the textures and fried taste that goes very well with chicken wings. They use less oil and so a little healthier than deep-fried French fries as well.

French fries are an excellent food to serve with chicken wings.

2. Mashed potatoes

Maybe this side is not traditionally served, but it can go well with chicken wings, nevertheless. Here is a super-easy mashed potato receipt.

Buy potatoes, preferably those yellowish ones. If small or medium size, then skin them. If large size, skin, and cut in half or more.

Boil them in the pot on the stove with some salt and pepper until so soft that the fork freely comes through the potato.

Drain, take them out and mash them well with a little bit of butter or milk. Here you have a side of fresh mashed potatoes.

Add some greens and vegetables and have this perfect traditional meal combined with chicken wings.

And if in wintertime you add some pickled tomatoes and cucumbers, then you will have a fantastic dinner. Add more by sprinkling one other pickled tomato all over the potatoes and wings.

3. Celery salad

Salary is a kind of food that traditionally goes with wings. Why not make a celery salad? Just wash the celery, de-string it with your hands. Chop it. Then chop in carrots. Chop in romaine or iceberg lettuce, or both.

Add in cherry tomatoes. Add in salad dressing of your choice and a teaspoon or two of olive oil. And mix it very well. Now you have celery salad with carrots – a traditional food to serve with chicken wings.

If you want to complicate things a little bit, many receipts out there also recommend chopping in some parmesan cheese, parsley, and add walnuts. You can use cashews instead of walnuts – both nuts are soft and can fit any salad. I suggest you grate parmesan instead of eating by pieces as it is hard cheese.

I also prefer soft cheeses with salad, like fresh mozzarella, goat cheese, or even ricotta or and so on. But, since cheese is fat and protein, I would not add too much of it to not distract from the main entry – chicken wings.

Or, add slices of apples to the salad.

4. Potato and onions rings

Well, continuing with potato, why not serve traditional baked potato wedges and onion rings? You can cut them both, mix them, and bake them on high until the potato is ready. They will exchange juices while baking.

You can also fry them for a way more unhealthy but authentic experience. Serve with a good dressing sauce of your choice. Too simple? Then add tomato salsa and some sour cream for dipping your chicken wings.

Eat this side dish and drink vegetable juice – you will love it!

5. Avocado Fries

Why not try fries other than potato? Avocado fries are crispy on the outside and creamy and soft on the inside. You will get an excellent taste of avocados.

Add in ripe avocados, eggs, flour, and breadcrumbs with some spices. They cook together perfectly in a pan with some olive oil heated up before putting all other ingredients in the pan.

And make the best side dish for chicken wings. You can use an air fryer for this one, too, for oil-free frying.

And if you do not want to bother much with cooking, just cut slices of avocado and salad greens, some olive oil, spring with breadcrumbs, and have a salad.

6. Ravioli Dippers

How about oven-baked dippers made from ravioli? This side goes with wings for dinners very well.

The crispy outside bursting with core flavors is the best part you can pick with chicken wings. You can use any ravioli that is veggie-filled or meat-filled, or cheese-filled.

The ingredients take around 20 minutes to cook in an oven at 350F-400F. Enjoy your epic meal.

7. Air Fryer Pickles

This is a trendy side to serve with chicken wings. If you are a pickle fan, you will undoubtedly enjoy this combination of chicken wings and pickles.

A perfect crunchy addition will be full of tangy flavor. You can also air-fry them to get fried pickles the healthy way. They are delicious than the one at your county fair.

Add some crispy and golden fried pickles as the best side dish with chicken wings with your favorite dipping sauce.

8. Cobb Salad on A Stick

Cobb salad is great, and pairing with chicken wings adds a light taste to the meal. It is fresh and balances your overall chicken wings’ main entry.

But how about having salad with a twist? Try the Cobb salad on a stick by blending in slices of hard-boiled eggs, bacon, chopped lettuce, dipped, or in a dressing all over. You can pair this salad in your favorite dipping too.

9. Baked Potato Chips

Slice the potatoes in evenly cut thin slices by hand using a good chef’s knife. You can use a slicer to save time if, in the end, the slicer cuts them evenly.

Then lay them out on a baking sheet and bake them in an oven at high until crispy and golden brown. Then you can serve them with toppings of your choice along with chicken wings.

Baked potato chips will go so well with chicken wings for dinner.

10. Corn on the cob

Corn on the cob is among the best sides for chicken wings. It is a well-tested side dish that goes well with chicken wings.

Corn on the cob makes an excellent food served with chicken wings because the corn is sweet and pickled, which adds tangy flavor to your chicken wings.

Boil the cobs on the stove and enjoy those juicy wings along with corn on the cob—a charming blend with juicy tender chicken wings.

11. Sesame Sriracha Asian Slaw

Give a try of Asian slaw for that extra crunch, fresh ingredients, unique texture, and lots of flavors that will satisfy you.

There is no cooking needed; chop the veggies of your choice, and toss with the dressing and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Simple to make and convenient in eating with chicken wings, without making you heavy.

12. Blue Cheese Potato Salad

Cheese salad made with blue cheese and roasted oven-baked potatoes could be another best and perfect traditional combination with chicken wings. Now, this is an authentic meal we are talking about.

As you may have guessed, blue cheese potato salad comes as a potato salad made with fresh red onion, blue cheese, and bacon.

Roast the potatoes in an oven rather than boiling them. Cut them up once ready. Cut the blue cheese. Prepare the savory combination from chopped fresh ingredients, combine the ingredients, serve, and eat with chicken wings.

The smaller pieces you cut – the tastier it will be in the end.

13. Sweet potatoes 

Added in plain baked sweet potatoes will taste amazing and rewarding with hot chicken wings. Add a dab of butter over sweet potatoes, and you are good to go.

You can also mix the sweet potatoes with hard or soft cheese and broccoli to combine a creamy, sweet, and salty blend.

I like soft cheese like fresh mozzarella (not low-moisture one), blue cheese, or goat cheese with potatoes. Soft cheese makes it easier to eat potatoes – any of them. But hard cheese like swiss, low moisture mozzarella, gouda, the jack will work fine too.

14. Stuffed Mini Peppers

These are hot and cheesy peppers ready to go with chicken wings. They add in mild spice elements without adding much grease to your meal.

This combination adds that hot aspect of your meal with chicken wings you have been longing for—adding bacon and cheese balances the pepper spiciness. This makes a great side dish to serve with chicken wings.

15. Fried Rice or steamed rice

For Asians, rice is a staple item, and the best way to serve chicken wings is by mixing them both. Add in fried rice or steamed rice with chicken wings to make your meal wholesome of flavors.

Since rice is a rather plain-tasting food, I would go heavy on seasoning, including a spicy condiment for chicken wings.

16. Sauerkraut

Germans know good food, and traditionally, German sauerkraut is food that goes very well with any meat. Just add some sauerkraut to the rest and enjoy a refreshing and well-balanced meal.

17. Honey mustard apple salad

Apple salad is always good with any heavy food like meat or potatoes. There are numerous recipes for apple salads or any other food, for that matter.

So, why not skin a few apples, cut out seeds, and chop those apples well. The traditional recipe asks for mayonnaise, but I would mix in some honey mustard (or try to experiment and add just honey), lemon juice, celery, raisings (all these ingredients are optional) instead.

Do not make this salad side too sweet, though, as sweet will interfere with the taste of wings.

Sauces and seasonings to serve with chicken wings

You can serve practically any sauces with chicken wings: taco, tartar, spaghetti sauce, mayonnaise, chili, hot sauce, ketchup, barbeque sauce, and so on.

Although items like ranch dressings traditionally are not served with chicken wings. The ranch is a salad dressing and is not used for meats.

Garlic powder, onion powder, chopped white, red onions (or onion wedges), or onion greens, cayenne pepper, ginger, sesame seeds also go very well with chicken wings. Paprika, sea salt too.

What to drink with a chicken wing meal?

Without indulging too far, with chicken wings on the table, you can serve juices, from orange juice to tomato or vegetable juice, sparkling water, soda, alcohol or non-alcohol beer, apple cider, and other drinks.

