Eating Fish

[Sunset]

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Its rare to get good, fresh swordfish. I'd buy it whenever it was available. But not long ago I bought some frozen-at-sea swordfish at the supermarket, and it was pretty good. I found out the supermarket gets it frozen, individually shrink-wrapped in serving-size chunks from a larger steak. Sometimes when it's on sale I'll just ask them to grab me some right out of the freezer, still wrapped, instead of the ones they left thawing in the display for who knows how long.

I thought most/all fish in my local grocery store (not on the ocean) comes from factory fishing ships, that freeze the catch as they are out at sea for weeks.
So the store gets frozen fish , that they put out on display on ice to look like fresh fish.

I like the individually wrapped frozen fish portions as I can keep them handy in the freezer until we want fish, so I don't buy the ones on ice.

I've also read, some people get cheated and served shark as swordfish in restaurants, since it's so close nobody can tell without DNA testing.

 

[youbet]

We generally have fish a couple of times per week. One time it'll be a fresh water sport fish such as northern pike, walleye pike, crappie, blue gill, perch, small mouth bass, rock bass, etc. We haul it all back from northern Minnesota twice a year (spring and fall). I do the cleaning, so no worry about bones or other unwanted tidbits. The other time we generally do salmon which we usually source from one of the local groceries or sometimes we're given Great Lakes salmon from fishing friends.

We generally grill the salmon. I've used our propane grill, charcoal kettle grill and pellet grill all with excellent results. DW sometimes marinades the filets just for variety.

 

[audreyh1]

I thought most/all fish in my local grocery store (not on the ocean) comes from factory fishing ships, that freeze the catch as they are out at sea for weeks.
So the store gets frozen fish , that they put out on display on ice to look like fresh fish.

I like the individually wrapped frozen fish portions as I can keep them handy in the freezer until we want fish, so I don't buy the ones on ice.

I've also read, some people get cheated and served shark as swordfish in restaurants, since it's so close nobody can tell without DNA testing.

I often ask at the fish counter to buy the fish still frozen in the original pouch. Fish frozen on ship is fresher than fish caught many days ago, not frozen, and shipped and sitting around. For the latter I choose fish/seafood that has been caught locally (gulf coast).

 

[jollystomper]

I hated fish growing. The childhood memories of going with my mother to the “fish market” in the city and buying fish laying on ice giving me their cold stare is still vivid. It is probably a cultural thing, but my parents always prepared and cooked fish with the head on and bones in. Not a joy for me. We ate a lot of canned tuna as well, as it was cheap (easy to stretch into a salad to feed a family of 9). Our school lunches would sometimes be fish sticks, but those were used more for food fights than for eating.

When I went out on my own and could choose what I ate, fish was off the menu. It made it hard for DW after we married, as she ate a lot of fish growing up (her family had access to beach property in the “old country” and many times would swim, fish, and then cook it on the beach), so if she wanted fish for dinner I would make a separate dinner for myself.

Then one magical day, our Megacorp office went on a boat outing, and the boat outfit provided fishing gear. They would also fillet and pack anything you caught that was legal catch. I caught 6 bluefish that day, they filleted them, packed them in ice, and I brought them home in a cooler. DW said “we are going to eat these”, and I agreed more out of ego, since I had caught them.

So I took a bite… great googly-moogly, what is this delicacy I am partaking of?? It tasted nothing like my fish memories from childhood. It was wonderful. Thus, my view of fish began to change. Perhaps not 180 degrees, but we do eat fish a couple of times a week. Not like a “fish connoisseur”, though. Just the “basic fillets” – tilapia, perch, salmon. DW buys these mainly from Costco and a local seafood store. DW eats tuna, I still rarely do, as I ate too much as a kid. I will eat fish sticks, there are store varieties that taste better than what they served in school. I still run away from sushi, while DW loves it (I tried it twice, and my reaction was along the lines of “okay… but I still want a hamburger”).

I do like shrimp and lobster. DW has severe shellfish allergies (they have put her in the hospital), so I eat these mainly when she is out of town. These are “fancy” meals for me. My first lobster was at my first fancy Megacorp dinner, as a summer intern, on a dare. When they brought it out and set it before, I thought “How can I eat this giant insect??” Fortunately I suppressed my childhood cockroach memories and was able to deal with it .

 

[Idnar7]

Some of my fondest memories as a kid were my Gma rowing us around the lake fishing for crappies and bluegills. At night she would annouce there "is a crappie ripple" and we would go. Always caught fish which ended up as huge platters of beer-battered filets. Like eating candy. Nothing better than eating a fish you caught right out of the lake.

 

[harllee]

I love all kinds of seafood and shellfish even sardines and anchovies. I especially love smoked salmon and raw tuna but I don't eat them too often. I love raw oysters but I gave them up due to health concerns and now eat them steamed.

