Joined: Feb 2009 Gender: Male Posts: 34,448 Location: Paris, France
Re: The FISH thread « Reply #1 on Feb 2, 2010, 8:24pm »
I love fish of all sorts, in all forms -- from fried in batter to sashimi.
As I child, I was not the greatest of fans because even though fish sticks (fish fingers) were regularly on the menu with tartar sauce, the most common way that my family ate fish was to fry what we had caught. And "real" fish have a lot of bones, which does not set well with children. But I liked the taste anyway, even if it was complicated.
And I have alway loved tuna sandwiches, although it is such an abstract thing, you can hardly consider it to be fish in the authentic sense.
In my adult years, I generally don't mind bones, although I do tend to prefer fillets.
My attraction to raw fish is growing, either as sushi/sashimi or just served as is with lemon or lime juice.
My body is probably ravaged by heavy metals from pollution, just like the Japanese.
Joined: Feb 2009 Gender: Male Posts: 2,052 Location: South of the Dordogne
Re: The FISH thread « Reply #2 on Feb 2, 2010, 9:12pm »
We did once have a friend come for a meal who hated fish because, he said, he had lived above a fish and chip shop in England. The problem was that we had invited another friend who was a non-meat eater. Oh the problems of being a host.
When I was a boy nin Canada we rented a log cabin on a lake 100 miles north of Toronto. My mother and I went up for 2 months in summer, joined by my father and brother and granny at weekends. Thursday was when our food ran out. My mother used to send me out in the rowing boat on the lake, aged 9, to catch our supper. This would probabblty be a criminal offence now.
A few years ago in Costa Rica we went up into the mountains and found a small hostal to stay in. When we asked what we could eat the owner looked momentarily taken aback. Then he asked if we liked trout. Yes. Would be like to catch our suopper?Yes. He took us to a stream he had dammed, gave us fishing rods, showed us a bank where earthworms were abundant and left us to it. His final word was: Don't catch more than ten. After we had caught ten we returned to the hostal. He selected the 2 biggest for our supper. Normal price according to his menu was $4 but because we had had to catch them it was $2. In other coutnries you would be charged for the pleasure of trout fishing.
My name really isn't Don, but I used to be anónimo.
Joined: Feb 2009 Gender: Male Posts: 2,941 Location: Michoacán, México
Re: The FISH thread « Reply #3 on Feb 2, 2010, 11:35pm »
Other than tuna salad and fish sticks, I hated fish as a kid. My Mom would make gefilte fish from whole carp and the like, it was smelly and there were swim bladders with which my little sister would torment me. Bleahh.
I could on occasion eat gefilte fish from a jar. The best part, next to the extra-sharp horse radish was the cold, jellied stock. Now, I can take it or leave it.
In my adult years, I've become a big fan of fish. I prefer simpler preparations, if the fish is a tasty one. Locally, the favorites are mojarra (cheap) or huachinango (red snapper, costly), served "Al Mojo de Ajo", that is, a sauce of oil in which loads of garlic has been fried; OR Al Ajillo, which is almost the same thing, except that rings of chile guajillo is added to the garlic for an even greater taste sensation.
The better seafood restaurants often specialize in Pescado a la Talla, a split open fish often coated with a chile paste and grilled/broiled. I have a picture somewhere, taken at the excellent Restaurant Marco Polo in Oaxaca.
The next year, same place, I had a version of filete de pescado coated with mustard, mayo and chipotle, and while it was o.k., it didn't please me as much as the version pictured above. That restaurant, by the way, doesn't actually grill its fish. It has a wood-fired oven of great heat in which the food is cooked, so it comes out with a nice, smokey char around the edges.
« Last Edit: Jun 27, 2012, 12:13am by Don Cuevas »
Joined: Feb 2009 Gender: Female Posts: 25,294 Location: Mexico
Re: The FISH thread « Reply #4 on Feb 2, 2010, 11:50pm »
I grew up eating all kinds of fish and seafood, and learned from an early age to "pick" my own fish. The table would look as though a family of cats had been there after my family finished eating, each plate sporting at least one of the classic cartoon fish skeletons.
A bit of trivia -- one of the time-honored ways of knowing whether the oil was hot enough to fry your battered fish was to drop a wooden kitchen match into it. If it ignited, it was ready.
