July has come to an end, which means summer is flying by! Take advantage of the warm sunny days we have left by cooking up the ocean’s bounty! This tips and tricks post, we will be highlighting the fabulous seafood dishes that were enjoyed at COOK throughout July. Read on for tips on scaling a fish, cooking halibut, saving money at your local fish monger and more!

Tip #1: Knife Scales

For our first trick we are going to turn this whole fish into a beautiful little sushi roll. Matt Kemp of Shoon Sushi, demonstrated how to scale and breakdown a whole fish in front of everyone. His tip for removing the scales is to use the back of a  knife with some weight to it and to go from tail to head. Matt said that the breakdown process is mostly about feel. Use your hands to feel where the bones are and cut your fillets based on those lines. Also, if you are looking to sharpen your knife for this but are still learning how to sharpen, Matt suggests practicing on a cheap knife first!

Tip #2: Just For The Halibut

Jenn Grosskruger of Ocean Prime‘s Philadelphia location prepared a summer seafood feast at COOK. Featured in her main course was a perfectly cooked halibut steak. Jenn cooked the halibut on our flattop grill with some clarified butter. She said she was looking for an opaque color underneath with a nice sear. Once close to being opaque on the inside, Jenn placed the halibut on a baking sheet and finished them in the oven.

Tip #3 Scallop Savings

Matthew Gentile of Panorama told COOK guests an insider tip that will help save them money during their trip to the seafood market. Go to your local seafood purveyor, such as Ippolito’s and ask for broken scallops. For all you scallop fans out there listen to this, Matthew said many times scallops get damaged in transfer or when they are cleaned and handled. That creates bits and pieces of still delicious scallops that can be purchased for a discounted rate. These scallop pieces are perfect for stuffing pasta, like Matthew did for his tortelloni dish with clams and heirloom tomatoes.

Tip #4 Don’t Be A Shrimp, Clean Them Yourself

Do you love shrimp but find yourself buying the frozen pre-peeled packages of it? Frances Vavloukis of Body X has a couple of tips for you! During her Greek summer dinner Frances treated guests to a classic – shrimp saganaki. Frances peeled the fresh shrimp by opening up the shrimp from the bottom and gently taking the skin off. Then she deveined them by taking a pairing knife and running it down from the tip of the tail to make a small incision. Once the vein is exposed you can easily take it away with your fingers. Keep those shells and toss them in the freezer for a delicious shrimp stock later!

Tip #5 Surprise, Say Cheese!

Okay, I know I said this was a seafood themed verson of tips and tricks, but I just can’t help myself when it comes to cheese! Rich Freedman of Di Bruno Bros. advised letting your cheese sit out for at least an hour at room temperature to allow the fat to “sweat” and relax. For his ultimate cheese dish, Rich added taleggio to his La Tur mac and cheese. He told me he had never tried it with taleggio and asked me to try it to see what I thought. It was a massive success, not just with me, but with our delighted COOK guests! The taleggio was already completely melted from being at room temperature so it instantly turned into an oooey-gooey mac sauce. Additionally, the fruity tang of taleggio helps to add a new dimension of flavor cutting through the melted cheesy richness.

Get COOKing! See you in August!