 

[tmm99]

That was me until a year ago. We eat a lot of salmon and it would either be overcooked or undercooked. Occasionally it would be just right but not as often as I would like. I finally figured it out and now I get it just right or really close to it every time. I can control the time and temperature when cooking for just the 2 of us but no way I could cook it properly for a party.

Cheers!

I used to buy wild sockeye salmon from a fishery in WA. It was really tricky to cook it just right because unlike farmed Atlantic salmon, wild sockeye has very little fat and it has very firm flesh. So I used to sous vide it, and it came out right every time.

 

[harley]

So I took a bite… great googly-moogly, what is this delicacy I am partaking of?? It tasted nothing like my fish memories from childhood. It was wonderful. Thus, my view of fish began to change. Perhaps not 180 degrees, but we do eat fish a couple of times a week. Not like a “fish connoisseur”, though. Just the “basic fillets” – tilapia, perch, salmon. DW buys these mainly from Costco and a local seafood store. DW eats tuna, I still rarely do, as I ate too much as a kid.

If those are the great googly-moogly fish for you, you still have a lot of joy to experience. I love those fish, but there are many others that should be eye opening...Chilean Sea Bass, Barramundi, Mahi-mahi, swordfish, many others. Tilapia is mostly farmed, and although it's tasty it's sort of like eating catfish, you don't know what it was eating. Cod, halibut, or flounder is a better version of a light white fish. Experiment, and enjoy!

Some of my fondest memories as a kid were my Gma rowing us around the lake fishing for crappies and bluegills. At night she would annouce there "is a crappie ripple" and we would go. Always caught fish which ended up as huge platters of beer-battered filets. Like eating candy. Nothing better than eating a fish you caught right out of the lake.

I don't fish often anymore, but I do enjoy eating what I catch. Although, truthfully, you can batter fry anything and it's great. I've had beer batter fried mealworms and grasshoppers that were pretty good. With enough beer.

 

[SecondAttempt]

Smoked salmon has a bit more flavor (more fat, more omega 3) than smoked trout. Both are excellent and somewhat related as steelhead are trout that hit saltwater and turn pink after like salmon.

I've had fresh rainbow trout that was pinkish. Trout are in the salmon family.

Someone posted here a couple of months ago about Alsek Salmon, a family run Alaska fishing outfit. After some back and forth with them I'll be placing an order for 40 lbs of wild, hand caught sockeye salmon to be delivered in August after their fishing season. Arriving on an Alaskan Airlines flight direct to Kona. Talk about bespoke! Actually cheaper than local prices including Costco including the flight.

I went to a New Years Eve party here in Kona at the beach with a bunch of Alaskans and there was a LOT of salmon. Suffice it to say, Alaskans know their salmon. The really fresh stuff is downright red, not even pink. (For the unfamiliar, there are a LOT of Alaska folks in Kona. One of them told me years ago that it is because, like Alaska, everyone lives of the same main road.)

I found this thread interesting because I love salmon. To me it is almost the perfect food. I honestly don't understand how anyone can not like it but I know we all have our tastes. My partner likes most fish but is only lukewarm to salmon so I get it.

 

[CaptTom]

I hated fish...

...I caught 6 bluefish that day...

So I took a bite… great googly-moogly, what is this delicacy I am partaking of?? It tasted nothing like my fish memories from childhood. It was wonderful.

Kudos to your wife. Not many people can cook a bluefish to make it palatable, much less taste good to someone who doesn't like fish. There is a long-winded joke about how to cook bluefish which ends with throwing out the fish, and whatever it was cooked in, then ordering a pizza.


For those who don't know, bluefish is very oily. Of course any fish is best cooked immediately after being caught, so that accounts for some of its bad reputation. But it's still not considered a good one to start with for someone who isn't already fond of fish.

 

[pacergal]

My Mom used to make oven fried Smelt, once a year when there was a good smelt run.
A bit of olive oil, salt and pepper. Yum.

 

[target2019]

We've had a lot of salmon of different varieties over the years. Much of what you get in the store is not the best quality.When it's fresh, it does not seem to give off much odor at all.

I detest the farmed stuff. I usually eat a small portion.

In general I've grown less fond of cooked salmon, but I will definitely take a slab or two of smoked salmon or lox on a bagel. Load half of a bagel with cream cheese and various vegetables, lay on a slice of swiss, and have at it. Then there's another half to experiment with.

 

[harley]

Not sure if it will affect the price of wild caught salmon in general, but I was just reading that California Chinook salmon fishing is slated to be shut down this year due to low stock.

Chinook salmon fishing off the California coast will be called off until next spring in anticipation that a near-record-low number of fish will return to the state's rivers to spawn.<snip>
The measure, unseen in 14 years, would temporarily ban both commercial and recreational salmon fishing in the state. Much of the fishing off the coast of neighboring Oregon would also be canceled until 2024.