And do not forget that lemon water is usually served with chicken. This water is not for drinking but for washing your hands after picking those juicy chicken wings one by one and eating them.

Although, I sometimes drink lemon water when I am not in a public place because it helps digestion.

Best things to serve with hot wings

What to eat with hot wings to elevate the meal to a new level? You can serve a range of side dishes with hot wings.

With hot wings, you can eat most of the side dishes that you would eat with regular chicken wings – traditional celery, carrots, and blue cheese deep, mashed potatoes, cobb and other salads, and so on.

What goes incredibly well with hot wings from among different side dishes is listed below for your consideration.

1. Hot Mac and Cheese

This flaming hot mac and cheese pairs perfectly with hot wings. You can make them homemade in an instant pot and serve them with crushed hot Cheetos for a twist of spice. You can do them in the original form that pairs up the sauce of hot wings for not too spicy lovers. Hot mac and cheese go good with hot wings.

2. Fried asparagus or fried green beans

If you think that French fries or fried rice is not enough, and you need just one more item, you can add fried asparagus as an additional side dish. Somehow, fried asparagus is that universal side that you can add to many types of meat or just hot or spicy meals.

If you do not like asparagus, you can fry green beans and serve them with hot chicken wings. But if you want, then feel free to combine fried asparagus with fried green beans, which you can eat with hot chicken wings.

And adding fried onion wedges will make it a fantastic experience!

3. California Spaghetti Salad

You can serve pasta with hot wings but try out this spaghetti salad to change as a spicy hot wings add-on.

Serve spaghetti pasta served with fresh ingredients such as olives, bell peppers, zucchini, and cucumber.

Serve the salad cold with hot wings to counter the spice. Refrigerate the salad overnight to enhance its flavorful juices.

4. Blooming Onion

These are not fried onion rings but a different form of onion that will rock your taste as a side dish with hot wings. You can air dry onion rings to keep them oil-free or minimal oil, a healthy version.

This is a crispy dish where the onion, a large one, is taken and hand-cut. Then it is dipped in a breaded coating perfectly all over.

When your air fryer dries it, it crisps out externally but caramelizes, giving a sweet tinge internally. You can eat it with a suitable dipping sauce with hot wings. Blooming onion and hot chicken wings are a hot and sweet combination.

5. Mexican Street Corn

If you are looking for a side dish that is slightly different from regular corn, try Elote corn to mix with your hot wings.

This dish comprises Elote or other sweet corn cooked and slathered with crema, mayonnaise, and plenty of flavorful seasonings.

This recipe gives a simple twist on the traditional corn recipe and is cooked in 10 minutes—a sweet and hot combination of corn and hot wings, the best club ever.

6. Grilled Caesar Salad

Caesar salad is standard, but how about a grilled version of Caesar salad? It would wonderfully pair up with hot wings.

Grill the toppings like lettuce to get a smoky aroma and flavor to your Caesar salad. The edges are crispy, and the salad gives you a barbeque touch. Add in some parmesan cheese, Caesar dressings with croutons.

7. Cornbread

What is best for a side dish with hot wings without bread? Cornbread is a well-loved dish to go with hot wings. It tastes great with plain cornbread to compensate for the spice of hot wings that go well with cornbread’s flavor.

A subtle sweetness that cornbread helps to enjoy the chicken wings to the fullest. Top it with butter and make it even more enjoyable.

8. Garden Salad

The garden salad goes very well with hot wings and compensates for the spicy element of hot wings. A classic green salad can be prepared with fruits, greens, nuts, dressing, protein food, and veggies. Suit the salad to your preferences.

This salad is refreshing, healthy, light, nutritious, and colorful, balancing the hot wings flavor.

9. Steamed vegetables

As a rule, steamed veggies and greens go well with hot wings dinner. Here you can use various vegetables to steam for hot wings – from broccoli and green beans to squashes, cauliflower, spinach, and green leafy vegetables.

Steamed vegetables are taste light, and they are a perfect match for hot and spicy chicken wings.

10. Citrus salad

Why not make a citrus salad to go with your hot chicken wings? Citrus tastes well with meat, including hot and spicy chicken meat.

Cut or chop oranges and mandarins together for a quick salad. Add grapefruit if you like it. You can add some sweet sauce, vinegar, Dijon mustard, or honey to the mix.

If you feel like having something sourer, add few pieces of lemon, or pour lemon juice over your citrus salad.

Cut in some avocados, romaine lettuce greens, may add pomegranate seeds,

The honey dressing makes the citrus salad feel like a blessing with hot chicken wings.

11. Baked zucchini, squashes

Sides like baked zucchini or squashes are delicious when you eat plenty of meat because they counterbalance meat protein and heaviness.

You can bake them whole on high settings. But I suggest cutting zucchinis or squashes and baking them like that.

Once ready, put on the dressing of your choice, and make sure to serve a zucchini or squash side dish while it is still hot.

Trust me, baked zucchini or squashes will go good with hot chicken wings.

Conclusion

What goes well with hot wings and chicken wings? As wings are spicy, serve with a side dish that cools them off.

Corn’s sweetness, coleslaw, salads, fried French fries, avocado fries, cornbread are some of the foods or side dishes that help compensate for the spicy element of the chicken or hot wings.

Your dipping sauces are equally important in selecting the side dishes to go along with chicken or hot wings, hot or mild spiced wings.

The post 28 Excellent Sides to Serve With Chicken Wings appeared first on Make Your Dinner Easy.

The best cheese for homemade pizza is mozzarella. Best types of mozzarella for traditional Italian pizza were Mozzarella di Buffalo and Fior di latte. Nowadays, there are many other types of cheese that you can also successfully use for pizza that you make at home, including provolone, cheddar, and many more.

In this article, we went in-depth about which cheese is the best for pizza-making purposes and which cheese blends give your pizza an authentic Italian or American pizza taste. Read on.

What makes the best authentic homemade Italian pizza?

• Temperatures should reach about 400 degrees for the pizza to cook perfectly in few minutes.
• Use fresh toppings instead of canned stuff to make a premium pizza.
• The choice of cheese or cheese blend for pizza should be correct.
• Cooking within an appropriate time and with proper steps without overdoing or undercooking.
• Use freshly-bought mozzarella or other cheese and not the one grated that comes in a packet, possibly.
• When making cheese blends for pizza, remember that mozzarella usually should form the primary base.
• Shred the cheese block only when making the pizza and not beforehand, as the exposure to air makes it lose the flavor.
• Do not freeze the cheese intended for pizza, as it can diminish the flavor.

Best mozzarella cheese for homemade pizza

Mozzarella Cheese is the best option for homemade pizza. Mozzarella is the most used pizza cheese in the world and the USA. It is made from buffalo milk by curdling it. Mozzarella is stretched curd cheese. Curd is stretched a couple of times by dipping it in hot water and then stretch it.

What is the difference between “pizza mozzarella” and regular mozzarella

Historically, there is no difference between pizza mozzarella and regular mozzarella. People always used fresh mozzarella to make their pizzas at home. After progress in food processing, US cheese manufacturers came up with what is now called “pizza mozzarella.”

Nowadays, pizza mozzarella is fresh mozzarella de-moisturized and sold in firm, sturdy plastic-packed blocks at your local grocery stores. That is why in the USA, low-moisture mozzarella is called “pizza mozzarella.”

De-moisturized firm mozzarella has better melting capabilities and is less perishable. Hence it is mainly used by households for making homemade pizza. Source.

Which is best- low moisture or high moisture mozzarella?

Essentially, this is the same question as above. Fresh mozzarella has more water content. Another primary difference between the two is the longer shelf life of low moisture mozzarella. In comparison, high moisture mozzarella has a shorter shelf life.

Note that low moisture mozzarella is denser, saltier, and longer-lasting as compared to high moisture mozzarella. Low moisture helped fast-melting during backing and made with whole milk as compared to high moisture one. It is an excellent addition to making cheese blends.

The best mozzarella for homemade pizza is the whole milk mozzarella. Avoid part skimmed or low-fat milk if you are making your mozzarella cheese for pizza. Fat is essential to add in its unique flavor. 

