Was dead set against using frozen fish for years... til I tried it myself

I always told my line cooks that frozen fish was a shortcut for lazy kitchens. Then last winter I ran a special at our spot in Austin and the fresh snapper order showed up smelling off. I had to use the frozen stuff from Sysco or kill the special. I threw it on the flattop with some butter and lime and it came out perfect. My own rule was just prejudice against something I never actually tried. Anybody else have a kitchen rule they had to eat crow on?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_kim1mo ago

Man, that stings but I get it completely. There's this weird pride thing in kitchens where we think fresh is always better and frozen is somehow cheating. Idk why we do that to ourselves. It's like we forget that most of the stuff we love is actually frozen at some point anyway. Glad you gave it a shot and it worked out, honestly that's brave to change your mind like that in front of your crew.

roseb621mo ago

The Pearl District Whole Foods I worked at back in 2011 went hard on this myth too. @the_kim you're right that it's mostly ego, but here's where I push back - there's a real texture difference with some fin fish like halibut or cod that flash freezing just can't replicate. I've done side by sides with fresh dayboat vs. frozen and the fresh had way better flake and moisture retention, especially after a day in the walk-in. Plus most restaurants I've been at hide the frozen stuff in stews or fry batter, not on a flattop where you actually taste the fish itself. I think giving frozen a fair shot is smart, but I still see it as a backup option, not a replacement.