Why You Should Consider Making Fish In A Panini Press

A panini press seems like the epitome of a one-hit-wonder appliance. It's great for making delightful flat sandwiches of course, but that's a pretty limited use. And while it can be fun using appliances for purposes they were never intended for (like preparing grilled cheese in your toaster), that's not a selling point for people looking for food first and creative entertainment second. But this is an example where the name is a misnomer: a panini press is really just a mini indoor "contact" grill (per Livestrong). And it can do anything your George Foreman can (though it can't name five of its children George). 

Being a grill and all, the panini press is good for a lot of things, but right now, we want to focus on fish. It's fresh, it's flavorful, it's full of healthy fats, and it's perfect summer fare. And if you don't have an outdoor grill, or it's raining, or you're just too lazy or hot to walk outside and cook when you can stay inside and cook with the a/c at full throttle, your panini press is the perfect pescatarian partner (plus, it's easy to clean and your fillets won't stick to it).

One of the many advantages of the panini press is that it's quick: all you need to do is plug it in, and it's good to go in just a few minutes. It's beneficial to oil the grates before adding your fillets; if you want to spice things up, you can add a dry rub to the fish (jerk salmon, anyone?) before adding it to the press and bringing down the top. Your fish will be done in no time, too: some thinner fillets take just a couple of minutes, though thicker pieces (like tuna, salmon, or swordfish) may take a little longer.

Just like a regular grill, while it tends to work best with oilier fish (per Recipes For All Days), you can really use any fish you like, and you don't need to worry about anything falling apart and disappearing through any grill grates because there aren't any! Livestrong has a step-by-step guide for visual learners, and the grill experts over at George Foreman have plenty of thoughts on the subject. Panini press fish: it's an idea you don't want to let get away.