# ISO not so fishy fish?



## mike011689 (Oct 6, 2010)

Hey everyone, i'm new here, but i've got a real quick question. I personally love pretty much any kind of fish, but my fiance pretty much hates any kind of fish (with the exception of tuna, which IMO does not count). 

My question is, what kind of fish does not have that really strong "fishy" flavor? And what would be a good way to make it so that someone who doesnt really care for fish might like it?

Thanks everyone!


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## urmaniac13 (Oct 6, 2010)

If she like those tuna from tin, how about making a nice real tuna steak if you can find a fresh quality fillet?  That may well be her gateway to the world of seafood 
Usually those strong typical "funk" comes from the less than freshest fish, but if you live somewhere it is impossible to find such superfresh fish, try ocean perch, haddock or flounder fillets.  Or if they are available try baccalà (salted cod), very very versatile you can do many "fish-hater friendly" dishes.  
I also stress on making a dish with a fillet, instead of the whole fish.  Those who are not used to fish dishes may be turned off by the sight of a figure of a dead fish on a plate!


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## 4meandthem (Oct 6, 2010)

I refuse to buy my fish wrapped in cellophane!You can't smell it and it probably didn't get into that wrap the same day.
Go to descent fish market and smell the fish.
it's eyes should bright and clear too.

Cod is one of my favorites and is a meaty white flesh fish.A good old fashioned fish fry is a great way of getting people to eat fish who normally don't.
You can dip potato wedges,whole cloves of garlic and any vegetable into the same batter and fry.i suggest you do the fish last so everthing has a cleaner flavor.

Another great way is put fish portions in foil packs with
herbs and vegggies and little white wine and bake them.

Grilled is awsome too and gives that smoke flavor a little.


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## Selkie (Oct 6, 2010)

Good fish does not smell "fishy!"

A mild fish that is readily available, very fresh or fresh frozen, would be:

Trout, tilapia, salmon, catfish.


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## 4meandthem (Oct 6, 2010)

Selkie said:


> Good fish does not smell "fishy!"
> 
> A mild fish that is readily available, very fresh or fresh frozen, would be:
> 
> Trout, tilapia, salmon, catfish.


 
I love fish but I find Tilapia and catfish to taste muddy to me.Even when fresh.The only way I have enjoyed Talapia is in Sweet and Sour fish.it can stand up to the sweet.


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## Bigjim68 (Oct 6, 2010)

Canned tuna is actually albacore, and fresh tuna, which needs to be cooked rare, would not be the same.  Any fresh whitefish purchased from a good fish vendor will not smell or taste fishy.  
If your girlfriend will not be turned off by whole fish, the Thai or Cambodian style sweet and sour is delicious, attractive, and not fishy at all.  It is a bit of work to prepare, but the results are worth it.  
I do not buy fish from the supermarket.  It has all been frozen and "thawed for your convenience"  
Basically, you are looking for a fresh whitefish.  I have found some of the best at oriental markets.


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## spork (Oct 6, 2010)

I will break it to you, Mike - you can't change your beloved, all you should do is discover your fiance, in morsel bits.  Maybe it's not the "fishy taste," but rather its texture, its smell, its look, its haunting whale-song on a plate; maybe just the word fish is a nasty four-letter word, or that squid sounds way worse.

All I can suggest for you is shrimp.  The next seafood step from canned tuna.  Which most people love.  And learn to appreciate:  that not all seafood are the same.


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## buckytom (Oct 7, 2010)

tilapia is a good un-fishy fish, but i just can't get past the idea of how some fish farmers feed them. (in case you've never heard, some farmers release tilapia into the poo filled ponds after striped bass or salmon are removed for sale. the tilapia feed on the poo, then are sold to fish mongers as well). 

this isn't all farm raised tilapia, but the idea and uncertainty of it's origin just grosses me out too much to eat it. i know it's hypocritical as i love pork and they inadvertantly eat excrement, but for some reason it bothers me in fish.

on a more positive note: basa or swai are very good un-fishy fishes. they are types of river catfish native to asia, but are now being raised in the u.s..

as far as a good preparation for un-fishy fish, my wife makes an excellent dish of fish filets in (her version of) beurre blanc based on a recipe from a rachel ray cookbook. i searched but couldn't find it online. 

still, you can't go wrong with a simple lemon, butter, and fresh parsley sauce to go with plain fish filets.

hth.


