Does resting fish before serving affect its texture or taste?
More and more recipes seem to turn up that tell you to rest fish before serving. Not for very long, but still. That seems not right to me. You rest meat to reabsorb juices and relax,so it seems more tender. And to even out temperature differences.
Fish is a completely different kind of "meat", and I don't see why resting would help here. For one, the cells have less tough walls, so it is tender anyway. And the temp issue seems less important as well, being less dense than meat.
You could argue that dense fish flesh, such as monkfish, is more like meat, and therefore resting is necessary, as I have heard. But that seems a very dubious reasoning to me. But the chefs on the same level as Ramsay propose to do this...not that these chefs are necessary right and up to date with the WHY's of what they do, of course.
Would resting fish change the its taste or texture in any noticeable way?
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I rest fish so it isn't as dry and has time to soak up some of the seasonings in the juices. I can't think of any other reason.
Would resting fish change the its taste or texture in any noticeable way?
No, in short. The only mention of 'resting' of any fish is from the Lophius genus (aka Monkfish, Angler fish). It is suggested to allow the monkfish to rest if you are going to slice it before serving to reduce the amount of liquid released.
I would suggest to portion the fish before cooking, and serve asap after cooking.
I think mainly the term 'resting' for fish is inappropriately used, as the fish is actually undercooked and the carry over/residual heat completes the cooking before it is consumed.
Fish needn't be rested unless you are sure it is slightly undercooked, and then you should transfer the fish onto a warmed plate and cover with foil for a few minutes. Cooked meat is rested typically because it spikes in temperature.
Resting meat so that it will reabsorb its juices is a myth and results in cold meat. There is a big difference between resting meat, that is letting it cool, and holding meat in a warming oven, which should be avoided. There are many reasons why you should not rest meat: 1. it continues to cook, 2. it can get rubbery, 3. it does nothing for the juices unless you get it cold enough that it will congeal, hardly what you want to do when serving meat, 4. usually the meat will spend considerable amount of time on a plate in front of a diner before it is eaten.
I never rest my flank steak or any of my other steaks when serving them at the Hudson River Valley Art Workshops. And those steaks always come out juicy and delicious.
Keeping this in mind, I never, ever rest my fish. Why? Because I want it out to the diner while it is still hot, while it is at its peak. (Pet peeve is when diners wait to eat the food put in front of them until everyone of them is served. Usually at my restaurant, we have tables of no less than 8 to 12 people and this will mean cool food.) If you want juicy fish, or meat, for that matter, cook it right. My fish is always juicy and tender and perfectly cooked, not overcooked from resting. I am careful how I cook any meat but doubly so when cooking fish. I always take it out when it is 5 to 10 degrees cooler than my target temperature. And with delicate fish, I often use a coating or a cooking technique such as en papillote or en croute to protect the fish, which are also coatings of sorts.
And don't forget, the slower you cook a piece of meat, the less bunched the protein will be. Cooking meat at high temperatures, makes the protein bunch into a hard "knot". Slow cooking allows the protein to stay stretched out and tender. Also, with roast, cut against the grain. With fish, do not overly handle the fish. Avoid turning if you can. I hope this helps. See: amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/mythbusting_resting_meat.html for reference and also see this article as a counter example: www.seriouseats.com/2009/12/how-to-have-juicy-meats-steaks-the-food-lab-the-importance-of-resting-grilling.html
Yes! If you've cooked the fish just to the point where it "flakes easily with a fork", then you need to let it rest for a minute or two at room temperature to let it firm back up a bit. You don't want to have to eat it with a spoon!
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