Why Fish Tastes Better at Restaurants, According to Chefs

If you’re a fish lover, you’ve probably secretly thought this every time you ordered fish while out: Why does it taste so much better at a restaurant than at home? You’re buying the same type and preparing it fresh, you’re making it according to recipes that the internet assures you are amazing … and yet, it’s simply not as good as when a chef prepares it, even if you’re using that restaurant’s cookbook. Is it just me?! you might have wondered indignantly. But rest assured, it’s not just you. It’s all of us. 

So instead of idly wondering, shaking our collective fist to the skies in frustration, I asked professional working chefs specializing in fish preparations from across the world what the secret is to making restaurant-quality fish at home. As with making restaurant salads taste better, or how pasta or soup may taste better at restaurants, are there nuances of technique or handling, secret seasonings or flavor pairings or even sources and storage tips that make it that much better?

Here’s what I learned.  

Source Consciously

Professionals have a significant advantage in this area, confesses Pano Karatassos, cookbook author and executive chef of Buckhead Life Restaurant Group in Atlanta. “As a chef, I have the ability to source seafood from around the world and have relationships with fishers and suppliers that allow me to get my seafood 18 to 36 hours out of the water,” he says. This freshness is tantamount as “the supply chain moves faster for restaurant suppliers; it results in fresher and less expensive products” says Giuseppe Esposito, executive chef and co-owner of Kitty Dare in Atlanta. This in turn allows chefs to buy better seafood with the same budget as a home cook. 

To counter that, Esposito’s advice is to shop at more farmers’ markets, “where the fish is fresher and sometimes even alive. Big stores are usually more expensive and offer lower-quality products,” he’s found. From there, he says, “I purchase a whole fish and then cut it at home; I’ll have more parts for a better price. For instance, I can use the meat trims, the meat around the bones, or the fish cheeks—which I think is the best part of the fish!—to make fish cakes or fish stew. The bones and head can also be used to make a fish stock.”

Another buying hack is to look for certain certification labels, particularly the Marine Stewardship Council, Responsible Fisheries Management or Best Aquaculture Practices seals, says Sherri Clark, a registered dietitian as well as the brand strategist for the Global Seafood Alliance. “This shows that these retailers are going the extra mile to make sure their seafood follows strict standards during the production process related to food safety, animal health and welfare, the environment and the workers,” she says—all of which can play a part in ensuring higher-quality supply. You’ll find MSC or RFM labels on wild fish and BAP on farmed, which covers the entire life span of the fish from the hatchery to processing. All are recognized as the most comprehensive in their industry. 

Store and Handle It Properly

You can buy the best fish in the world, but if you mistreat it, you may as well be buying a fish stick. For example, overhandling raw fish can bruise the meat, which affects both taste and texture. Rough handling can break or expose flesh, which becomes a food safety issue. And storing fish in temperatures that are higher than ideal can cause the flesh to deteriorate, which can result in mushiness at best and possibly food poisoning at worst. 

This is why Karatassos says one should “always handle the fish with care.” Every fish that enters his restaurants and his fish market is carried as he recommends: “cradled with two hands from storage to cutting board to sink to cooking vessel.” But first, “When storing whole fish, store them in the swimming position, with belly down and dorsal fin up. Then cover with ice.” He explains, “The swimming position alleviates the pressure from storing them on their sides—gravity places too much weight on the bottom half as opposed to the top when placed on their side.” If ice isn’t available, Esposito advises to “pat the fish dry with a paper towel, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, place it in an airtight container and store it at 40°F or lower.”

If you need to scale the fish, Esposito suggests using the back of your knife to do so. “This preserves the sharpness of your knife and avoids accidentally cutting the meat.” Jason Liang, award-winning sushi chef and owner of Brush Sushi and O by Brush omakase in Atlanta, cautions, “Fins can be sharp, so be careful! So when scaling, place the fish in a large grocery bag on a flat surface [and scale inside the bag] to prevent scales from flying around.” Esposito adds, “And leave the skin on the fish until you’re ready to use it! The skin provides natural protection for the meat.”

Before cooking, “I lightly salt the fish for an hour to extract excess moisture, then wipe it dry,” Liang shares.  

Buy the Right Tools for Your Techniques

Chefs have the benefit of extraordinary tools and new technology. For instance, both chef Michael Nelson of GW Fins in New Orleans and Liang use a dry ager. While they use it in different ways, one for Western cooking and the other for Eastern flavors, the result is the same: “to enhance the flavor and transform the texture of the fish, similar to dry-aging beef,” Liang says. Karatassos uses a bamboo basket for steaming, and his signature preparation at his flagship restaurant Kyma includes building a salt crust with a salt dough, which functions as a mini steam oven within the oven. 

