# Cooking mavens, a little help **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 17, 2008, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-mavens-a-little-help/453262 "2008-06-17T21:49:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Scubaqueen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c0e974/32.png) [@Scubaqueen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scubaqueen)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2008, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-mavens-a-little-help/453262/1 "2008-06-17T21:49:02Z")
got a little too enthusiastic with the soy sauce in a haddock marinade i made last night. is there anything i could use to help offset the overbearing taste without simply writing off the fish? ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2008, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-mavens-a-little-help/453262/2 "2008-06-17T21:56:14Z")
Sugar. Soy + sweet = poor man’s teriyaki. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2008, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-mavens-a-little-help/453262/3 "2008-06-17T22:01:40Z")
I’ve heard that putting a peeled potato in will absorb excess salt. You’re supposed to do this while it’s cooking, however. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2008, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-mavens-a-little-help/453262/4 "2008-06-17T22:15:57Z")
[QUOTE=lobotomyboy63] I’ve heard that putting a peeled potato in will absorb excess salt. [/QUOTE] It doesn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Sierra\_Indigo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Sierra\_Indigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sierra_Indigo)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2008, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-mavens-a-little-help/453262/5 "2008-06-17T22:29:27Z")
[QUOTE=Cervaise] Sugar. Soy + sweet = poor man’s teriyaki. [/QUOTE] Honey works well too if you’ve got it. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2008, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-mavens-a-little-help/453262/6 "2008-06-17T22:33:10Z")
Contrive some sort of rice dish, like fried rice or something similar, and break up the salty fish into flakes and mix it with the rice. Mixed with all that bland starch, the oveseasoned fish won’t be as overwhelming. At least salty ham or Chinese barbecued pork bits go well in a rice dish like that. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2008, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-mavens-a-little-help/453262/7 "2008-06-17T22:33:37Z")
Second the honey. It both dilutes and sweetens. Add a little ginger and you have a simple teriyaki, as **Cervaise** noted. ---
**Author:** ![LiveOnAPlane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3d9bf3/32.png) [@LiveOnAPlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LiveOnAPlane)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2008, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-mavens-a-little-help/453262/8 "2008-06-17T23:05:34Z")
My first suggestion being taken (honey, ginger), I’ll try something else which might work. Sprinkle the haddock with Italian dressing mix (the dry powder) just before grilling or broiling it. I haven’t actually tried this to alleviate the overmuch soy, but do use it when marinating and then grilling grouper and it’s delicious. I just don’t know if it would tone down the soy enough, sorry. But it would be another possible way out if you don’t hanker for some terriyaki fish (yum!). ---
**Author:** ![Scubaqueen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c0e974/32.png) [@Scubaqueen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scubaqueen)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2008, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-mavens-a-little-help/453262/9 "2008-06-18T00:10:51Z")
many good suggestions! i’ll try the honey and grab a bottle of ginger dressing tomorrow. many thanks to you all. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2008, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-mavens-a-little-help/453262/10 "2008-06-18T02:01:01Z")
Olive Oil fixes many screw-ups, too. Not that I’ve ever made any… ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2008, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-mavens-a-little-help/453262/11 "2008-06-18T04:16:57Z")
It would probably work well in a [chawan mushi](http://www.jpn-miyabi.com/Vol.9/recipe7.html). Use the haddock to supplement or replace the shrimp in this Japanese savory egg custard. The overmarinated fish would probably compliment this dish well. ---
**Author:** ![Full\_Metal\_Lotus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df705f/32.png) [@Full\_Metal\_Lotus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Full_Metal_Lotus)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2008, 9:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-mavens-a-little-help/453262/12 "2008-06-18T09:22:22Z")
Another suggestiopn… change your brand of Soy Sauce… Many of the brands sold in western style markets are not much more than brine with a hint of real soy sauce. Get ye hence to a asian market and look at the many varieties available. Look for the tall narrow glass bottles with little or no english on the front… Cheaper than “western style”, too! To undo an overmarinated piece of meat, just soak in hot water (about as hot as you’d wash your hands in) for 5 minutes or so, before using in your reciipe regards FML