I really love fish, and tend to prefer the simpler preparations, although I have occasional yens for stuffed flounder or red snapper a la veracruzana. My mother used to make poached fish for herself, and I follow suit enjoying it as a solitary pleasure: put some water to boil in a shallow pan, adding a little butter or olive oil, some salt, maybe a bay leaf, & some parsley &/or celery leaves. Gently place the fish in the pan, then cover it. The second one side is done, carefully turn it over & let it poach another very few minutes on the other side. Serve with lemon and salt and pepper.
Joined: Oct 2009 Gender: Female Posts: 445 Location: Canada
Re: The FISH thread « Reply #5 on Feb 3, 2010, 9:13am »
I grew up with fish and have always loved it. Strangely, not all Nova Scotians love fish. But my dad works for a big seafood company that processes and distrubutes fish products to much of North America (and elsewhere I think, since he's always travelling abroad). Unfortunately, his company doesn't employ as many fishermen these days, because of obvious problems with the fishing industry, so business is often taken to Asia. I grew up eating fish sticks, fish cakes, and LOTS of haddock. Mostly pan-fried, or baked in cream of mushroom soup or lemon herb butter. Atlantic salmon was something we started eating as I got a little older, always poached with dill on top. In North America, I think you are more likely to be served a fillet - no bones. Only in meal hall in university were we served these tedious salmon steaks full of bones. But in Europe, I hear fish is usually served with the bones, and I also experienced this in Paris when I tried turbot for the first time.
In Nova Scotia you are most likely to find haddock, cod, atlantic salmon, tuna, sole, tilapia, rainbow trout, sea bass, ocean perch, swordfish, shark, and halibut. And of course, I also enjoyed the two varieties of smoked salmon, smoked mackeral, solomon gundy (jarred pickled herring), artificial crab (made from pollock), and canned tuna, sardines, and kipper snacks (smoked herring). In restaurants you may also run into monkfish and arctic char, among others... Here in Alberta, the selection is lacking... you can find cod, halibut, tilapia, sockeye salmon, sad looking atlantic salmon, and RED SNAPPER which is exciting because you really can't get that out east. Oh, and rollmops - my new love. And I did try Manitoba pickeral since I've been out here. I also notice that on the east coast, if you order fish'n'chips it's always cod or haddock. But go to BC and it's undoubtably halibut.
I would love to go down south and try all the exotic fish varieties. A few years ago in Halifax, I was all excited that a Bermudian restaurant had opened up. But all the dishes involved haddock and salmon! Then it was explained to me that it's too expensive to import fish from central america, so the dishes were made using local fish. Also, up north we have only a few types of fish, but many of them (well, that's changing), whereas down south there are many different species of fish, but smaller populations of each. Neat.
Joined: Feb 2009 Gender: Female Posts: 3,548 Location: Montréal
Re: The FISH thread « Reply #7 on Feb 3, 2010, 2:26pm »
It sure looks like a tilapia. They are for sale pre-fried as well as uncooked at Marché Oriental near here.
Food looks lovely.
existential, lovely account. Do you not get real crab in NS? There is snow crab in eastern Québec, logically it would be in adjacent Atlantic Canadian areas as well.
Re: The FISH thread « Reply #8 on Feb 3, 2010, 5:31pm »
I like the photo there hw. It reminds me of the time I used to take my kids fishing for trout. The only thing was, the fish were held in several large holding 'pools' owned by a local person. So we were certain to come back with several of them. It was a lot of fun. And there was no chance of them being laden with metals etc.
Nowadays we fish in the local lakes, there are so many of them and so easy to catch that we usually end up throwing most of them back in lake.
I grew up eating fish sticks, fish cakes, and LOTS of haddock. Mostly pan-fried, or baked in cream of mushroom soup or lemon herb butter.
Existentia, is haddock sort of the all-purpose, economic "chicken" of Nova Scotia? That would work for me!
Your list there reminded me of salmon croquettes. These were a once or twice a month feature in many homes when I was growing up, although I believe from a couple of generations before mine, at least. The ones I knew were made from canned salmon in a sort of rounded pyramid shape, fried and served with a cream gravy. They were also to be found on Fridays in cafeteria restaurants. The tuna version was a staple of struggling students and young marrieds. Anybody else remember these?