But there are a few basics that anyone can use to improve their fish preparation at home. Esposito says, “Always use a food thermometer to check the internal fish temperature.” Overcooked fish can become rubbery or hard; undercooked fish can be mushy, slimy or may not be safe to eat, depending on previous storage. “Properly cooked fish should reach 145°F,” he advises. If you don’t have a thermometer, Karatassos says a cake tester can stand in just fine. “You can tell the internal temperature by inserting it into the flesh and testing to make sure it’s warm by touching it to the bottom of your lip.”

Other home tools include a good skillet, roasting pan, baster and grill. These are used in restaurant techniques such as pan-roasting and basting whole fish, olive oil poaching and flame-grilling. Esposito says, “If you prefer the easiest approach, a nonstick pan can be used. Baking and poaching are good options for cooking fish at home, especially if you want to avoid high-temperature cooking, flames, oil splatters or strong odors.”

A good fish spatula can also be helpful, as the flexibility, length, curve and thinness of the tool make it better able to slide under delicate fish without tearing the skin, and the openings in the spatula provide a way to drain the fish easily when lifting it out of the cooking liquid. 

Try Different Flavors

Some flavor pairings for fish come easily to mind. For instance, a teriyaki glaze on salmon or a brown butter sauce on flounder. Karatassos feels that the most common catch-all flavor combination is typically garlic, thyme, butter or extra-virgin olive oil, lemon and fresh oregano. But for something different, he suggests finishing your fish with fleur de sel salt or Espelette pepper. Meanwhile, Esposito likes to shake things up with white pepper. “It’s ideal for fish and poultry since it has a milder spiciness compared to black pepper, with hints of mustard and ginger. Be cautious, though,” he warns. “It’s easy to overuse!”

Additionally, at Kitty Dare, a uniquely Southern Mediterranean-meets-Middle Eastern restaurant, Esposito often gets to introduce diners to other seasonings that they might not typically associate with fish. “Za’atar, a Middle Eastern spice blend, typically has a bit of a lemony flavor, and adding za’atar to fish gives it a refreshing touch. Sumac, native to Iran, but also found in North Africa and the Mediterranean, is also perfect for fish, with a bright red color and citrusy, fruit taste,” he says. 

Liang suggests trying things like using hay in a dome “to quickly smoke and sear fatty and flavorful fish,” allowing the hay smoke to infuse the fish with grassy earthiness. He does this with several items at Brush and says “the smokiness and richness pair well with pickled allium.”

But no matter what you do, Karatassos says, because freshness is everything, remember: “The fish doesn’t wait on the garnish or sides; the sides and garnish wait for the fish.” He adds, “As my mentor Eric Ripert of Le Bernardin always says, ‘Make sure the seafood is the star,’ meaning don’t let anything else overpower the fish when it comes to flavors and presentation.”  

Use as Much of the Fish as Possible

As Esposito mentioned, you get the best bang for your fish-buying buck when you buy fish whole and use the scraps for another recipe … or, in the case of fish stock, potentially several recipes. To make fish stock, he advises, “Thoroughly roast the fish parts with vegetables, deglaze the pot with white wine and then add plenty of ice in the pot once the wine evaporates. This way, the thermal shock will help to extract all the flavor and collagen from the fish, making a hearty base for any other dish.”

Esposito also loves preserving the skin on the fish. “It’s best to keep the skin on if it’s edible. Fish skin offers great flavor and nutrients. When it’s crispy, it provides a contrast in texture with the soft, flaky meat. For advanced cooks, use a very hot stainless-steel pan with high-temperature oil,” he says.  

Practice, Practice

The most important thing to remember about trying to make restaurant-quality fish at home is that practice makes perfect. Don’t give up, and keep trying different suppliers, techniques and flavors until you find what works best for your palate, kitchen, equipment and skill level. 

“Steaming or air-frying is quick and easy. Cook it medium instead of well-done. Sometimes, good-quality salt and lemon are all you need!” encourages Liang. Karatassos chimes in with his own encouragement: “Fresh finfish, straight out of the water, is as good at home as it is in a restaurant. It’s only because chefs are highly skilled when it comes to filleting and cooking finfish that restaurants do a better job.” There’s no doubt that with enough time building those skills, you, too, can do the same.