Sardines and mackerel, cooked simply

Oily fish is one of the foods I cook most. Here is how I choose it, and how I cook it so the fish survives the pan.

Fish worth buying

• ·Mackerel: Affordable and full-flavoured. Best grilled or smoked.
• ·Wild salmon (sockeye): Deep colour, good for a gentle poach.
• ·Herring: Underrated, often pickled or smoked.
• ·Anchovies: A Riviera staple. Intense, and happy melted into a sauce.
• ·Sardines: The small fish I trust from this coast. The soft bones are eaten with the fish.
• ·Rainbow trout: Milder, from fresh water. A good start if a strong fish puts you off.

Sourcing

Wild or farmed

I ask what farmed fish were fed, and I look for ASC or BAP on the label. Wild fish I buy when the monger can say when it landed.

Reading labels

• ·"Wild-caught" means caught in open water.
• ·"Atlantic salmon" is almost always farmed.
• ·"Pacific", "sockeye" and "king" usually mean wild.

At the fish counter

Clear, bright eyes. Red, moist gills. Firm flesh that springs back. A clean smell of the sea, never a stale one.

Cooking

Harsh heat dries the fish and muddies the flavour. Gentlest methods first:

Poaching. 70–80°C in olive oil, wine or broth.

Baking. 150–175°C, covered or en papillote. Even and forgiving.

Pan-searing. Hot and fast: a crisp skin, a barely cooked centre. Do not leave it on the heat.

Grilling. Great flavour. Avoid a heavy char.

What I avoid: deep frying, cooking it past the point, and reheating it more than once.

Dishes I cook often

Salmon poached in olive oil. Silky, with a Mediterranean edge.

Miso-glazed black cod. Caramelised outside, almost custardy inside.

Sardines on toast. Good bread, good fish, lemon, olive oil. Nothing to hide behind.

If you are pregnant, follow official advice on large predatory fish such as swordfish and tuna because of mercury.