Here is why is mozzarella cheese used in pizza:

Mozzarella gives an authentic Italian pizza flavor. Mozzarella cheese is versatile, stretchy, very elastic, can be quickly melted and applied to pizza. Unlike some other cheeses, mozzarella does not crumble or break down when you make pizza at home or in the pizza shop. Mozzarella cheese makes homemade pizza quite tasty.

The following qualities of mozzarella make it a perfect homemade pizza:

• Mozzarella has perfect moisture content to retain its structure when heated up, unlike many other cheese types, which either lose or keep too much water. Source. 
• Mozzarella comprises just enough moisture and an optimal amount of oil fat to keep it together when heated up.
• Mozzarella has a great consistency and is not too salty.
• Thus, mozzarella melts and bubbles better than other cheeses, creating an excellent pizza top.
• Mozzarella has one of the best stretching abilities among other cheeses, making it versatile and convenient for making pizza. Cheese stretching ability is sometimes called “meltability.”
• It is easy to chop and drain before adding it to your pizza and then [acing it into a home oven.
• Mozzarella has superior taste on your homemade pizza because it better retains flavor due to the qualities mentioned above.
• Mozzarella cheese does not interfere with other pizza flavors as it has a bland taste.
• It does not melt mushy and create oil puddles.
• Mozzarella is minimally processed, offering a fresh taste with a creamy and light texture.

What kind of mozzarella is best for pizza? 

There is also a historical reason for such everyday use of mozzarella in pizza. And why Mozzarella di Buffalo was commonly used in Italy when Italians made pizza at home.

Water buffalo was and is well known for its raising efficiency compared to a cow as it can generate high protein and fat cheese-making milk even by consuming lesser grass.

Buffalo milk cheese is ideal for pizza with less water content that permits the casein protein to break apart in a brief amount of time while cooking pizza.

These factors result in mozzarella stretch with gooeyness with no burning.

Note that you can use any cheese that melts – swiss, provolone, gouda, American, and other kinds to make pizza at home. Not using mozzarella on your homemade pizza is not a crime, of course. But without it, you will not make purely authentic Italian pizza.

How to use mozzarella cheese on homemade pizza?

You can make use of mozzarella with or without any blend. You can add flavor by blending with other cheese sprinkles like gorgonzola, feta, blue, romano, or asiago. Slice them thin or grate the cheese block. Drain the extra moisture if you are using fresh mozzarella.

Fresh mozzarella vs. shredded for homemade pizza

As you may have already guessed, low moisture mozzarella cheese is often sold in stores shredded in plastic bags.

While using fresh mozzarella could be more authentic, nowadays, using it fresh and moist is a particularly inconvenient process. You would have to drain it, cut, and prepare it properly. You do not need to mess with very moist and crumbly fresh mozzarella for making pizza at home.

On the one hand, we suggest avoiding purchasing shredded low moisture mozzarella due to some loss of flavor because of exposure to air in the process of shredding.

Also, pre-shredded cheese may have some cellulose and starch and anti-caking agents added to it, which may cause uneven melting and an imperfect pizza cooking.

Finally, pre-shredded cheese already exposed to air spread on the pizza may cause turn that pizza crust to brown quicker than necessary. Pizza crust will still be perfectly eatable but not very good-looking with brown spots. You must have seen it on commercial pizzas often.

You will be better off shredding it yourself just before making pizza. Alternatively, buy pre-shredded cheese from a good manufacturer – see below.

On the other hand, this is not critical. Many people find it very convenient to purchase already shredded low moisture mozzarella at a local grocery store and then use it to make pizza at home.

Best low moisture mozzarella for homemade pizza

Essentially, low moisture mozzarella is now standard pizza cheese in the US. You can use any brand, but some good brands stand out. Nest low moisture mozzarella for pizza must be made from whole milk by a good cheese manufacturer with a solid reputation.

For example, Grande company whole milk low moisture mozzarella is excellent if you can get your hands on it. It is not cheap but solid quality cheese.

Galbani brand is another example. Polly-O, Cappiello (Trader Joe’s) are also fine brands. Organic Valley, Sorrento, Sargent cheese brands are also on the buy list. Source.

Best fresh mozzarella for pizza          

The best fresh mozzarella brands are Mozzarella di Buffalo and Fior di latte. Mozzarella di Buffalo is a fresh cheese made from whole milk produced by water buffalo.

This has been the standard cheese brand for centuries. Whole milk makes fresh cheese of exemplary qualities, which are excellent to make pizza.

Fior di latte is another historical standard cheese for pizza made from cow’s whole milk.

But the two kinds of cheese above are rare and sometimes difficult to find. Therefore, the best fresh mozzarella for pizza includes pretty much the same brands that produce the best low moisture pizza cheese.

The best brands to buy fresh mozzarella cheese balls for pizza include Galbani, Grande, Polly-O, Via Roma, Trader Joe’s, and Whole Foods brands, Sorrento.

These brands will yield excellent fresh pizza cheese. Note that it is practically impossible to shred fresh mozzarella due to high moisture content. Therefore, you must slice fresh mozzarella when making pizza at home.

Best shredded mozzarella for homemade pizza

The best shredded mozzarella for pizza is the one you grate yourself. But there are reputable brands to buy from. You can use such pre-shredded whole milk mozzarella brands as Costco Kirkland pre-shredded mozzarella, Galbani, Grande again.

Make sure they are labeled as pre-shredded and made from whole milk. Made from skimmed milk will work too, but that will be another deviation from authentic pizza.

We checked the forums. Some people say that Grande pre-shredded cheese bags contain some nitrogen to preserve cheese in its best quality. That reduces issues usually caused by pre-shredded cheeses when making pizza.

Video with complete explanation of why Mozzarella is the best cheese for pizza according to science:

Other Cheeses Commonly Used for Pizza

Provolone cheese for pizza

Provolone is an Italian cheese of semi-hardness and the 2nd most used in pizza to blend after mozzarella. Its flavor is different based on its aging.

Provolone cheese gives a sweet flavor with a creamier texture when it is aged less, while longer aging yields a dryer texture with a sharper taste. You can use provolone and mix it with another cheese to get a unique flavor in your homemade pizza.

Provolone cheese adds a bit of sharpness to pizza, although provolone is not as sharp as cheddar. For those who make pizza at home, provolone cheese is easy to find in a local grocery store.

Note that provolone is harder than mozzarella. Provolone alone results in more stringy and chewy cheese topping on pizza. Some people do not like this on their pizzas.

Provolone is good with softer pizza toppings like vegetables. Do not use lots of provolone on pizza with hard toppings as you may have not so pleasant experience unless you like to bite and chew pizza that you made at home.

Cheddar Cheese for pizza

Cheddar cheese has a sharp taste but is not entirely associated with pizza cheese. Seeing cheddar on pizza is a rare occurrence. It is, however, included in several cheese blends.

Cheddar has smaller elasticity and crumbles more easily, unlike mozzarella. Cheddar cheese does not melt well, which is unsuitable for making a pizza because cheddar does not tolerate heat and burn.

Therefore, many chefs do not recommend using cheddar alone when you make your pizza at home. But adding a little bit of cheddar to a homemade pizza cheese blend is possible and acceptable. Add a smaller percentage of cheddar with another cheese.

A deeper orange tint with sharper-tasting cheddar cheese adds sharp flavor to your blend and color to your pizza.

Cheddar goes amazing with meat pizza toppings like salami or pepperoni. Its sharp flavor enhances the flavor of the meat.

 Parmesan Cheese for pizza

Parmesan cheese is a hard cheese that can be added with other Italian and aged hard. However, this cheese is best when shredded well and sprayed over pizza on top of different cheeses like mozzarella. Chefs recommend viewing parmesan on pizza as a garnish rather than topping for a few reasons.  

This cheese is either used shredded or shaved over fresh homemade pizzas because it does not melt well. It is a hard and salty cheese. Do not blend it in your cheese mix with several kinds of strong-flavored cheeses as the flavor of parmesan is delicate and dry.

When it is baked on high heat, the umami taste is destroyed. Instead, when you make pizza at home, garnish your pizza with some parmesan to increase the pizza flavor and its toppings.

Historically, Italians do not add parmesan to pizza. Adding parmesan is more of a modern American thing.

