The Complex Reason Why Fish Always Tastes Better At Restaurants

We all know that eating out less often and cooking more at home is a good way to save money, but at the same time, it's also easy to get frustrated. You can place as many pieces of salmon on as many soaked cedar planks as you want; you can grill tuna steaks for the exact right length of time; you can poach your shrimp with the best of intentions; and yet, you may find that you can't come close to what you get from your favorite restaurant. Why is that? We talked to Marissa Stevens, the founder of and recipe developer for Pinch and Swirl, and she gave us a few reasons that add up to one simple truth: The chefs at your favorite restaurant are better at cooking than you are, but that doesn't mean you can't come close.

Part of it comes down to ingredient quality. "[Chefs] have relationships with suppliers and buy in quantity, so they get the best of what they have to offer," says Stevens. They have the resources to get the best ingredients — the finest fillet of sole, the most succulent salmon — and even those who buy from places like Whole Foods may not be guaranteed to get ingredients that good. These chefs are also being paid to fuss over your food, which means they'll go the extra mile. "They also salt early, get the surface dry, don't crowd the pan, and cook hot and fast," notes Stevens. Some days you don't want to go to the trouble of patting dry every inch of your fish — which is understandable, but also explains why it may not taste as good as a restaurant meal.

How you can come close to restaurant quality fish

So what are you supposed to do, short of going to Fulton Fish Market and putting yourself through pescatarian boot camp? Well, Marissa Stevens has some quick tips about how to best cook fish. "Salt 10–15 minutes ahead, get the pan truly hot, leave room in the skillet, and finish with butter or lemon and fresh herbs like dill or chives," she says — and if you're worried about temperature, she tells us, "I pull delicate fish around 125–130°F and let it rest a minute before serving." (A delicate fish is something like a flounder, which Popeye's uses for its fish sandwiches, or tilapia, which you should be careful when buying).

Will this immediately make your cooking indistinguishable from a Michelin-starred restaurant's? No, it will not. But these are handy, easy ways to boost your cooking, and they'll go a long way towards making fish a dish you look forward to setting out on your table. Just be careful to keep it from tasting too fishy.

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