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## Alix (Oct 7, 2010)

Seriously BT? That is GROSS!


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## buckytom (Oct 7, 2010)

yup, gross to the extreme, imo.

it's become somewhat of an urban legend after the practice was shown on an episode of "dirty jobs".

it's probably not so common to be worried about, but i keep thinking of what i have to clean out of my son's turtle/goldfish/minnow tank every month.

yucky-poopy.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Oct 7, 2010)

My first experience with tilapia was definitely less than stellar...very muddy tasting.  Perhaps the cheap fish you are talking about BT.  I recently decided to try it again, believing it was unfair of me to base my dislike on a restaurant offering.  We bought a pound of fresh tilapia and I pan-fried it in a non-stick with just a bit of spice on top.  Shrek loved it and he won't even eat good salmon!  I liked it, too!

No more eating fish in restaurants that do not specialize in fish.


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## Selkie (Oct 7, 2010)

Catfish are bottom feeders (scavangers) and are more "poo-oriented" than tilapia are! 

American, farm raised catfish are feed predominately grain pellets. 

Asian catfish (basa and swai) are caught wild from rivers polluted with human excrement. 

Give me American catfish or tilapia any day!


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## Alix (Oct 7, 2010)

Selkie, I still gotta say YUCK! I'm a bit of a fish snob myself and have not eaten catfish (although I'd probably try that) and didn't care for the tilapia I've eaten (guess now I have a reason for why it tasted like poo!!!) Up here on the Canadian prairies, we have to be a bit picky about our fish or you could end up getting something nasty. 

In our limited world we eat salmon most often, as it is the easiest for me to acquire. We also enjoy both sole and pickerel. Pickerel is a particular favorite of mine, but not that easy to get these days. If you are looking for non fishy tasting, I'd vote for pickerel (or walleye I think some folks call it). We get pickerel cheeks and pan fry with garlic butter. OMG, I'm drooling just thinking about it!


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## Selkie (Oct 7, 2010)

Oh, Walleye!!! Yummm!

If you ever have a fish fry, I'll bring trout and hush puppies!!!


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## Andy M. (Oct 7, 2010)

I have to agree about catfish.  I was not impressed the couple of times we tried it.  As far as tilapia - to me it has no flavor.

I'm not a huge fan of fin fish.  I like swordfish, salmon, bluefish the best.  They are very strong flavored fish.


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## Alix (Oct 7, 2010)

OK, taking this thread a bit off topic, sorry Mike!

Andy, have you ever had ceviche made with swordfish? TO DIE FOR!!!


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## Andy M. (Oct 7, 2010)

Alix said:


> OK, taking this thread a bit off topic, sorry Mike!
> 
> Andy, have you ever had ceviche made with swordfish? TO DIE FOR!!!



Just getting into ceviche.  I've made it with shrimp so far.  I'll have to convince SO that swordfish ceviche is a good idea.


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## GB (Oct 7, 2010)

Andy M. said:


> I have to agree about catfish.  I was not impressed the couple of times we tried it.


If you ever feel like trying it again Andy then go to Fireflys BBQ (Framingham, Marlboro, and now Quincy) and get the fried catfish. I promise it will change your mind.


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## Andy M. (Oct 7, 2010)

Thanks for the tip GB.


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## buckytom (Oct 7, 2010)

mmmm, scallop and shrimp ceviche!!!!!

now, i would leave a woman who didn't like shrimp and scallop ceviche. ya hearin' me mike?


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## Zhizara (Oct 8, 2010)

Grouper is a wonderful firm, mild tasting fish.

