Because most fish and shellfish have little connective tissue, the procedures for cooking them are somewhat different from those for cooking meats and poultry. When we cook meats, we are often concerned with tenderizing the product. Fish is naturally tender, however, and cooking—especially overcooking—is more likely to toughen the product and dry it out.
In this chapter, we apply the basic cooking procedures explained in Chapter 14 to the preparation of fish dishes. Our goals are to cook the product just to doneness, to preserve moisture and texture, and to preserve and enhance natural flavors.