How to Cook the Best Fish at Home According to a Michelin-Starred Chef

• Chef Massimo Falsini specializes in seafood at Caruso’s, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Santa Barbara.
• Falsini recommends brining your fish before cooking to keep it moist.
• His favorite way to cook fish is roasting it alongside potatoes in the oven.

Butter-soft spiny lobster and light-as-air halibut are just some of the stunning seafood dishes coming from the kitchen at Caruso’s, the Michelin-starred restaurant at the Rosewood Miramar Beach resort in Santa Barbara, California.

So when Business Insider recently sat down with chef Massimo Falsini, the director of culinary operations at the luxury Montecito hotel, we knew we had to find out his tips for cooking the best fish at home.

“The best way to do the fish, first of all, is love the fish,” said Falsini, who has spent the last 30 years cooking at some of the top hotels around the world. “A lot of people don’t love the fish.”

Here are a few more of his tips.

Shop smart in the seafood section

You can’t love the fish before you buy the fish, and opting for a whole fish over pre-butchered cuts allows you to check for optimal freshness.

A fresh fish will smell like the ocean and be firm to the touch. The gills must be bright red, and the eyes should never look cloudy.

“They have to be open, round, plumpy, and clear,” Falsini added. “It’s very important that the eyes are clear.”

Once you’ve picked your fresh fish, ask the fishmonger or butcher to scale and gut it. Then, you’re ready to cook.

A brine a day keeps the dry fish away

Just as with chicken or turkey, soaking your fish in a cold brine — a saltwater solution that oftentimes includes sugar — will help keep it moist. This technique works with both whole fish and fillets, and Falsini recommends trying it with halibut or snapper.

“You mix a little bit of sugar, a little bit of salt — normally it’s two parts salt, one part sugar — with water,” Falsini said. “Brine the fish for about 30 minutes before you cook it.”

Just make sure to dry the fish well before you start cooking. A wet fish will stick right to the pan.

Roast your fish with potatoes

Falsini believes the best way to cook fish is by roasting it in the oven alongside some delicious potatoes.

He recommends blanching the potatoes first, briefly boiling the spuds and then cooling them in ice water. Then season the potatoes with garlic, extra-virgin olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and rosemary.

“I also like to put a little bit of paprika on them for the smokiness and color,” Falsini told BI.

Then, place the fish and potatoes in a pan and add lemon slices, crushed garlic, and parsley. Season the fish with salt and extra-virgin olive oil as well.

Falsini recommends cooking the fish at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. The dish should be ready in 45 to 50 minutes if you’re cooking about three pounds of fish.

To check if your whole fish is ready, Falsini recommends pulling on the spine on the back of the fish. If the spine comes off, the fish is ready.

Then just remove the flesh with a spoon and finish with some more olive oil, salt, and fresh lemon juice. Dinner is served!