Joined: Feb 2009 Gender: Male Posts: 34,448 Location: Paris, France
Re: The FISH thread « Reply #12 on Feb 3, 2010, 8:20pm »
I also love "petite friture" ("whitebait" in England), but can anybody actually taste the fish in that? It is really just a hot fried crunch, and the fish part is forgotten....
Joined: Jan 2013 Gender: Female Posts: 373 Location: NOLA,USA
Re: The FISH thread « Reply #13 on Feb 3, 2010, 11:25pm »
Great post Existensia and one I can relate to having grown up on the Atlantic seaboard. Although, we did not have much in the way of haddock that I can recall,some cod,but mostly striped bass,blue fish(and baby blues called 'snappers,not too unlike Kerouacs little guys,but tasty.),weak fish,swordfish,tuna,mako shark,all from local waters,some the sea,some from the bays. I would someday love to learn how to properly poach a fish,I have tried and it never comes out the way I want. I even gave away my fancy fish poacher my mother gave me,which I now sorely regret...
Joined: Feb 2009 Gender: Female Posts: 3,548 Location: Montréal
Re: The FISH thread « Reply #14 on Feb 4, 2010, 2:23am »
imec, that looks lovely. Did you have a chance to explore the Bauhaus architecture in Tel Aviv near the port? Odd, to me that looks like several whole fishes.
kerouac, we discussed "fritto misto" elsewhere. That can include little fishes as you show. Those little fishes are definitely eaten in Italy as well.
A Filipina friend also fried up those little dried fishies one finds in so-called "Asian" supermarkets (East and Southeast, not South Asian). They are a lovely snack, don't really absorb much oil. Probably too salty though.
Joined: Oct 2009 Gender: Female Posts: 445 Location: Canada
Re: The FISH thread « Reply #15 on Feb 4, 2010, 8:27am »
lagatta - Yes, real crab is certainly available but I didn't grow up eating it and haven't attempted it myself as of yet. If I'm just making a sandwich, I actually prefer artifical crab to canned crab. Mainly, I didn't mention crab it because I was focusing on "fish" and not "shellfish" or else my post would have been twice as long!
Bixa - yes haddock is the most common fish in Nova Scotia.... and probably the Maritimes, but when you get to Newfoundland it's cod. They are both very plain white fish, but they are versatile and flake off in large-ish pieces. They are used in fishsticks, fishcakes, fish'n'chips, chowder (a Maritime speciality), fish burgers, etc. Haddock is actually a pretty boring fish, but a staple nonetheless.
I hated canned salmon sandwiches when I was a kid, and I still can't eat them. But I love using canned salmon to make salmon burgers or salmon loaf. An old room mate used to put it in maki sushi rolls, because she was allergic to all fish except for canned salmon/tuna and shellfish. And she'd put it in stir-fries with cabbage and broccoli and onions... I don't know what she did, but they were awesome and I started adding dulce seaweed for extra ocean flavour and found this very enjoyable! Another interesting thing I was introduced to by a co-worker, is making a scrambled omlet with canned tuna! And I can't forget to mention, my beloved tuna casserole, featuring, of course, cream of mushroom soup!
Joined: May 2009 Gender: Male Posts: 5,379 Location: Winnipeg
Re: The FISH thread « Reply #16 on Feb 4, 2010, 8:28am »
Saw loads of the Bauhaus architecture lagatta - a big fan of that sort of thing. The fish was huge (there were about 8 of us) - and they scored it before grilling. Was a fantastic meal all around - my first night in Israel.
Joined: Feb 2009 Gender: Male Posts: 3,885 Location: Phnom Penh
Re: The FISH thread « Reply #17 on Feb 4, 2010, 10:19am »
That fish platter looks fantastic and exactly the right colour for the fish, Imec! Just with some chopped up herbs, petter and lime juice. I can taste it now
Joined: Feb 2009 Gender: Male Posts: 34,448 Location: Paris, France
Re: The FISH thread « Reply #18 on Mar 3, 2010, 10:59am »
I have some frozen fish croquettes at home. When I eat one, it tastes like it's about 3% fish, but if I throw a big dollop of mayonnaise on top, it tastes just fine.