The four main kinds of cheese used for pizza either solely or in a blend or as a sprinkle are cheddar, mozzarella, provolone, and parmesan.

Other gourmet cheeses you can add to homemade pizza

• Gouda- This is a Dutch cheese that is semi-hard, unique, smooth, and rich in texture. It is a delicious and quite common addition to your pizza. It is smoked or straight, and you can choose either of them. Gouda goes well with beef or pork pizza toppings.
• Goat Cheese- This cheese does not melt like provolone or mozzarella. However, it softens quite nicely upon cooking. Small blobs of sprinkled goat cheese over your pizza will add some texture to your pizza bite. Use goat as secondary, not primary, cheese on your pizza.
• Gruyere- This cheese possesses a savory flavor and melts nicely. There is a range of flavors in its from nutty, sweet to earthy. It does not blister easily and so makes a great pizza cheese topping. Some even use this cheese instead of mozzarella for homemade pizza.
• Ricotta- This is a base cheese for all pizzas made with white sauce. It is typically cheese blended with fontina, gorgonzola, mozzarella, and gruyere to create a creamy base.
• Monterey Jack – according to some home pizza makers, you can use this cheese instead of mozzarella.

All the above cheeses can be blended as per your taste to get a unique flavor for your homemade pizza. Experiment a little with flavors when making a specialty pizza with cheeses.

Best Cheese Blend for Homemade Pizza

There are over tens of thousands of pizza places in the USA alone. They use different blends to make their pizza stand out from the rest. Mozzarella, however, remains to be the base for most cheese blends for pizza.

Cheese blending has flavor and functionality. They offer you stretch, browning and coverage without burning the cheese coat. No cheese does not work on pizza with mozzarella as a base.

Cheese blend often begins with part-skim or part-whole low moisture mozzarella, also referred to as pizza cheese. It browns and flows well. The blending ratios are standard to 80/20 or 80/10/10. Blend it to a typical consistency.

The most common blend for pizza in the US is probably mozzarella and provolone. You can buy this blend pre-packaged in some grocery stores. Grande is one of the most popular cheese brands, and they sell mozzarella and provolone pizza cheese blend.

Mozzarella and provolone 50/50 is probably the maximum you should use. Very often, I see a blend of 60-80% mozzarella and 20%-40% provolone. The less provolone you add, the softer cheese topping will be on your home pizza.

The new emerging trend is to use Mexican cheese blends like Quesadilla or Chihuahua. You can use them with mozzarella alone or mozzarella and provolone as a blend.

But you can create a custom cheese blend to add a variety of flavors to your homemade pizza, which is unforgettable and unique.

One of the best cheese blends is whole-milk mozzarella, cheddar, Monterey Jack, and provolone with mozzarella to 70 percent and other cheeses are 10 percent.

But you can make a pizza blend of smoked mozzarella, pepper jack, and blue cheese, for example. Cheese blend is primarily done for flavor, browning, flow, and uniqueness in your pizza.

The other best blend is the blend of 4 kinds of cheese: cheddar, a solid, flavorful cheese, romano, ripe smelling cheese, and parmesan for a sound bite with drippy mozzarella as a base.

One popular cheese mix for pizza is whole milk low moisture mozzarella with some grated parmesan and romano for New York-style. Many people use this blend when they make pizza at home. You can also use a pizza cheese blend 50/50 of mozzarella and romano.

Or how about a flavorful mix of fontino, mozzarella, parmesan, and romano for the next pizza you make at home? Or mozzarella parmesan and some gouda cheese blend? That will work too.

Another popular cheese blend is mozzarella, provolone, cheddar, and jack cheese, with mozzarella being in the more significant proportion to other cheeses in this blend.

Cheddar by itself is not the best melting pizza cheese. Still, a 50/50 blend with mozzarella can fit your homemade pizza just perfectly. Or mix mozzarella, cheddar, and romano cheeses for exquisite tasting home pizza.

Alternatively, you can use 80%-90% mozzarella and 10%-20% sharp cheddar blend for color and more robust flavor.

I list these because you can purchase these cheeses individually and grate them to make your super homemade cheese mix.

Please note that it tastes more dominant when the cheese is strong than the remaining pizza ingredients like brie or blue.

List of good cheeses for pizza blend

For making a cheese blend, you can add any of the following cheeses for an excellent flavor twist:

• Asiago
• Feta
• Cheddar
• Fontina
• Monterey Jack
• Gorgonzola
• Muenster
• Smoked mozzarella
• Provolone
• Parmesan
• Romano
• Swiss
• Ricotta
• Goat cheese
• Gouda
• Spanish Manchego
• And many more

You can begin a cheese blend with a soft cheese like ricotta. Some standard pizza cheese blends that go well together with Mozzarella are:

• Parmesan and Romano
• Taleggio
• Parmesan and Gorgonzola
• Fontina
• Goat cheese and parmesan
• Fontina, Pecorino Toscano, and Parmesan

By the way, cheese blend for homemade pizza may include the same type of cheese from different brands—for example, two brands of mozzarella 50/50 or in smaller proportions mixed with other cheeses.

My idea of Mozzarella cheese super blend would be mixing and melting on a pizza 3-4 different mozzarella types from various brands.

What not do when you are making cheese blends for pizza

Blending by combining cheese is fun, but do not use too many and do not overdo it. You end up without flavor and money as well in the process.

When making homemade pizza, you can include the cheeses that your family loves or most people love. Some blend to a good consistency, while others do not.

The maximum number of cheeses you should use is a maximum of 5. Take the cheeses you desire for a particular flavor and combine them for a blend.

Conclusion

The above is the best cheeses for homemade pizza. When making a pizza, use cubes of pizza made from whole milk with spring back, stringy, and creamier texture.

If you are using pre-shredded cheese, maintain it at low temperature and do not freeze as such as it can dry out the cheese and rob it of its texture.

Never bake the homemade pizza under a broiler and bake it according to the established steps. Enjoy your homemade pizza with cheese!

The post 15 Best Cheeses for Homemade Pizza appeared first on Make Your Dinner Easy.

1. Dipped cheese quick and easy snacks

Let us start with plain cheese as a snack. Duh. You can cut cheese slices, dip them in what you want – sweet or sour – and enjoy them as a snack with juice, tea, or coffee.

You can make easy cheesy dips to dip your cheese block or piece or eat them plain.

One of the easiest cheese snacks with honey

Take slices of hard cheese like swiss, jack, or cheddar, dip them in honey or honey mustard, and enjoy with tea or coffee. 

Cheese sandwich without bread

Just take thick slices of cheese and top them with apple slices or other fruit like banana or orange, and slices of ham or other meats on top of them. There you have a non-bread cheese sandwich as an easy snack. 

More quick cheese snacks

Take ham and pepperoni slices and heat them in a microwave. Take cheese sticks and wrap heated ham and pepperoni around cheese sticks. 

Easy Beer Cheese Dip

It takes only half an hour to make this dip with cheese and beer to make an exciting celebration creation. I mean, BBQ event or Superbowl game time now can be taken to a new level.

How to make it?

Add all-purpose flour (1/4-1/2 cup) and some plain butter (1/4-1/2 block) to a mid-sized pot. Place this pot over medium heat on the stove. 

Whisk well until the butter melts and forms with the flour a roux. 

Now add in salt, pepper, parsley, and garlic powder. 

Cook this roux on medium for 1-3 minutes or until it thickens. The consistency must be that of gravy. 

Add beer about a quarter cup, and now add in grated cheese as much as you please but no more than about ½ – 1 pound of it. Whisk until cheese is completely melted and mixed with flour and butter roux.

You can use this as a deep while it is warm. It will thicken once it cools down. If you want it to stay more liquid, add more than a quarter cup of beer.

Non-alcoholic version of beer cheese dip for snacks

You do not want to use beer? Well, you can use non-alcohol beer or any non-alcohol beverage for this, including vegetable or tomato juice. Add some spices to it while it is still cooking and mix everything. Use your imagination. 

Skillet Dip

This dip is made from Alfredo sauce, spinach, cheese, sun-dried tomatoes. Just make a dip by blending in the ingredients.

