Canned salmon can contain bits of skin and bone that should be removed before using.

Salmon can contain as much as 20% fat; however, it's rich in iodine and phosphorus and the soluable bones in canned salmon are full of calcium.

To keep fish really fresh, immediately after purchasing (or catching), place in a double plastic bag filled with water and place near the freezer wall. Fish should never be refrozen.

To keep breading on food during frying, add 1/2 teaspoon of sugar to the batter.

Don't overcook fish, it's ready when its opaque white and easily flaked.

Speckled Trout  --  Freshwater bass, brook trout, weakfish, perch, pike perch, whiting, scamp, whitefish, pike, haddock, grouper, scrod, pollock, yellow perch

Redfish  --  For broiled dishes:  sea bass, striped bass, sole, scamp, rockfish, whiting, whitefish, brook trout. For baked dishes and courtbouillon:  haddock, large cod, swordfish, turbot, yellowtail, red snapper, pickerel

Red Snapper  --  Yellowtail, gray snapper, schoolmaster

Pompano  --  Broiled:  No Substitute. En Papillote:  Red snapper, redfish, bluefish, mackerel (Spanish, Boston, or king), halibut, kingfish, turbot, pickerel

Flounder  --  Sole, yellowtail, dab, gray sole, lemon sole, turbot

Drum  --  Small striped bass, sea bass, redfish, speckled trout, brook trout

Catfish  --  No Substitute

Sheepshead (gaspergou)  --  Swordfish, red snapper

Croaker  --See Speckled trout

Grouper  --See Redfish

Scamp  --  See Redfish

Pan frying frozen fillets has several disadvantages. They are more difficult to cook this way; the pan is usually hard to clean; and if the moisture is not well taken care of, the fat will splatter. This is the way to proceed:

-Completely thaw the fish in the refrigerator. Open box and wrap each fillet in a piece of absorbent paper. Refrigerate 1 hour.

-Sprinkle both sides of fillets with salt, pepper and paprika.

-Roll in fine breadcrumbs or fine cracker crumbs or flour. Let the fish stand for 10 minutes, the coating will dry the top of the fish.

-Fry fish in 1/8 inch of hot vegetable oil, or half oil and half butter. Fry over medium low heat, turning the fish only once. Use a spatula to turn the fish.

-The cooking takes 10 minutes per inch of thickness. Measure at the thickest part of the fish before cooking. If only 1/2 inch thick, 5 minutes are required, etc.

-Turn the fillets when 2 minutes of the cooking time are left.

-Warning: If a second batch of fish has to be cooked, wipe the hot pan clean with absorbent paper and add fresh fat; otherwise the second batch will have burnt spots and the fine taste of the fish will be lost.

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