Joined: Feb 2009 Gender: Female Posts: 25,294 Location: Mexico
Re: The FISH thread « Reply #19 on Mar 3, 2010, 4:54pm »
"Because it was there" ~ ?
There are certain crap foods that are guilty pleasures. Fish product with crunchy coating would definitely come under that category, especially if it can be teamed with another guilty pleasure.
In the fish family of guilty pleasures, I think we have to include surimi.
Joined: Mar 2009 Gender: Male Posts: 235 Location: Michigan, USA
Re: The FISH thread « Reply #22 on Mar 4, 2010, 5:37pm »
I too have liked fish and seafood all my live. Living near Lake Michigan the fish is not much of a problem, but really good fresh seafood is not that easy to come by.
Back in the 1960's I flew into a wilderness Canadian lake and had the best fishing of my life. We caught more than our limit each day and walleye was on the menu every evening. That was the best fish of my life --- really FRESH.
Last year I saw Julie and Julie and learned something from that movie. One, not to over cook fish, I now make white fish and only cook it a couple minutes on a side. The second I learned is how to make Beurre Blanc. Beurre Blanc on the top of properly cooked white fish is fantastic.
I also remember salmon croquettes and I think if will find a recipe and make some. It has been many years.
Joined: Nov 2011 Gender: Female Posts: 48 Location: Toronto Canada
Re: The FISH thread « Reply #23 on Mar 4, 2010, 10:18pm »
I love fish, a fish that looks like a fish...whole, a filet...yummm. I seldom eat croquettes, fish fingers etc. Brought up in the country, we often had freshly caught trout, pickeral etc. So good. Once, when I was visiting my parents in Florida, I had a red snapper that had been caught in the Gulf of Mexico that day...superb! Unfortunately, no other snapper since has ever measured up to that remarkable taste!
Re: The FISH thread « Reply #24 on Mar 6, 2010, 8:02am »
Around here catfish is what you see all round. When I can get out on one of the lakes, I love sand bass, and crappie in season is lovely. Never had a lot of fresh fish as a kid, come from a family of farmers. Fish sticks are always in season.
When I was in high school, dated a fellow who's buddies told me I could go fish with them if I baited my own hook and cleaned my catch. They thought that would put me off, but I just made up my mind. As it turned out, one of the fellows' granddad showed up to check out the cleaning process and taught me all his best tips. I can clean and fillet a fish like a pro. Hate cleaning catfish, though.
My favorite is to take a good whitefish or salmon fillet, bake it on a tray until about 5 minutes cooking left, then top it with just a sprinkle of fresh gruyere, cover all with baby spinach, and sprinkle well with a mixture of olive oil, lemon juice, fresh cracked pepper, a crushed chopped garlic clove, and a chopped green onion. Yum! Now I am starving for fish.
Joined: Oct 2009 Gender: Female Posts: 445 Location: Canada
Re: The FISH thread « Reply #25 on Mar 9, 2010, 6:13am »
I've never tried catfish, but a friend of mine just tried it and told me NEVER TO EAT IT. I had a little laugh at her, and she insisted, "No, seriously. It tastes like mud". She's from Maine (recently moved to Chicago) and I'm from Nova Scotia so we are used to white fish like haddock. I'm pretty open minded when it comes to fish, and I was wondering what the deal is with cat fish.
Joined: Feb 2009 Gender: Male Posts: 34,448 Location: Paris, France
Re: The FISH thread « Reply #26 on Mar 9, 2010, 6:36am »
Some catfish do taste like mud, as do a lot of carp. I avoid bottom feeders. Since they really do live off of a diet of mud, they end up tasting like it -- at least the bigger ones do.
Joined: Feb 2009 Gender: Female Posts: 25,294 Location: Mexico
Re: The FISH thread « Reply #27 on Mar 9, 2010, 7:05am »
I've eaten tons of catfish in my life, but find the farmed cat fairly tasteless. I don't remember ever getting a muddy tasting one, however ...............
Years ago when the zoo in Audubon Park (New Orleans) was wide open, I lived near there and we'd fish in the lagoons. I remember gutting a catfish once that smelled like lion shit.
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Hate cleaning catfish, though.