How to make it?

Take spinach, rinse it well, run the water out. Stir spinach well in Alfredo sauce. 

Add fresh mozzarella cheese, about half the block or half the ball, with 2 or 3 slices of chicken.  

Add 2 or 3 sun-dried tomatoes. Stir well. Your dip is ready.

For this one, you can use fresh tomatoes too.

Alternatively, instead of fresh mozzarella cheese, for this easy cheese snack, you can use a regular mozzarella cheese block by melting it in the pan on medium heat or in the microwave. Then add chicken and tomatoes and stir it all together while cheese stays melted on the stove. 

2-Ingredient Chili Cheese Dip

Take cream cheese or grated hard cheese and a little bit of your favorite chili to make this creamy, cheesy dip. You can use blue cheese, brie, or other soft cheese as well. 

How to make it?

Warm the ingredients and blend them or microwave them for a minute or two.

2. Easy snacks with bread and cheese

Making a sandwich is probably the easiest way to make a cheese snack. I used to make some of these at home when I was in middle and high school. In this section, you will find sandwiches, grilled and plain, along with other cheese varieties.

Plain cheese sandwich – superfast

This sounds banal, but this is the easiest cheese snack ever. Just take a slice or slices of bread that you like.

Take the bread out and put on top of it slices of hard cheese like firm mozzarella, Italian, Swiss, cheddar, or jack cheese. Alternatively, you can spread some regular butter, or a spread, on top of the bread, and then put cheese slices on top of that.

Put some chopped green leafy vegetables on the top and pour about a teaspoon of olive oil on top of that.

If you want to go wild, you can add cut tomatoes and cucumbers there.

If you want to go sweet instead, you can even cut some fruits like canned pineapples instead of vegetables if you have a little more time and cover this all with another slice of bread.

Even more, you can put slices of meat or sausage on top of the cheese slices.

Eat it. Or, wrap the sandwich well and take it with you.

Toasted cheese sandwich

Essentially, this is the same sandwich as above, but here you use slices of toasted bread instead of fresh bread.

Quick melted cheese sandwich snack

Also, the same sandwich, but after you put cheese slices on the bread, but those on the microwavable plate, and melt cheese on the sandwich right there in the microwave.

Fried bread cheese sandwich option Eastern European style – Grenka sandwich

This is a super easy and fantastic cheese snack. I prefer using white bread for this version of cheese snack because it tastes awesome.

Take slices of white bread.

Break and pour 2-3 fresh eggs in a small or medium mixing bowl. Mix them well. The original receipt includes one teaspoon of sugar, but I do not eat sugar. Some people add ¼ cup of whole milk to that.

Put a small or medium-sized pan on medium heat on the stove. Drop a piece of butter in the pan and let it melt. Alternatively, you can use several tablespoons of olive oil instead of butter – just enough to cover the pan’s bottom.

Now get back to mixed eggs. Dip several pieces of bread completely in mixed eggs. Make sure to cover each slice of bread on both sides.

Now drop pieces of bread in the pan. By this time pan should be hot enough. The oil must cover the whole bottom of the pan. And bread must start sizzling as soon as you put it in the pan.

Fry the bread on medium to high, 1-2 minutes for each side. Sides must get brownish spots – but do not wait till they burn.

Grenki are ready. Now you can use these to make cheese sandwich snacks as you would use toasted bread.

Here is video by an Indian guy with very easy instructions for cheese toast in microwave:

Other cheese sandwich snack examples:

• Make a sandwich using two cheddar slices, swiss cheese, or Monterey hack with white bread. You can add in bacon and tomato with some pickled jalapeno.
• Pizza sandwich- You can add some toppings of your choice and add in some pizza sauce in a bowl and mix well. Place this mix in between your bread and add cheese slices on each bread slice. Now grill and enjoy your pizza bread.
• Peppadew-Goat cheese- Blend half a cup of cream cheese with 1/4th cup of goat cheese with 8 Peppadew peppers chopped. Make a sandwich using this mixture in between bread slices. You can use multi-grain bread. Stuff and toast on one side and flip it to the other side until golden brown and crunchy on either side.
• Pesto and cheese- Spread pesto on a white bread slice. Top the slice with mozzarella and provolone. Top another bread slice and repeat if you need. Cook in the pan with some olive oil or butter and flip on both sides until crunchy golden brown.
• Overall, you can always make a quick and easy snack of your own making by taking a piece of ciabatta, rye, toasted or other bread, and putting cream cheese or other soft cheese, or slices of hard cheese with any vegetable or fruits on top. 

More easy cheese snack combinations are:

• Carb boost. Take bread and make bread crumbs—top these crumbs on your hot mac and cheese. You can also make bread crumbs by baking or toasting them. 
• Take bread croutons, add grated cheese over them with some salt and pepper, and have them a quick snack. 
• Cheese garlic bread can be made by whisking some melted butter and garlic and spreading it over the bread. Bake or pan-fry them a little bit and then top them over with grated cheese. 

3. Sliced and melted cheese and crackers

These are easy snacks and lunchbox favorites for kiddos and adults alike. 

Some of the suitable combinations of melted or sliced cheese with crackers are:

Melted cheese cracker

Take crackers, put any hard cheese on them (cheddar, jack, swiss, de-moisturized mozzarella, etc.), and microwave until cheese melts all over crackers. Cool them down and ear them. 

Nuts for apples and cheddar- Add in some nut butter over your cracker. Layer it up with a cheddar slice and apple slices. Spray some ground cinnamon drizzle over the top.

Swiss BLT- You can smear your cracker with little mayo and then stack slices of bacon, swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato. Your cracker BLT is ready. Do you not like mayo? Use ketchup or BBQ sauce instead. 

Mini Pizza snack- You can make mini pizza with crackers. Smear some pizza or tomato sauce. Top it with some toppings like pepperoni, tomato, onion, basil, and cover this layer with shredded mozzarella. Microwave until the cheese melts. Your mini cracker pizza is ready. 

You can do the same with the bread and make a pizza sandwich. 

Nacho crackers- Top the bunch of crackers with grated Mexican cheese, pico de Gallo, pickled jalapenos, and Avacado. Microwave them until cheese melts.

Nutella treat- Mix equal parts of grated cheese of your choice or cream cheese with Nutella. Spread this over your cracker. Top it with sliced strawberries or desiccated coconut.

4. Easy, quick, cheese and fruit salads for snacks (apples, banana, citrus, etc.)

The mix of fruits is best and healthy with cheese mixed or topped, yummy and delicious combination.

Summery cheese fruit salad

You can use seasonal fruits alike cantaloupes, strawberries, oranges, green apples, and bananas. You can add or remove the fruits to include the choice of fruits as per your liking.

How to make it?

Please take all the fruits and dice them after removing the external skin. Cut the cantaloupe in half after removing the seeds and pulp using a knife. Set them aside. 

You can dice cantaloupes, apples, green apples, while strawberries can be cut directly. Use oranges for juice. Squeeze the juice out of oranges in a container. Mix it with condensed milk. 

Now mix all the slices of fruits and place them in a bowl. Sprinkle the condensed milk and orange juice mix. Top it with shredded cheese of your choice. Your cheese fruit salad is ready.

Fruit and cheese salad

This is another refreshing form of fruit and cheese salad.

How to make it?

Take 2 cups of sliced strawberries, 2 cups diced cantaloupe cubes, a cup of blueberries, raspberries, and other berries of your choice. Combine the fruit and grated cheese in a big bowl. 

Mix the orange juice, honey, oil, basil in a jar by shaking it vigorously. Pour it over the fruit mix. Toss them nicely. Freeze a little before serving.

Cream Cheese and Fruit Salad

This is another satisfying fruit and cheese salad version.

How to make it?

Take some sugar and cream cheese and whisk it in a big bowl. Now fold in fruit cocktails, bananas, coconut, bananas, and apples—mix in some raisins, maraschino cherries, and pecans. 

Pour this mass in serving bowls and refrigerate a little for around an hour. Have it to your heart’s delight.

5. Easy veggies and cheese salads

Blending in veggies and cheese is another excellent way of enjoying cheese and getting veggies’ health advantages.

