How can I stop fish from sticking to a stainless steel pan?

Question

I think Anne Burrell lied to me. She said fish will always stick to a stainless pan. This is true. No matter how well I lubricate my pan, my fish will always adhere like cement. She also said that the pan will release the fish "when it's ready." Maybe meaning it will eventually become unstuck when the fish is done cooking? Well, I've tried that, and it never works. No matter how long I wait, it never becomes unstuck. Most recently I gave it as much time as I could. When I finally chiseled it off the pan, tearing it apart in the process, I saw that it was starting to burn on that side. I've started going back to non-stick until I get this figured out.

Are there any tips? Am I heating the pan wrong? Does it help to slide the fish around a bit after putting it in the pan?

Answer 1

I used to have this fish sticking problem in my Aluminum wok.

The solution (accidentally discovered) was to put the fish in the wok only after the oil is hot enough.

Que: How do you decide whether the oil is hot enough?
Ans: Drop one Yellow Mustard Seed in the oil. If it cracks immediately then your oil is hot enough for the fish to be dropped in. If not, then you may like to wait for few more minutes and try the same with another mustard seed.

Yellow Mustard Seeds start cracking in very hot oil only as opposed to Cumin seeds which do turn brown in non-so-hot oil too.

Answer 2

On a slightly different note, I've found there's something to be said for the fish type and weather the skin was left intact. 'Fattier' fish like Salmon or Herring I have always found to fare better in a stainless pan, and certainly with skin on. Skin adds fat, plus it serves as a last line of defense--if your fish does stick, the skin will be ruined, not the fish.

Frying lean fish like Cod or Halibut in stainless I've always found tricky no matter the temperature of the pan or amount of oil used. They also tend to flake apart easier than fattier fish, so if they stick even remotely, you often end up with lots of small pieces.

On technique, I agree with all prior posts--hot pan first, add oil, then fry usually for a minute or two longer than you think, and flip. I read the loose science behind letting the protein tell you its done somewhere--the muscle fibres contract when applied to heat, and that tightening up pulls the protein away from the grill. Not that its noticeable visibly, but enough to make a cooked piece of protein release easier than a totally raw one.

Answer 3

Heat is your friend in solving this problem. As described here: Oil creates a smooth layer across the surface of the pan when it is sufficiently heated.

I like to use a blend of a high smoke point oil (i.e. peanut, canola, but veg will work) and butter since the water content in the butter will promote the steam effect that is described in the link. Also, something to consider with regards to the steam effect is that you can sear at a higher temperature and then finish at a lower temperature in the oven which typically allows for the protein to release from the surface and makes it easier to remove in one piece at the end of the cooking.

Answer 4

Generally speaking the answer is heat. Have a nice hot pan, and oil the fish, not the pan. Bottom line though is that there's a reason they call them 'non-stick' pans.

Answer 5

Are you heating your pan enough before you add your fish? In other words, it is not how hot you eventually get it...but how hot you get it before adding your fish (and then of course, keeping it hot).

So, first... LOTS of oil, enough to coat the whole bottom of pan, and not "just barely". Then, heat pan until the oil is making little shimmery, mirage waves. Add fish.

Then, you want to let it go several minutes without touching it. At that point, you can use a very thin metal spatula to slide under the edges and loosen it.

Yes, non-stick is easier. But, this method will get a nice crusty golden brown on the outside of your fish.

Answer 6

The remedy which worked out in my case for the problem of fish sticking to the frying pan is.... When the oil is hot enough, put curry leaves as stem by stem and then put the fish above this...just as a bed for the fish to lie comfortably...don't remove leaves from stem...put 3 or 4 stems with leaves according to the quantity of oil as well as the number of fishes.

Answer 7

I generally trust Alton Brown's advice, so I'd recommend his take on frying fish (text), and you can also watch it in a video.

He says the keys to keeping it from sticking are:

• heat a heavy pan to a high heat (use an oil with a very high smoke point - he used canola but added a bit of butter)
• dredge lightly with a bit of flour (shake off excess)
• jiggle the pan around a lot for the first 10 seconds or so after adding the fish, skin-side down!

I think the flour is really for a crust, and the butter he says is for color. The most important things really seem to be the high heat (which has been covered plenty in the other answers) and the jiggling (fresh from Alton Brown).

I haven't tried this method for fish because I don't eat fish. I do cook and eat other things that stick to pans (hash brown potatoes), though, and I do find that they stick less with early high heat and a lot of motion while they are still sticky and starchy, and having watched the inestimable Mr. Brown fry his fish, this method looks good to me. :-)

Answer 8

The first thing i always do is to season my Stainless Steel pan. I heat up the pan very hot and then add a high smoke point oil to the pan until it smokes. I then drain the oil, wipe the pan out with a few paper towels and let cool. You can repeat the process several times but make sure the finish in the pan remains smooth and shiny and not gummy and tacky. To clean the pan, use water and soap and a smooth sponge. If you use an abrasive cleaner or a brilo pad, you will have to start the process over again. After I clean my pan, i like to re-season the pan and store till next time needed. You should only need to season the pan only once after every use but you can repeat the process as much as you want. The more you repeat the process, the darker the pan will become.

The next thing I do is to apply oil to the fish and season the fish with salt and pepper. I heat the SS frying pan very hot, then I apply oil into the hot frying pan. Once the oil starts to smoke I then put in the fish into the frying pan. Flip after a minute or two depending on how cooked you liked your fish. You can easily check the down side of the fish as it won't be stuck to your frying pan.

Bon Appetit

Answer 9

The Chinese method is always to have a sufficient amount of oil in the pan and it must be almost at the point of flashing... Usually this is tested by seeing if a dry bamboo chopstick will begin to sizzle in the oil due to the moisture retained in the bamboo.

Hot oil immediately seals the cooking side of the fish, and by the time it is ready for you to turn it over the oils that are about to rush into the void created when you lift the fish will cook and seal the uncooked side in a similar manner.

Answer 10

As a rule, the layer of oil needs to be deep enough and hot enough for a fish to be fried without sticking. It's a delicate procedure, the oil needs to be hot enough to deprive the contact surface of the fish of almost all moisture before the fish is allowed contact with the steel so you need to lead the fish around in the oil by hand a few moments, and even then the results are spotty at best. Bottom line: Stainless is a poor choice for fish, period, unless you do an extremely low-temp oil poach.

Answer 11

Try to mix new cooking oil and old cooking oil.

E.g.: put 8 table spoons of new cooking oil. Then put 2 table spoons of old cooking oil. Then fry your fish, making sure first that your pan was hot enough.

Answer 12

One solution is proper preparation.

First defrost the fish if it's frozen.

Next, you need to dry your fish off. I accomplish this with paper towel. Doesn't have to be 100% dry, but try to get as much water off it as possible.

Now you can season the fish with salt, pepper, etc. After the fish is seasoned I put the fish onto a dish of flour, rub it in, flip it over, rub the other side in.

Finally, put about 3mm of oil in the pan, start at a low to medium temperature, and throw in the fish.