My favorite way to prepare it is to cut it into inch and a half chunks and poach it in a little Italian salad dressing, nothing else needed.  The vinegary taste of the salad dressing goes away, leaving all those lovely spices.  It doesn't get much better tasting than that and could not possibly be easier.


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## ChefJune (Oct 8, 2010)

Alix said:


> Seriously BT? That is GROSS!


 
you run that rish with all farmed fish, unless you know personally the source of the farm and exactly how they do it.  Farmed fish from other than the USA (much comes from Southeast Asia) is not recommended by health folks. and personally, I won't purchase farmed fish other than domestic catfish, which is raised in freshwater ponds and not muddy, like the ones we ate as kids.

My personal recommendation to OP is to stick with white fleshed fish that he knows are fresh.  If  you can smell fish, you don't want to buy that. and cook it the same day.

Fresh wild Alaskan Halibut is definitely not a fishy fish.  Spread the fillet with a thin film of Dijon mustard and coat the top with seasoned bread crumbs (made from fresh bread, not tinned) Bake in a preheated 350 oven for about 10 minutes (10 minutes per 1 inch of thickiness of the fish is a good rule of thumb), then run under the broiler for a few seconds to brown the crumb topping.


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## Andy M. (Oct 8, 2010)

buckytom said:


> ...i know it's hypocritical as i love pork and they inadvertantly eat excrement,...




BT, no one raises hogs that way anymore.  Modern high volume hog farming techniques are very different.  Check this out:

HowStuffWorks "Hog Raising"


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## ChefJune (Oct 8, 2010)

> i know it's hypocritical as i love pork and they inadvertantly eat excrement,


No self-respecting pig farmer would EVER let his/her hogs eat excrement!  I don't know where you got that misinformation, BT.  My grandfather and two of my uncles raised pork for market, and I helped in a lot of their procedures growing up. I can tell you for a fact that pigs are the cleanest animals on the farm. They are very fastidious. The fact that they love to roll in the mud does not make them dirty. And they do not eat garbage, and certainly not excrement.


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## luvs (Oct 8, 2010)

tilapia, cod, roughy, flounder. cut them w/ citrus/butter. fiance may well luv them thereafter! wink.


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## luvs (Oct 8, 2010)

4meandthem said:


> I love fish but I find Tilapia and catfish to taste muddy to me.Even when fresh.The only way I have enjoyed Talapia is in Sweet and Sour fish.it can stand up to the sweet.


 
i despise mudsucking phishies. my Dad cooked catfish here & there, & luvs crawdads & they weren't 4 me!~ tilapioa, though, i find 2 be very mild~


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Oct 8, 2010)

Un-fishy fish:
fresh tuna, with the blood line, back, and belly removed
Cod
Red Snapper
Flounder
Perch
Smelt
Small Mouth Bass
Whitefish
Herring
Catfish
Sunfish
Crappie
Walleye

And for canned tuna, not all canned tuna is albacore, only the white tuna, and it is the tuna with the heavy metal and dioxin contaminants.
Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North


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## Andy M. (Oct 8, 2010)

How hard would it have been to come up with a name for a fish other than crappie?


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## Kayelle (Oct 8, 2010)

Just snorted my ice tea Andy.  

As for "fishy tasting" fresh fish, I think salmon is at the top of my list.  I just don't get the popularity of salmon.


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## Andy M. (Oct 8, 2010)

Kayelle said:


> Just snorted my ice tea Andy.
> 
> As for "fishy tasting" fresh fish, I think salmon is at the top of my list.  I just don't get the popularity of salmon.



I really enjoy salmon but SO dislikes it.  When I'm having salmon, I cook haddock for her.  On the other hand, we both love swordfish.


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## GB (Oct 8, 2010)

Kayelle said:


> Just snorted my ice tea Andy.
> 
> As for "fishy tasting" fresh fish, I think salmon is at the top of my list.  I just don't get the popularity of salmon.


I will agree with you mostly with cooked salmon.

Now raw salmon is a fish of another color. Raw it is one of the best tasting things ever and does not taste fishy at all.


