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(in production, expected January 2025)
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A MANUAL FOR THE CORRECT AGING AND HANDLING OF FISH
Have you ever been in a situation where you’ve bought the most freshly caught fish, straight from the boat, yet discovered it to be bland when cooked or even unpleasant in its texture and taste?
Have you ever observed the differences in flavour, for example, between two fresh golden groupers caught by two different fishermen?
I imagine you might have heard from an experienced fisherman or a chef, when they bring you a dusky grouper or when you buy it, that the fish should ‘sit’ in your fridge for a few days before you cook it. Have you ever wondered why?
Have you ever thought that it would be a good idea to have these same fishermen as steady partners, and what the criteria should be for choosing them?
What makes a fish unique, even if it’s not fresh?
How does the anaerobic glycolytic process affect the flesh of a caught fish and what should a handler (a cook, a chef) expect from this natural chemical chain reaction?
How might this specific chemical process taking place at the cellular level of a fish’s body be related and dependent on the above?
And how does it affect the final result (the dish) on a restaurant menu or the dining room table of one’s home?
In the end, is an aging fish ‘spoiled’?
In the pages of the book you are now holding in your hands we will try to expound on the above questions, along with many other things, such as going through details which are important for more specialised handlers (such as chefs) with regards to aging (dry or wet) and its application to different fish types.
At the same time, in order to transmit all our knowledge correctly and comprehensively, we will be presenting, after a couple of brief but necessary chapters, the types of seabed where the fish we use in our kitchens live (namely, their home), their diet and feeding, the ways in which they are caught, which species are appropriate for aging processes, what time of year is best for catching different fish and lastly, we will meet those fish – or rather most of them – that live in the Greek seas.
Our aim is this: we want to challenge the perennial stereotype which suggests that a fish must be eaten fresh.
