What To Always Keep In Mind When Butter Basting Fish

Butter basting is a classic technique that delivers tasty and texturally pleasing results. From steaks to fish, butter basing is a crucial step in the cooking process that's pretty tough to mess up. However, when it comes to butter basting fish, in particular, there's an essential rule you don't want to break.

Butter basting adds a rich, golden flavor to fish — but it also helps to cook the protein evenly while ensuring a tender, moist texture. It involves spooning hot, melted butter (alongside aromatic ingredients like garlic, herbs, or citrus) over the protein as it cooks. It's simple, effective, and a great technique to use on all sorts of proteins.

However, the butter basting process differs for each protein type — whether it be chicken, steak, or fish — so it's important to adjust the technique accordingly for a delicious result. And when it comes to fish, a huge rule is essential to ensuring the best butter basted dish: Don't flip it. Unless you want a dry, unevenly cooked, and less flavorable result.

Now, if you want a fully-cooked fish, flipping it sounds like a pretty good idea. Cooking a protein on both sides is, usually, the standard for a perfectly cooked dish. However, if you're butter basting a fish, the absolute last thing you should do is flip it.

A common mistake when cooking fish is flipping it too often, even when you're not butter basting it. While it's tempting to turn the fillet to ensure even cooking on both sides, butter basting requires a slightly different approach. If you're working with a thicker fillet, resist the urge to flip the fish. Instead, focus on cooking one side, the skin side, while butter basting the top of the fish.

The reason for this is simple: The skin side is where you want to achieve that crispy, golden texture. As such, the heat should be concentrated on that side, as the fish skin can withstand direct heat without drying out — unlike the flesh. The hot butter, when spooned over the top, will gently cook the flesh of the fish from above, infusing it with flavor and moisture. This method helps maintain the fillet's structure and allows the skin to crisp up without the risk of overcooking the delicate flesh. So, not only does this method work in terms of texture, but it also helps to infuse the flesh with maximum flavor — and who wouldn't want that?