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## Selkie (Oct 8, 2010)

Salmon has several things going for it:

*It has a high fillet to waste ratio. A 10 pound salmon may yield 7 lbs. of fillets.
* Salmon has a unique, yet un-fishy flavor (a matter of taste). The skin crisps into nice texture, and the meat flakes, letting you see that it's cooked properly as it's served. Smoked salmon acquires an almost sweetness to it, and in the Pacific Northwest it's sometimes referred to as "Squaw Candy."
*Salmon is abundant and is a self-renewing food source.
*It's readily available fresh, frozen, dehydrated, smoked, salt packed or canned.
*There are probably more different recipes for preparing salmon than any other ocean fish.

I prefer mine smoked, then dehydrated with a soy-honey glaze!!!


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## ChefJune (Oct 8, 2010)

Andy M. said:


> How hard would it have been to come up with a name for a fish other than crappie?


 

  ...but it's pronounced CROPpie, Andy!


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## ChefJune (Oct 8, 2010)

Salmon is one of my favorite foods, but I concede it is definitely in the "fishy fish" category.  I would never cook it for someone who is not (pardon the pun ) an aficionado.


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## powerplantop (Oct 8, 2010)

Alix said:


> Andy, have you ever had ceviche made with swordfish? TO DIE FOR!!!


 
Here in Chile swordfish and sea bass (corvina) is common in ceviche. Reneita a cheap and very tasty fish is also used. 

Salmon carpaccio is also common. For that they make salmon ceviche then lay it out tile like, add cheese and capers top with lemon, really good stuff. But all of the ceviche is in the citrus for only a few minutes before serving and I have not seen any chiles in the ceviche.


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## Kayelle (Oct 8, 2010)

GB said:


> I will agree with you mostly with cooked salmon.
> 
> Now raw salmon is a fish of another color. Raw it is one of the best tasting things ever and does not taste fishy at all.



I'd agree with that GB....I *love *salmon sushi and I also like smoked salmon, but cooked salmon just doesn't do it for me....sumpin evil happens to it.


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## Kayelle (Oct 8, 2010)

mike011689 said:


> Hey everyone, i'm new here, but i've got a real quick question. I personally love pretty much any kind of fish, but my fiance pretty much hates any kind of fish (with the exception of tuna, which IMO does not count).
> 
> My question is, what kind of fish does not have that really strong "fishy" flavor? And what would be a good way to make it so that someone who doesnt really care for fish might like it?
> 
> Thanks everyone!



I just posted this recipe for you mike.  I bet your honey would like it.
Hope this helps. 

http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f16/fabulous-fish-italiano-67408.html#post925734


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## buckytom (Oct 8, 2010)

Andy M. said:


> BT, no one raises hogs that way anymore. Modern high volume hog farming techniques are very different. Check this out:
> 
> HowStuffWorks "Hog Raising"


 
thanks andy. interesting info.

chefjune, relax your pits. i wasn't attempting an agenda of "misinformation". coprophagia is common amongst many animals, _especially_ pigs. 

the reason why farmers try to avoid letting their pigs eat their own or other animals excrement is a higher risk of parasite infection.

unless you helped your uncles with piggy pooper scoopers, they probably ate some poop.


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## Claire (Oct 9, 2010)

As someone who absolutely hated fish until I was pushing 30 and hubby got assigned to Hawaii:

I don't care what anyone says, to me any of the higher fat fish (salmon for example) taste too fishy.  And, as a kid, I hated the canned tuna we ate on Fridays during lent.

Hawaii undid my pre-conceived notions about the flavor of fish.  I love raw beef, and so I took to ahi sashimi like a fish to water.  Now, living in the midwest, I will buy tuna that has been flown in.  I also like swordfish.  For local fish, I like trout and perch.  They are all mild.  I'll eat canned tuna if it is all white in water.  That gray stuff in oil that was all we could get when I was young is out of there.  Actually, the gray to black lines that go through many fish is way too strong for me.

