PSA: The fish market in Pike Place taught me a weird plating trick

I was in Seattle last month and watched a vendor at the market arrange salmon fillets on crushed ice... he kept the skin side up on every single piece. When I asked, he said it keeps the flesh from getting waterlogged and dull looking from the melt. Tried it back home with a crudo dish, and the color stayed bright pink for a full hour longer on the plate. Has anyone else picked up a random trick from watching how food is sold, not just cooked?

3 comments

3 Comments

stone.thomas13d ago

Watched a butcher in New Orleans trim a ribeye. He left that little fat cap on the side, said it bastes the meat as it grills. Tried it, and the steak stayed way juicier than when I cut all the fat off first. Another time, a street cart guy in Bangkok packed noodles into a cup before tipping them into the wok. It makes a tight block that sears better. You pick up the best stuff just by watching people who handle food all day long.

claire_fisher4113d ago

My grandma always tore lettuce for salad, never cut it. Said the knife makes the edges go brown faster.

diana_flores2513d ago

Have you ever noticed how the best cooking tips never come from fancy cookbooks? I read this article about pizza makers in Naples who only use their hands to shape the dough, never a rolling pin. They said it keeps the air bubbles intact so the crust gets those perfect charred spots. It's like they learn by doing the same thing a thousand times until their hands just know. That's the real secret stuff you can't get from a recipe.