Hopefully all the rain out west will help, and this will be a short term situation.

 

[SecondAttempt]

I've had fresh rainbow trout that was pinkish. Trout are in the salmon family.

Someone posted here a couple of months ago about Alsek Salmon, a family run Alaska fishing outfit. After some back and forth with them I'll be placing an order for 40 lbs of wild, hand caught sockeye salmon to be delivered in August after their fishing season. Arriving on an Alaskan Airlines flight direct to Kona. Talk about bespoke! Actually cheaper than local prices including Costco including the flight.

I went to a New Years Eve party here in Kona at the beach with a bunch of Alaskans and there was a LOT of salmon. Suffice it to say, Alaskans know their salmon. The really fresh stuff is downright red, not even pink. (For the unfamiliar, there are a LOT of Alaska folks in Kona. One of them told me years ago that it is because, like Alaska, everyone lives of the same main road.)

I found this thread interesting because I love salmon. To me it is almost the perfect food. I honestly don't understand how anyone can not like it but I know we all have our tastes. My partner likes most fish but is only lukewarm to salmon so I get it.

My salmon arrived today cold and fresh! I highly recommend Alsek Salmon. Shipping to Kona Hawaii was probably their biggest shipping challenge yet and they were great! I need to correct that it was actually only 20 lbs I bought. I can post a taste report probably Sunday.

 

[scrinch]

I'm heading off for Sitka on Monday morning for four days of fishing. If all goes well, I'll be flying back on Saturday with a icy box or two of Coho salmon and halibut.

 

[LateToFIRE]

DW and I eat salmon at least twice a week. Prefer non-smoked. Yes, it is a stronger flavor than most other fish. I like it best prepared on an outdoor grilled (both for flavor as well as clean-up), with various seasoning. Sometimes a mustard sauce or honey/maple glaze goes well. Also, side dishes make a big difference in countering the oily flavor some folks don't like - polenta, grits, cous cous, mash potatoes, go well with salmon. Grilled veggies like peppers, cauliflower, broccoli, sliced beets, sliced sweet potatoes, go well. Grilled bread w/drizzled olive oil, and a touch of garlic goes well.

It's important to get good, fresh quality - makes a huge difference in flavor. And also important to cook it to correct temp - cook too long its dry and leathery, cook too short its might gross some folks out if you're not a sushi fan.

Experiment with all of the above, you'll probably find that you like it - it's just one of those things where it has to be good quality and well-prepared and matched with the right side dishes to taste good.

 

[Badger]

DW and I eat salmon at least twice a week. Prefer non-smoked. Yes, it is a stronger flavor than most other fish. I like it best prepared on an outdoor grilled (both for flavor as well as clean-up), with various seasoning. Sometimes a mustard sauce or honey/maple glaze goes well. Also, side dishes make a big difference in countering the oily flavor some folks don't like - polenta, grits, cous cous, mash potatoes, go well with salmon. Grilled veggies like peppers, cauliflower, broccoli, sliced beets, sliced sweet potatoes, go well. Grilled bread w/drizzled olive oil, and a touch of garlic goes well.

It's important to get good, fresh quality - makes a huge difference in flavor. And also important to cook it to correct temp - cook too long its dry and leathery, cook too short its might gross some folks out if you're not a sushi fan.

Experiment with all of the above, you'll probably find that you like it - it's just one of those things where it has to be good quality and well-prepared and matched with the right side dishes to taste good.

It took me a while and a few pounds of Salmon to get the temperature and timing right. Now it comes out perfect every time. Better than a restaurant.

Cheers!

 

[pacergal]

I'm heading off for Sitka on Monday morning for four days of fishing. If all goes well, I'll be flying back on Saturday with a icy box or two of Coho salmon and halibut.

YUM!
enjoy your trip.

 

[MuirWannabe]

Any tricks to preserving smoked salmon from Costco? We enjoy it, but it’s a big package that only seems to last a few days in the fridge once opened?
Also, is it okay to freeze packages before opening?

 

[Koolau]

I was never a fan of Salmon. I like my fish utterly white. That way it doesn't taste fishy. I understand that the oilier fish are probably better for health. SO, I take fish oil in pill form.

 

[Sue J]

Any tricks to preserving smoked salmon from Costco? We enjoy it, but it’s a big package that only seems to last a few days in the fridge once opened?
Also, is it okay to freeze packages before opening?

I often freeze smoked salmon. Mine isn't from Costco but I know what you mean. If it's a big package I portion it into 1lb or 1/2 lb. size and vacuum pack with a FoodSaver.

Lately, we've been buying Latitude 45 brand https://latitude45salmon.com/ and freeze it in the original package.

In my area you can't find authentic lox for lox and bagels. The Latitude 45 has been close enough to satisfy the lox craving. Our Walmart carries the 4oz package and the 8oz package.