I've come a long way from the fish hating kid I was (and in my twenties, anything really good was out of my price range), but I still am somewhat fussy about eating fish.  It has to be really mild.


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Oct 9, 2010)

Problems arise in cooked fish such as salmon and tuna when it's improperly prepared.  That grey-oily tuna meat is the blood line.  It should have been removed before the tuna was cooked.  The same is true of the flesh under the dorsal fin and along the belly.  That is where the nasty flavors come from.  The flavor of fish fat is about the same as cod liver oil.  Prepared properly, both salmon and tuna are excellent fish. Yes, they do have a pronounced flavor, just as beef has its own flavor.  But it's not that fishy flavor that is much like the smell of a fish shop.  As for swordfish and brook trout, they taste very similar to me.  Brook trout that's been brought to life in hatcheries is very mild in flavor.  I prefer wild trout, with that beautiful light orange flesh.  But that's my choice.

Not everyone is going to like strong flavored fish, or even medium strong flavored fish.  My eldest daughter doesn't like cooked salmon or trout, but loves swordfish.  I'm not crazy about some of the extremely mild fish.  To me they are boring and tasteless.

I think it has something to do with the sensitivity of our taste buds as well.  As a kid, I hated rye bread with caraway seeds, and horseradish.  As I grew older, as with everyone, my tastebuds lost some of their sensitivity.  One day, I found that I loved rye bread with caraway seeds, and horseradish.  The flavors of the ingredients hadn't changed.  But my sensitivity to them did.  Salt became less salty.  Horseradish had less bite.  Unfortunately, though I still love them, blueberries don't taste as amazing as they did when I was a kid.  It's simply the nature of things.

My point is, you may not like the flavor of a kind of fish today.  But in another ten years, it may taste wonderful to you. And a tip for the op.  Your partner may not like the flavor of some kinds of fish.  But that doesn't mean that if you do like them, you can't have them.  Try making the fish in foil packets, with a bit of butter, some sliced potatoes and carrots.  Both of you will have what you want, individualized to your taste preferences.  She doesn't even have to have fish in her foil pouch.  She can have chicken, or beef, or whatever.  you will both enjoy a good meal together, and that's what eating together is all about, enjoying it together.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North


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## luvs (Oct 9, 2010)

i concur that oily phish-ies~ they're less than preferential, here!


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## Cynthia B (Oct 9, 2010)

*Cod*

I am also not a huge fan of fish but love ling cod and black cod (aka sable fish).  Black cod is very buttery - so yummy.  I make "healthy" fried fish with roasted carrots and chipolini onions.  For the fish: flour, then egg/dijon wash, and finally a mixture of bread crumbs/parm/minced basil/S&P.  I use grapeseed oil to fry the fish so any fat is "good fat".  Serve with homemade tartar sacue and malt vinegar.  Delicious.


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## spork (Oct 10, 2010)

I'd like to add one more suggestion for our OP's soon-to-be-bride.

Some people object to it, on a moral basis... shark.  It's a fish without a skeleton; very lean, almost no fat/oils.  It cooks with a taste and texture almost like an extremely tender pork loin.  Not "fishy" at all.


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## buckytom (Oct 10, 2010)

spork, i'm surprised that someone who is landlocked can get good shark. you must have a good monger who gets shark that is butchered and flash frozen as soon as it's caught.

otherwise, shark get an ammonia smell within minutes of the fish dying. i've caught a few sharks in my time and even if it was put on ice (whole), it was inedible from the smell.


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## spork (Oct 11, 2010)

BT, I'm an avid angler, too, and have inadvertently caught shark (never taken one home to eat, though).  So, I'm all too alarmingly familiar with how seafood starts to spoil within minutes of its death and exposure to air.  It applies to "frozen, freshly thawed" too -- I'm especially wary of thawed crab which ammonia-izes very quickly.

So I always ask the monger, "exactly how fresh," and I always ask for a personal close inspection of the flesh, including a sniff.  If it has even the faintest ammonia smell, I politely pass.  Don't ever eat it!  I don't think it's toxic, but that ammonia smell will ooze from your pores for the next two or three days.

