Happy Call Pan - Salmon Head

Teh:

Yesterday i finally got around to buying a salmon head to try on the Happy Call Pan. I will give you my verdict now. You can decide if you want to look at the pictures below later. *Drum rollllllll* I prefer the salmon head that was grilled in the oven (http://comingsoonlah.blogspot.sg/2012/03/grilled-salmon-head-non-complicated.html). No doubt the cooking time is considerably shortened using the Happy Call Pan (it only takes about 5-7 minutes), somehow the crispiness of the salmon skin was not as satisfying when compared to it being baked in the oven. Imagine your mum's pan fried fish. Now imagine the real grilled salmon head at japanese restaurants. That's the difference. However, the meat was tender and melt in your mouth. 


Here's how i did it:
I mentioned in my previous Happy Call Pan (HCP) post (http://comingsoonlah.blogspot.sg/2012/04/happy-call-pan-grilled-mackerel-and.html) that oil will drip out of the hole (meant for the steam to come out) if you flip it to cook. So i did not attempt to flip the pan this time. I turned the fish head manually. After washing and drying the fish, i sprinkled some salt all over the skin and on the meat. I put the HCP on medium heat (and waited for it to heat up this time) with some oil before i put the salmon head in, skin down. I cooked the skin part longer than the meat part because i want the skin to be crispy and i was confident the heat trapped on the pan when it is shut will cook the meat. Flipping the head onto the meat side for it to cook was more for browning it. When you see that the skin is nice and browned, flip the head over manually and cook it for another 1 - 2minutes. Serve hot. You can squeeze some lemon juice on it if you want. 

Maybe we can save the salmon head for the oven. If it is for cooking salmon fillet, the HCP should be a pan that gets the job done in a jiffy.

Halved Salmon Head

HCP - Salmon Head

HCP - Salmon Head

Happy Call Pan - Grilled Mackerel and Popcorn

Teh:

My colleagues were nice enough to buy me a Happy Call Pan (HCP) for my birthday. My first attempt with the grilled salmon fillet was less than ideal because i felt "cheated" the oil drips out from the steam hole. It is not possible to flip the pan over and cook because the oil will drip out and land on the stove! Nevertheless, the crispy skin on the fillet made me want to try the pan out with various food.

While at Sheng Siong yesterday, i found frozen mackerel. They were cheap! 8 fishes (small to medium size) for $5 (800g). The idea of having grilled saba fish was a tempting! I decided to cook 4 pcs while they were still frozen. I didn't see the point of thawing them. Isn't this a good way to test how well the pan conducts heat and cook food at amazing speed? I proceeded to rub some salt all over the frozen fishes, drizzled some oil onto the pan (yes shame on me i didn't even bother to heat up the pan in the name to test its awesomeness), and placed the fishes in it. On medium heat, i cooked each side for 5 minutes. You can flip the fish (not the pan!) when one side is browned and crispy.

Happy Call Pan - Mackerel

Happy Call Pan - Mackerel (close up)

Verdict: Nice moist fish. 10 minutes in total for 4 frozen mackerel was enough. Although the skin was not as crispy as the salmon's, its understandable. There's a lot of fats in salmon but not as much in mackerel. Please note that even though there is no oil splatter, the oil fumes coming out from the steam-hole is still enough to make the kitchen feel oily. I guess its inevitable.


Just for fun, i made popcorn on the same day with HCP. I did not add any oil at all to the pan. The corn got popped in 5 minutes. I added some salt to the popcorn and gave it a shake in the closed pan. Relatively effortless. However this can be done in your normal average non-stick pan with a cover.

Happy Call Pan Popcorn

I will continue to experiment with the HCP!

Grilled Salmon Head (non-complicated)

Teh: Over the weekend, while walking around in Sheng Siong, i saw a salmon head that beckoned me to buy it and grill it. I gave in to temptations and proceeded to buy it, wash it, pat it dry, cut it open, season it with season-all, coat it with some oil and put it into the oven. Yes its that simple! If you need proper instructions, please see below.

Pre-grilled salmon head

Grilled salmon head (yes it doesn't look very happy)

Ingredients
1 salmon head
seasonings (I used season-all. But just salt will do too!)

Method: (pre-heat open to 220 degrees C)
1. Make sure the salmon head is clean.
2. Pat it dry. The drier the skin, the crispier it'll get.
3. Cut the head open into half. (Please refer to the picture. If you can cut it through, its even better. If not, just cut the bottom part open and proceed to press down on the head to flatten it abit. It'll help cooking the fish evenly)
4. Season the head all around.
5. Coat a thin layer of oil. (my own theory - to make it even crispier!)
6. Bake for 10 minutes on the middle rack.
7. Crank up the temp to 240 degrees and using only the top heat, put the head on the top rack for 10 minutes or till golden brown.
8. Serve immediately. You can squeeze some lemon juice over the head if you desire.
9. Enjoy!