Donkey Fish and Seafood Rub
Donkey, 100g resealable pouch — a dry rub for fish and seafood, from a Hobsonville maker and couriered anywhere in Auckland.
Donkey
$8.49
$84.90 per kg · about 12 tablespoons in the pouch
Sold by MeatHeads NZ
Price and availability update live from the listing. The description above is the seller's own wording, reproduced as written and not endorsed or verified by DoorToShop. Any statement in it about ingredients, allergens or what the blend is free of belongs to the maker — the ingredient and allergen statement printed on the pack is the one that counts.
Fish Runs on a Different Clock
Everything you have learned about seasoning meat ahead of time works against you here. Fish is thinner, more delicate and far more affected by salt:
Minutes, not hours
Salt on a fish fillet starts drawing moisture out immediately and there is not much fillet for it to draw from. Fifteen minutes is generous; overnight will give you something closer to a cure than a dinner.
White fish — snapper, terakihi, gurnard
Delicate, lean and quick. Season lightly and just before it hits the pan. These are the fillets where too much rub simply buries what you paid for.
Oily fish — salmon, kahawai, kingfish
More robust, more fat, and better able to carry a heavier hand. Salmon in particular takes a proper coating on the flesh side without complaint.
Skin-on fillets
Season the flesh side properly, and the skin side only lightly and dry. Anything damp between skin and hot pan means steam, and steam means the skin sticks instead of crisping.
Prawns and shellfish
Almost all surface. Toss them in a bowl with a small amount of rub — they take seasoning fast and go from seasoned to overwhelmed in a pinch.
Cooking a Seasoned Fillet
Fish forgives very little, and most of what goes wrong happens in the first thirty seconds in the pan:
Dry the fillet properly, both sides.
Paper towel, pressing rather than wiping. This matters more with fish than with anything else — a wet fillet steams, sticks and tears.
Season just before it goes in the pan.
Not half an hour ahead. Salt pulls moisture straight back to a surface you have just dried, and on something this thin that happens fast.
Go lighter than you think, especially on white fish.
Tip a small amount into a bowl and use a pinch at a time. You can add at the table; you cannot take it out.
Get the pan properly hot before the fish touches it.
A hot surface sets the outside immediately, which is what stops it sticking. A lukewarm pan is why fish welds itself to metal.
Skin side down, and press it flat for ten seconds.
The skin contracts as it hits the heat and lifts the fillet off the pan. Ten seconds of gentle pressure with a fish slice keeps it in contact and flat.
Leave it alone until it releases by itself.
Do not try to turn it early. A fillet that is stuck is not ready; when the crust has formed it will let go on its own. Turn once, briefly finish, and take it off while it still looks slightly underdone in the middle.
Keep the container away from the raw meat. Tip what you need into a bowl and season from that, rather than dipping a hand that has touched raw meat back into the pouch or tin. Anything that goes back in the container has been in contact with raw protein and will sit there until the next time you cook. Wash hands, boards and tongs between raw and cooked, and never reuse a rub that has touched raw meat as a finishing seasoning.
General technique, not instructions for a particular product. Where the packaging gives its own directions, follow those.
Getting the Amount Right
More fish is ruined by over-seasoning than under-seasoning, and it is worth being deliberate about it:
- Start with about half what you would put on a piece of meat the same size. Fish has a fraction of the flavour intensity to compete with.
- Season one side properly rather than both sides lightly. On a thin fillet, seasoning both faces is close to double-dosing the same mouthful.
- Prawns need the least of all. They are almost entirely surface, cook in a couple of minutes, and take on seasoning much faster than a fillet does.
- Taste before you add anything at the table. Rubs are salted; fish is already the more delicate half of the pairing.
- Lemon at the end, not seasoning at the end. Acid lifts a seasoned fillet without adding to the salt load.
- If you have over-seasoned it, serve it with something plain and starchy rather than trying to fix the fish. Rice or potato absorbs the excess in a way nothing else does.
What a 100g Pouch Comes To
Fish takes noticeably less rub than meat does, so a pouch used mainly on fillets and prawns goes a long way — considerably further than the same pouch used on ribs.
Working assumptions, stated so you can check them: a level tablespoon of dry rub is about 8g, and a common rule of thumb is around 15g of rub per kilogram of meat. Season to taste rather than to a number. All figures come from the live listed price.
Where to Buy It
This pouch is listed by MeatHeads NZ on DoorToShop, and it is the blend that distinguishes the Gone Fishing and Fish 'n Chips packs. Our guide to meat and BBQ rubs in Auckland covers the whole range, and the wider Groceries category has other local stores you can add to the same order.
Look at the fish packs if you cook seafood often.
This blend is what the Gone Fishing and Fish 'n Chips packs are built around. Their pages compare the pack price against buying pouches individually, live.
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Frequently Asked Questions: Fish Rub
What is Donkey for?
Fish and seafood. The seller describes it as a seasoning for grilled, baked or pan-seared fish, naming salmon, snapper and shellfish. As with the rest of this range it is aimed at one thing rather than confined to it.
How long before cooking should I season fish?
Minutes. Fifteen at the outside, and just before it goes in the pan is better. Salt draws moisture out of a fillet immediately and there is very little fillet to draw from — leave a seasoned fillet for hours and you are curing it rather than seasoning it.
How much should I use on a fillet?
Roughly half what you would use on a piece of meat the same size, and on one side rather than both. White fish especially is easy to bury. Add at the table if it needs more.
Why does my fish stick to the pan?
Almost always one of two things: the fillet was wet, or the pan was not hot enough when it went in. Dry it thoroughly, get the pan properly hot first, and then leave it alone — fish releases itself when a crust has formed, and a fillet that will not turn is a fillet that is not ready.
Should I season the skin?
Lightly and dry, if at all. Anything damp between skin and pan produces steam, and steam is what stops skin crisping. Season the flesh side properly and keep the skin side dry, then press the fillet flat for the first ten seconds so the skin stays in contact.
Does it work on prawns and shellfish?
Yes, and they need the least of anything. Toss them in a bowl with a small amount rather than sprinkling — they are almost entirely surface and take seasoning very quickly.
Can I use this on the barbecue?
Yes, though fish on a grill is a different problem from seasoning. A hot, clean, well-oiled grate, and a fillet left alone until it releases, matters far more than the rub does.
Can I use it on chips as well?
Nothing stops you — it is a dry seasoning. Toss hot chips in a bowl with a small pinch straight out of the fryer or oven, while the surface is still able to hold it.
What is in it, and is it suitable if I avoid something?
The ingredient and allergen statement printed on the pack is the only answer to that, and it is the maker's to give. This listing does not publish an ingredient list, and anything the seller's own description says about what the blend contains or is free of is their statement rather than ours. If you are avoiding an allergen, read the pack and ask the maker if anything is unclear.
How fast is delivery?
Orders are dispatched by the store the next business day and typically arrive within 1 to 3 business days by courier. Enter your address at checkout to confirm delivery coverage for your address.
How much does delivery cost?
The base delivery fee is $5 NZD, with free delivery on orders above $69 in the Auckland region — the exact amount is confirmed at checkout. There is no minimum order value.
What if it arrives damaged?
Photograph it as it arrived and contact the store the same day. Returns are handled by the store that sold the item, and nothing in a store's policy limits your rights under the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993.