I've prepared steaks of thresher shark _tonkatsu_ style, panko-breaded and shallow fried, drizzled with a bottle of traditional tomato/prune sauce.  On a bed of cabbage strips slawed lighty with mayo and lemon juice.  And have served it to guests who were completely fooled into thinking it was pork.


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Oct 11, 2010)

Skates and rays are not so endangered as are some species of sharks, and are made of the same stuff.  They are closely related.  As was mentioned by the others, if not really fresh, they start to smell like ammonia.  But if they are fresh, the meat is sweet, not fishy, and absolutely delicious.  

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North


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## buckytom (Oct 11, 2010)

mmm, spork. shark tonkatsu sounds delicious, besides cool. 

gw, i just learned abour rays and sharks being related this past summer on a family trip to the nj state aquarium in camden. they have a really neat pond where you can pet and feed rays. my boy loved it. we went twice and closed the place both times because we couldn't drag him away from them, lol.

i've had skate wing kimchee style before, and i've heard fresh skate is sweet enough to be cut into rounds and sold as scallops. 

hey, getting back to the op - mike's question, what about trying scallops for your beloved? they can be prepared in so many ways, from ceviche, to sashimi, to marinara, to st. jacques, to fried, to simply seared with butter.

my favourite ways would be sashimi (hotategai), or marinara.


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## Claire (Oct 12, 2010)

Bucky, somewhere I lived (good grief am I getting old, I can remember, either Hawaii or Virginia, maybe even Florida), there was a scandal where shark was being cut into circles and sold as scallops.  I guess if no one notices the difference (I've had both shark fin and I buy scallops very often) ....  buyer beware.  After a few glasses of wine, in a restaurant, maybe I wouldn't notice the difference?


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## ChefJune (Oct 12, 2010)

Kayelle said:


> I'd agree with that GB....I *love *salmon sushi and I also like smoked salmon, but cooked salmon just doesn't do it for me....sumpin evil happens to it.


 
Wild salmon ([referably Alaskan) is one of my favorite foods of all time, and I will eat it any way at all.  raw in sushi, cold smoked, hot smoked, grilled, poached, baked, broiled, _just DO it!_ 

Here is one of my favorite ways to enjoy salmon:  

*Falafel-Crusted Salmon on a bed of Spinach*
This is a “restaurant-style” dish that is easy to make at home.  It’s a very popular choice for my Cooking Class Parties, because almost everyone likes salmon.  Everyone also wants to be able to present an impressive and delicious meal to family and friends with as little effort as possible.
6 servings
2 wild salmon fillets, about 1 pound each, skin removed
Dijon mustard
1 cup “Fantastic Falafel” mix
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon freshly ground cumin
extra virgin olive oil (to film the pan)
2 additional tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium sized onion, chopped
2 bags (10 ounces each) fresh spinach, stemmed, well washed and dried
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
 
1. Cut each salmon fillet into 3 equal servings.  Put a thin coat of mustard on top of each piece.

2..In a small flat bowl or plate, blend falafel mix with pepper and cumin. Place both the fish and falafel plates near your cooking surface.
3. Film a large non-stick skillet with the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Dip the mustard side of each piece of salmon in the falafel mixture.  Shake off excess and place in the hot oil, crumb-side down.  Cook until almost done (and well browned) before turning the pieces over (about 4 minutes).  Cook about 4 more minutes.  Remove to a warm platter and keep warm.


4. Add about 2 tablespoons olive oil to the skillet and sauté the onion until soft (about 4 minutes). Add the garlic and ginger and sauté briefly.  Add the well-dried spinach to the pan and cook until wilted. When the spinach is almost dry, add the balsamic vinegar and toss gently to coat the spinach.


5. Divide the spinach among 6 individual plates and arrange the salmon on top.  Serve at once.


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## Zhizara (Oct 12, 2010)

Andy M. said:


> How hard would it have been to come up with a name for a fish other than crappie?



I agree.  They must have been the ones that named grouper.


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