Vegetable Cheese Salad

Take a bowl and blend in one or two grated (or small pieces of) cheese varieties with cut or chopped tomato, cucumber, peppers, and onions. This is a veggie salad.

Then separately blend in sour cream, lemon, garlic, mustard, lime juice, and seasonings. Mix all the ingredients well. This is dressing. 

Pour this dressing over the veggie’s salad. Toss nicely to coat the mix. The more dressing you will have, the easier it will be to mix it. 

Chill for an hour. Take another bowl, line it with lettuce, and serve the friends and family. 

This is a healthy salad and easy to make. The steps are simple and easy. 

You can vary by adding veggies of your choice and cheese of your choice. You can also use this veggie salad in between a bread toast and have it as a sandwich. 

If you use plenty of dressing, you will essentially make a spread for your sandwich, and you can have the sandwich as a nice snack. 

Another vegetable cheese salad

Use only veggies which are firm and not juice dripping. You can wash the veggies before cutting in ice-cold water. This will retain their crunchiness. Chop veggies. 

Gather your chopped ingredients in a large bowl. Crumble or shred some cheese and chop the rest. Keep this aside. 

Properly wash olives, spinach, and tomato in a bowl of ice water. Chop the onions after peeling them, slice the cucumber and set it aside. Now slice olives, chopped spinach, and sliced tomatoes.

To prepare the dressing, take another bowl, add in oregano, mustard, olive oil, lemon juice, and pepper. Add in honey and mix all the ingredients well. 

Add or remove the ingredients as per your choice. Add the veggies to a bowl and pour the prepared dressing over it. Toss them well. Refrigerate and serve.

Island veggie cheese salad

This is a Caribbean salad with cheese topping that is served on lettuce leaves.

How to make it?

Combine onions, cucumbers, parsley, peppers, and cheese. Add the dressing of your choice or, as mentioned above, and toss it in to coat the veggies. Serve them on romaine lettuce leaves. 

6. Some other easy cheese snacks to make at home for a bang

Cheese Loaded Mashed Potato Balls- You can add grated cheese, cornflour, and mashed potato to make a dough. Deep-fry in oil these balls or cylinders until they are cheesy, golden, and crunchy bites. 

Mozzarella Fried Cheese Balls- Cut mozzarella into tiny pieces and coat them with breadcrumbs. Deep fry them to a golden brown and crispy texture. Eat with a good dip.

Chicken and Bacon Cheesy Rollups- Stuff the chicken plus spicy buffalo sauce with cheese and turn them into dinner rolls by wrapping (rolling) them with bacon slices. Bake them and relish them.

Pretzel Cheddar Stuffed Nuggets- Stuff the pretzels with cheddar by covering the dough in cheddar slices and bake them. Your chewy pretzel soft nuggets are readily bursting out with cheddar cheese.

Cheesy Bacon Pretzels- While cooking pretzels, add cheese and bacon by topping them over the dough. Your cheesy bacon pretzels are ready.

Spicy Dinner Mix- You can take a tablespoon of mayonnaise and ¼ spoon of Sriracha. You can eat it directly or use it in between bread or over a cracker.

Pickels and cheddar- You can add sliced sour pickles rolled over slice slices of American cheddar cheese and have them for an easy snack.

What is a good cheese for snacking?

Frankly, any cheese is good for snacking but with a caveat. Many people like soft, fresh cheeses in the morning or the daytime with salads or as part of salads.

But I noticed that eating fresh soft cheeses like cottage cheese, fresh mozzarella, goat cheese, ricotta, or few others, makes me a little sleepy because of milk content. I like those in the evening.

I enjoy having a snack involving hard cheeses like swiss, cheddar, jack, Italian, Gouda, Edam, Parmesan, or other hard cheeses in the daytime or the morning. Hard cheeses are great for melting on crackers or bread, but camembert is excellent melting cheese too.

Soft cheeses like cream cheese or brie cheese are good for snacking when plastered over a slice of nice bread. Cottage cheese (farmers cheese) too.

We discussed quite a few cheese snack ideas, but there are many more ways you can use cheese for an easy snack.

 Conclusion

Now you know how to make different easy cheese snacks to make at home the simple way. This time, whenever you are hungry, get hands-on on one of these easy snacks to munch. 

Cheese is one of the main ingredients that make the snacks all the more energizing and tasty. Enjoy the cheese snacks.

The post 40 Easy Yummy Cheese Snacks to Make at Home appeared first on Make Your Dinner Easy.

We divided this post into three separate sections:

• Best fish for frying whole
• Best fish for frying at home
• Best Asian fish for frying

Let us dive in.

Best fish for frying whole (with instructions) 

Any fried fish can taste good. As a rule, the best fish for frying whole is any that is eatable and fits in your frying pan or skillet. Please note that whole fish for our purposes usually means complete fish with skin, fins and scales, and head. Quite often, chefs would cut the head and tail fin of the fish before frying.

Tip: As a rule, the best fish for frying whole is no longer than 10-12 inches. Even when some species grow much larger than that, you can still buy them small enough to fit your pan or skillet.  

You do not want to fry too small fish either, as you will end up with primary bones rather than fish meat. Therefore, the fish sized at least 6-8 inches in size is a good start. And the 6–12-inch fish size is simply perfect to fry whole. 

Why is frying whole fish good for you? Among other reasons, fish skin often contains many valuable nutrients that you may be missing when eating only fish fillet.

Some chefs say that frying fish with skin helps to preserve fish meat better. I cannot subscribe to that, but I have heard this opinion. Finally, fish fried whole offers an array of exquisite flavors.

List of best fish for frying whole

Here is a list of fish you can fry whole at home or camping, or on a fishing trip. If you do not want to mess with cleaning and cut it into pieces, then frying fish whole is a good option.

You can fry this fish whole and eat it right after you catch it – that is a part of the adventure. If the fish mentioned below has grown too large to fit in the pan, you can use a larger pan or iron skillet.

Tilapia

Tilapia is freshwater fish that breeds easily and quickly, filling the holes left by overfishing other species.

Native to Africa and invasive to North America, this fish is now industrially farmed in more than 100 countries globally, including the USA and Canada. You can buy it pretty much in any local grocery store.   

While tilapia fish tastes kind of average, it is perfect for frying due to its size. This fish tastes better when it is fried, and it is relatively easy to cook the whole tilapia that way.

Whole fried tilapia is excellent to eat with basil, garlic, ginger. You would be better off if you remove scales, although it is not mandatory. Some people cook it in coconut oil instead of olive oil.  

(!) But do not overeat tilapia either, because it contains more inflammatory omega-6 than anti-inflammatory omega-3 elements.

Bass

Bass is another trendy game fish. It is a collective name for many smaller freshwater or saltwater sub-species.

Bass is also quite common in North America. You can fish it yourself in many local water reservoirs, including small rivers, lakes, and ponds.

You also can buy it at some grocery stores or online. Or from local anglers.  

Smaller bass species are relatively easy to fry due to their meaty structure and size. Striped Bass, white mouth bass – these are some of the best-tasting fish in the family and are the best fishes to fry whole even when camping.

Smallmouth, Spotted Bass, and White Bass are also quite popular game fish subspecies in the USA. Note that many bass fish species are not genetically related to Bass. Primarily, that is true for sea bass species.

Fry whole brass and feel its fantastic taste with vegetables, tomatoes, and greens. You can stir-fry veggies, too, and serve with brass on one plate.  You make a salad as a side. 

Cajun, pepper as a seasoning, and mashed potatoes on the side will also be good.

Branzino

This is smaller saltwater fish that originated in the Mediterranean Sea. Branzino is an Italian name, also called Mediterranean Sea Bass or European Bass. 

The fish is becoming increasingly popular in the USA and is being farmed for the US market because the natural stock is depleted. 

Its white meat has a mild taste like the taste of trout (read below about trout). This is excellent fish for pan-frying whole with its skin on. Often you can buy it whole or as fillet at fish markets. 

Fry this fish while and taste it with herbs. Especially, use Italian herbs for a good experience. Rosemary, thyme, parsley are good additions. 

