“I got heads for you!” Tom yelled, slowing down his truck just enough as he passed by the restaurant.
Alex was standing beside me, and we were both amused by what seemed like a strange remark to make in passing.
But then I remembered that the heads were fish heads and that I had been pestering Tom about it. I got exciteda.
I have been very fortunate in my life when it comes to food. My mother was born in northern Italy and at a young age, she absorbed some of the most loved culinary traditions of the Emilia region.
Cooking was always her love language.
But some dishes are so iconic and unifying in their experience that they transcend cultures, and in our house that dish was: Fish Sticks. We loved Fish Sticks.
So this week is a recipe of sorts, a technique if you prefer, that the incredible Josh Niland first shared in the highly recommended Fish Butchery: Mastering the Catch, Cut & Craft.
I use a combination of 80 per cent-ish halibut and 20 per cent-ish coho. But let’s face it, you never know how many fish heads life will bring you.
Keep in mind that three medium-sized halibut heads will make up to eight sticks. In this case, bigger is better (bigger heads = more meat = faster work).
Directions
Steam your fish heads in your
largest lidded pan with two fingers of water at the bottom.
Allow them to steam for about 25 minutes (this will vary depending on the size of your heads).
Once cooked, allow to cool slightly and gently work your way all around the heads, peeling off the skin and revealing all of its gelatinous, meaty contents.
Now, add all the meat to a bowl and season it with salt, pepper, and whatever else you think it will taste good with. Fennel seeds? Curry powder? Nothing? Taste it — make sure the salt level is good.
Line a sheet pan with plastic wrap, add the meat to it, and press it down to make a kind of brick.
Cover it with plastic wrap and help shape it further by pressing it down with the palm of your hands. (Choose your container wisely… envision the volume you’re working with becoming an appropriately-sized brick.)
Finally, top it with another pan of similar size and press it down by adding a weight on top of the second pan. (I use a carton of milk.)
Allow it to rest overnight.
This may all sound a bit laborious, but it’s really quite simple cooking, and it’s always fun to use something that often might get thrown out instead!
In the morning, you will find a fairly firm brick of cooked fish-head meat. Ha! It should be firm enough to cut into precise sticks, such as a half-inch by 2.5 inches, but you do you.
Set up a breading station with flour, eggs and panko. Season the eggs and the panko (if you feel so inclined) and proceed to bread the sticks.
Now, fry/bake/pan-fry/freeze the sticks, and serve with ketchup or don’t. You are the chef in your own kitchen. You can figure this part out.
Remember that they are already cooked, so they don’t really require a long cooking time. Just make sure your coating is crispy!
A smear of Rose Hip Ketchup would be delightful with it, as would a lemon and dill aioli.
Buon appetito!