Wanted the Yellowtail To Be a Little Bit Softer!

December 2, 2023 by soLing

I would have liked to add this new fish recipe to my collection due to the simplicity and flavors that it provided. Unfortunately, the texture of the meat was not predictable after it was cooked.

Below are some links to more details, including photos:

• My Story
• Inspiring Recipe
  • First Try
    • Ingredients to Use
    • Steps to Prepare
    • Time to Eat
    • Recipe Rating
  • Second Try
    • Ingredients to Use
    • Steps to Prepare
    • Time to Eat
    • Recipe Rating
• Continuous Improvement
• Lesson for Dumber Self
• Next Step for You

My Story

I was perusing the various types of fish at the supermarket and the whole yellowtail looked fresh, so I bought one.

Inspiring Recipe

I’ve baked the collar of hamachi, a type of yellowtail, many times before, but not the whole yellowtail. To start out, I had to find a recipe to point me in the right direction. What I found was, How to Cook Yellowtail Tuna Fish, from LIVESTRONG.com.

First Try

Since I decided to use a rub for the fish weighing 2.33 pounds, I already had the rest of the ingredients at home. As a result, I was ready to bake after shopping.

Ingredients to Use

Because the recipe didn’t list how much to include for each ingredient, I referenced a recipe that I had used previously to steam fish in the oven as a guide. The amount of each item that I added for the rub was as follows:

1. 1/2 tablespoon + 3/4 teaspoon of olive oil
2. 2 cloves of crushed garlic
3. 8 slices of ginger (approximately a 1 1/2-inch piece)
4. Sea salt and pepper, to taste

Steps to Prepare

For each of the four steps listed on the recipe, I made adjustments to most of them by doing the following:

• Step 1 – Skipped this step because I had the fish cleaned, gutted and descaled at the store.
• Step 2 – Placed the yellowtail on a foil-lined baking sheet instead of directly on the pan, so it would be easier to clean up.
• Step 3 – Poked the fish with a chopstick to ensure it went through the flesh easily after baking it for 20 minutes, instead of checking if the flesh fell off the bone easily.
• Step 4 – Served the fish with the head and spine, so we could pick off the meat on them.

Time to Eat

Here’s the yellowtail ready to be served.

Recipe Rating

Below were the results of the recipe after the first try:

After trying different parts of the fish, some areas were a little tough while others were tender. However, I did enjoy the flavors from all the seasoning that blended well with the oil from the yellowtail.

Second Try

During the second attempt, my goal was to not overcook the fish.

Ingredients to Use

With a yellowtail weighing 2.87 pounds this time, I increased the ingredients for the rub to the following:

1. 1/2 tablespoon + 1 1/3 teaspoons of olive oil
2. 2 cloves of crushed garlic
3. 12 slices of ginger (approximately a 2-inch piece)
4. Sea salt and pepper, to taste

Steps to Prepare

As compared to the first time, the only adjustments I made were for Step 3. Because I didn’t want to overcook the fish, I turned off the oven after baking for 15 minutes and left it there for 2 minutes. Unfortunately, I found out later that the yellowtail wasn’t fully cooked, so I had to bake it for another 5 minutes, after it sat in the oven for 5 minutes while it preheated.

Time to Eat

Here’s the fish when I thought it was ready to eat.

Recipe Rating

Below are the results of the recipe from the second attempt:

I enjoyed the flavors again from the salt, pepper, olive oil, ginger, and garlic. In addition, the fish was not as dense and tough as before. However, I will probably not make this again. Instead, I’ll search for a recipe for a softer fish.

If I change my mind and bake yellowtail again, I would try the following to see if it would improve the texture of the meat:

Continuous Improvement

1. Put the fish in a foil packet and steam it like I did with another fish.

Based on the different fish recipes that I’ve tried, I learned the following that I would like to share with my younger self:

Lesson for Dumber Self

1. For juicier fish, look for recipes using moist-heat cooking methods, e.g., steaming, braising, etc.

What will you do now?

Next Step for You

1. Try the recipe, How to Cook Yellowtail Tuna Fish, from LIVESTRONG.com?
2. Learn more about yellowtail? (I found the article, What is Hamachi? Yellowtail Fish Guide, from a food and beverage blog, The Japanese Bar, to be very informative.)
3. Read another post on this site? (Go to the menu at the top of the page.)

It’s your choice!