What You Need To Know Before Swapping Fish In A Recipe

You have a recipe in mind for a dish made with wild halibut you've been dying to make. You head to your local market and find out that it's no longer in season. Hopefully, the fishmonger can offer a suggestion for a similar catch, but if you happen to find someone behind the seafood counter who doesn't know their arctic char from their escolar, there are things you should know before swapping fish in a recipe. Chef Ajay Sharma of Kebab aur Sharab, an Indian restaurant located on New York's Upper West Side, told Chowhound exclusively that it's important to keep in mind where the fish is from and adjust the seasonings based on the expected flavor.

Kebab aur Sharab, which became a New York Times Critic's Pick after receiving two stars from the paper's former restaurant critic Pete Wells in 2023, prefers to only use fish in season for some of its dishes. For Amritsari machi pudine ki chutney, the Punjabi-inspired fish is battered with chickpea flour, seasoned with crushed carrom seeds, ginger and garlic, fried in mustard oil, coated with rice powder, and paired with mint chutney. "Whenever we change fish," Chef Sharma says, "we keep in mind the natural taste of the fish." To wit: "If it's a saltwater fish like sea bass, then we adjust seasoning in the marination by reducing the salt."

Also consider the fattiness of the fish and the cut

Other things to consider when switching one fish for another in a recipe are texture and flavor. If you were planning on using fattier fish like salmon, then you likely want to go with another oily, robust-tasting fish like arctic char. If the fish has a medium level of fat, like a branzino, then you might switch it for something like sea bass or dorade. When planning for a flaky fish, like cod, a good alternative would be a similarly flaky fish like halibut.

Another important factor is which style of fillet you plan to use. There are three types of fish fillets: whole fillet cuts, V-cuts, and J-cuts. Using a similar cut that's the same size and weight will allow you to stick with the same cooking time and method in the recipe. If you're making a dish that calls for keeping the skin on, choose a fish with a similarly edible skin.

Also, note that some cheap fish are worth buying and some are best avoided. Consider using fish that are both nutritious and sustainably fished, like mackerel, grouper and hake. Avoid those that are overfished, farmed in subpar conditions, and contain potentially harmful pollutants, such as orange roughy and Atlantic cod. Still, no matter which fish you choose, if you keep chef Ajay Sharma's substitution advice in mind, you'll be well positioned for a successful seafood meal.

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