Tog

Tog is an Atlantic sea fish like grouper, which is also called blackfish. You can either fish it yourself on the shore or a boat or buy it at a fish market or in some grocery stores.

This fish has white firm meat and a delightful taste when fried. It tastes like red snapper. You can fry this fish whole and add tartar sauce to make a delicious fried fish meal out of it. 

Some cooks suggest adding a side of mashed potatoes and cut apples. You can also stir-fry green peppers, onions, and garlic instead of apples. 

You may add chopped onions and garlic on top of the oil to the frying pan when frying whole tog fish for exciting flavor.  

Flounder (Fluke)

Flounder is a name for a group of related flatfish species. Also called Summer Flounder, it is a flatfish with its eyes on one side. It is native to the coastal North Atlantic or the Gulf of Mexico.

It has white, mild meat which does not smell too fishy. Fluke is excellent frying fish for those who do not like to smell fish after cooking. And smaller fish of this kind can be quickly and gently fried whole in a pan or skillet because of its flat structure. 

Adding herbs and greens will make this dish blossom.

Crappie (Perch)

Crappie and perch are the same fish, but it is called different names depending on the region. This is freshwater fish which you can catch in many places in North America.

Its perfect size makes it ideal for pan-frying fish. And sweetish white meat of crappie fish makes it extremely popular in US southern states.

Crappie fish skin is tasty, so that you can eat it without any problem. Crappie is one of the best fish for frying for these and other reasons.

Brown mustard, parmesan cheese, and even hot sauce will go nicely with pan-fried crappie-perch.

Haddock

It is saltwater fish with a more distinct fishy flavor and smell. It lives practically everywhere in the Atlantic Ocean. You can fish it yourself, especially in the Gulf of Maine.

The juvenile haddock is right the good enough size for an excellent pan-frying. It is one of the leaner fishes if you are health conscious. Low in mercury too.

Fried haddock fish tastes excellent with asparagus, green pepper, green beans, pea salad, and some good, toasted bread. Also, why not add tomatoes, especially, roasted tomatoes for an unforgettable experience.

Black sea bass

Black sea bass is not technically a bass but is comparable in taste. As you have guessed, it is saltwater fish. It is one of the most popular fish to catch and eat, and you can find it all around the US and Canada in the Atlantic Ocean.

Black sea bass is not too fishy in flavor, and some consider it to be one of the testiest saltwater fishes.  Its white meat is mild, delicate, tender, and lean, and you can always find this fish in a smaller size to fit your frying pan. This makes it an excellent fish to fry.

Snapper (Red Snapper)

This larger saltwater fish is native to the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. This fish has excellent tasty white meat, which can be quickly fried.

Red snapper is both commercial and game fish. This fish can be expensive due to some level of overfishing.

The fish also can grow larger than can fit in the pan. In such a case, use an iron skillet if you want to fry this fish whole. But most of the time you can buy a smaller size.

When this fish is fried, it goes excellent with anything from hot chilies to just stir-fried chopped veggies or fresh herbs. 

You can even add citrus fruits to this (and any other) fish.

How about serving fried red snapper as follows:

• covered with fresh lemon or lime juice, 
• with wedges of avocado, 
• mixed with chopped carrots, 
• green peppers, 
• and chopped fresh greens salad, 
• covered with a tablespoon of olive oil,
• Add salt and pepper as desired.

Yummy!

Trout (Rainbow trout)

Trout is an exceedingly popular freshwater fish with low mercury content from the family of salmons. Therefore, it is oily fish with some healthy fish fat content and rich in the good stuff.

Trout lives in streams, lakes, rivers in North America, Europe, and Asia. Like many other fishes on the list, the trout also can come from commercial farms, and it is usually acceptable to eat those.

Serve fried trout with wedges of onions, black pepper, asparagus, bell peppers, and just a teaspoon or two of olive oil. 

Porgy

Porgy is one of the trendy fish all over the world. It lives in shallow tropical waters, but some species live in North America (Atlantic Ocean), Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.

You can buy this fish in many stores, including Whole Foods, and on ethnic markets.

It is also popular game fish for anglers, so that you can catch it too.

Porgy is excellent frying fish. It usually fits the pan and has genuinely nice meat that is easy to fry and tastes well.

Larger size fish

You can try frying whole catfish (wild river caught catfish is better than farmed one) or salmon or cod if it is small enough to fit a frying pan or skillet.

But most of the time, it will be larger than can fit in your pan, so it would be better to buy individual pieces of separate pieces to fry at home. Read the section below for that.

To fry whole fish, all you need is a fire and a pan or skillet and something to put it on.

As a rule, pan-frying fish is better than deep-frying because pan-frying preserves more nutrients and uses less oil which fish absorbs when you fry it. 

Note that cast iron keeps heat better than aluminum and thus is generally better for frying fish or anything else, for that matter. Therefore, a good pan or cast-iron skillet is a must-have when frying fish at home.

How to fry whole fish (quick universal recipe)

The whole fried fish can go very well with many sides, including salads, mashed potatoes, fresh green salad, or rice, red or regular onions, lemon or lime juice, and much more.

Here are basic universal recipe and instructions for frying whole practically any fish you want:

Getting fish to fry:

• Catch or buy the whole fish small enough to fit in a pan or skillet or slightly larger.
• Make sure the eyes of the fish are clear, which means the freshest fish.
• Buy whole fish with its fins, tails, and head cut off. Or cut them off yourself later.
• But if you want to fry fish with its tail and head, then buy the fish just the right size for your pan.
• Take a medium or large pan or iron cast skillet in which you will fry fish. Frying one or two fishes at the same on a pan is just enough.

Ingredients:

• extra virgin olive oil, 
• plain all-purpose plain flour (or rice flour, cornstarch, semolina flour), 
• salt (sea salt or kosher salt is better), 
• pepper. 

Frying fish:

• Rinse the fish well with clean cold water.
• Make several vertical cuts on each side from the spine to the fish’s stomach for better frying.
• Sprinkle salt and pepper all over the fish, as much as you prefer.
• Put extra virgin olive oil in the pan, enough to cover the bottom.
• Put the pan on the stove (or over a fire if camping) on medium heat.
• While the pan is heating –
• put enough all-purpose flour to cover the bottom of the plate,
• Put both sides of the fish in the flour, make sure the fish is covered with flour.
• Alternatively, you can skip the flour and fry fish like it is without dipping it in flour. 
• Oil in the pan must be hot now, so –
• Carefully put fish in the pan. Use utensils to handle fish for safety reasons. For example, use tongs or a fish spatula.
• If you fry the whole fish with the tail, you can grab it by the tail and lower it into the pan headfirst.
• If oil is hot enough, the fish must start sizzling in the pan or skillet right away.
• Fry until the skin gets golden/very brown and crispy – 3-5 minutes for each side.
• Take fried fish out of the pan using utensils and put it on the plate with the clean, plain dry towel.
• You can let fish drain some oil in the towel for a few minutes. Then put the fried fish on the plate, which you can serve to your guest or family member.

Note: Thoroughly cooked fish meat must be opaque and flake easily. To test if it is ready, you can take a fork and stick it all the way through in the thickest part of the fish, try to twist a little. If the fork comes through and meat flakes easily – the fried fish should be ready. 

Remember, total fry time should be about 10 minutes per inch of fish thickness.

According to FDA, fish must reach an internal temperature of 145F degrees to be fully cooked. You can use an instant-read thermometer to double-check temperature by sticking it in the thickest part of the fish. 

If you fry more than one fish, repeat the process and make sure you have enough oil in the pan. Be careful when you add oil to the pan, as hot oil can splash all over the face.

Serve with fresh salad or vegetables, lemon wedges, tartar sauce. You are done. Basic fish frying is now your new skill!

Here is YouTube video on how to fry whole fish using another method: 

Best fish for frying at home (Most Popular)

What are the best fish for frying at home? You can fry at home any type mentioned above for frying whole. But some fish is hard to fry during camping trips due to their large size and hustle related to preparing it for frying.

Bigger fish is better to cut and fried at home. The best fish for frying at home includes Alaskan cod, catfish, pollock and halibut. Or you can buy already cut pieces of any fish in your local grocery store or fish market and fry them in the comfort of your own home.

Below are some of the most popular large fish in North America. These are pretty meaty and always come out suitable if you use a good pan or skillet for frying on the stove.

Alaskan cod

This fish is immensely popular among chefs. It has lovely, tender, lean white meat and it is generally not expensive. You have guessed right that it comes from around Alaska.

Alaskan cod fish meat has large flakes with a slightly sweet flavor even when fried.

Fried Alaskan cod makes good main entry for sides like coleslaw salad, zucchini, pumpkin, macaroni, cheese, eggplant, and so on. 

Some recommend avoiding Atlantic cod due to the severe depletion of their population. Buy and fry Alaskan cod instead.

Catfish

This is quite a common and popular fish that also lives around North America. This fish likes rivers and streams with clean water but can be found and caught in lakes and ponds.

Missouri and Texas are two states well-known for their catfish fishing. But if you are environmentally conscious, you can buy farm-raised catfish and eat it simply fine.

Usually, this fish grows too big to fit the pan, so you must fry it in pieces. Its meat does not flake easily, and it is firm but sweet and mild. Wild catfish may taste quite fishy, so use one raised at the farm if that’s an issue for you.

Fish cooking tip: If fish tastes too fishy, you can soak it for an hour in milk or buttermilk. Milk may help to absorb fishy flavor. Catfish is great with any side – hot or mild or tartar sauce, salads and greens, French fries, cauliflower, broccoli, green beans, avocado, and so on.

Pollock

Pollock is another collective name for related fish species living in North Atlantic and North Pacific Oceans. It has low mercury content and is less expensive than some other fish on this list.

These reasons make it another favorite choice of households in the USA and North America generally.

Pollock has white, lean meat with less oily content. It tastes milder and less fishy than cod, for example.

Fried pollock fits very well with sides of vegetables, pasta, quinoa, lentils, spinach. 

Halibut

Halibut is another flatfish with its eyes on one side, and it lives both in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. This species can grow as large as some humans or even larger. Hence, it may not fit your 12-inch frying pan unless someone cuts it into many smaller pieces.

Therefore, you most likely will buy a piece or several pieces of Halibut already cut for your frying endeavor. This fish has lots of good stuff in it – from elements to nutrients. And its flavor is not too fishy.

Halibut is not cheap due to some fishing quota restrictions to prevent overfishing it. At the same time, Halibut tastes fantastic, and you do not want to miss it entirely.

You should fry and consume Halibut sparingly because it may have more mercury traces than other fish on the list.

Fried halibut fish will go very well with premium basmati or brown rice, basil, lemon juice, garlic, lovely herbs, pineapple, and much more.

Be careful, though, because you do not want to use too hard or spicy ingredients so as not to distract your sense of taste away from wonderful halibut flavor.

Salmon, tuna, shark are not suitable for frying.

I would not fry salmon. While Salmon is fine for simmering due to its meaty structure, it is noticeably tastier when baked or grilled. You can fry salmon, but it is a matter of personal taste preference.

I would not fry tuna because it does not come out good. Fried shark comes out hard and chewy.

Here are video instructions for another pan-frying fish method:

Best Asian fish for frying (Popular and Exotic)

Let us talk about what is the best Asian fish for frying. Some Asian fish is still sometimes exotic for European and North American markets. Nevertheless, you are already eating Asian fish without probably even knowing it.

Asian Carp 

For example, Asian carp, common carp (bighead, black, grass, and silver carp), or just carp is invasive species in North America and Africa and Australia. If you are in those areas, then you are doing good service by catching and eating it as much as you can.

I used to catch it with my grandpa as a kid in Europe, and carp is also not native to Europe. Carp can grow quite large, especially without natural enemies.

Yet, it is good to fish Asian fish for frying either whole or cutting it into pieces because it can be quite meaty and without too many bones in it. 

Rohu fish is from the Carp family and is also originated in Asia. You can fry just like you fry carp.

Here is a fried Asian carp receipt from the Missouri Department of Conservation:

Ingredients:

• 1 pound boneless invasive carp fillets (cut into 5-inch long pieces) 
• 4 cups frying oil (vegetable or peanut oil) (enough to cover skillet bottom)
• 3 cups of your preferred fish coating (Andy’s is recommended)
• 3 tablespoons Cajun seasoning (optional)
• 1-gallon zip-close bag

Instructions:

Put oil in the skillet and put a skillet on the stove.

Preheat cast-iron skillet with oil to 375 F degrees (hot).

While the skillet is preheating, combine fish coating and cajun seasoning in a gallon-sized zip-close bag.

Drop each fillet into the fish coating mixture and shake the bag well to cover fish in the coating.

Carefully place the fillets (or fish pieces) into the hot skillet (do not overcrowd). 

Cook for 4 to 5 minutes until the skin becomes crispy and golden brown (carp meat should flake easily with a fork and become opaque). 

Place cooked fillets or pieces on a paper towel-lined plate. Let it dry from oil.

Then remove and put pieces on a plate, which you will serve on the table. 

My note: if you do not have carp fillet but caught or bought a whole carp, you can use cut carp into two halves. 

Start with cutting off the head and tail. 

Then cut open the stomach from head to tail and then along the spine from head to tail. 

Then cut each half of the carp into one or more pieces. 

Then fry these pieces as explained in this recipe. These pieces will contain bones, but you can eat the fried carp like any other fish and pick out bones.

Asian catfish (Pangasius)

You would be surprised to find out that Asian catfish is your old friend pangasius. Yes, pangasius is a catfish, and it comes from Asia.

It is often called Asian catfish or “swai,” “basa fish”, or “bocourti”. There are some legal reasons why it is not called “catfish” in the USA.

Moreover, pangasius sometimes is dishonestly served by some restaurants as other, more expensive, type of fish.  

You can find pangasius pretty much in any grocery store in the USA these days. It can come as whole fish or a fillet. Either way, pangasius is quite suitable for frying. You can fry pangasius just like any other fish. Note that some pangasius coming from Asia may have lived in very polluted rivers.

Asian eels

Asian eel, or Asian swamp eel, is an extremely popular and in-demand fish in Asia but not well-known in the US. Due to huge demand, eel may be expensive.

In the US it may be served inexpensive Asian restaurants in large cities like New York. You probably can also buy it online because this is still a kind of very exotic fish to the US fish food market.

Note, this is not actual eel fish. Some Asian eels were brought and released in the USA, and in the future, they may spread like carp. In the USA, authorities noted Asian eels sold in infamous live markets around NY, Atlanta, Orlando.

Eels are invasive species in some US regions, like Everglades. So, catching them may be a good thing.

But eel can carry a severe parasitic worm infection. I do not necessarily recommend cooking them by frying or any other way unless you know how to handle this fish in the kitchen.

Hilsa fish or Elish fish or Hilsa herring (same fish)

This fish is popular in Asia, especially in India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, or Pakistan. It lives in saltwater and spawns in freshwater. Its smaller size also allows for frying it whole.  

Some chefs say that freshwater Hilsa tastes better than one caught in the sea or ocean. You can buy Hilsa fish in the USA in fish markets, grocery store chains, or even online.

This fish is one of the best Asian fish for frying because it has incredibly soft and fatty white meat, which tastes incredible when fried with mustard oil.

General tips for frying fish

• Generally, fish is fried 10 minutes over an inch of thickness.
• Lime or lemon goes excellent with any fish and helps digest it, including fried fish – serving lemon slices with fish is proper. 
• Also, since you eat fish with hands, lemon water can be there in the jar to wash hands as lemon helps to remove fish fat—part of the etiquette. 
• In addition to flour, you can cover the fish in cornstarch plus rice flour to end up with crispy skin. This coat also keeps fish from spitting when you put it into the oil. 
• Any of the mentioned sides in the descriptions above you can interchange when you fry other fish species. 
• As a rule, saltwater fish has a more substantial fish smell and flavor than freshwater fish, even if fried. 
• Any fried fish will taste great with tartar sauce which you can purchase from the store make yourself at home. 

The above list of best fish for frying is by no means exclusive but comprehensive enough to give you plenty of options. Enjoy your fried fish at the dinner!

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