Fish Favorites

[Georgie]

Ok, so drooling over the Oktoberfest Reunion photos and Scott's post about people's common reactions to kingfish got me thinking a bit.  Wondering how everyone rates their favorite fish to eat, and favorite ways to eat them.  Here are my top ten as best I could remember.  

1. (tie) Wahoo and Cobia - So TOTALLY different and yet TOTALLY awesome. Wahoo is the mild flavored version of mackerel with a firm and flaky texture that just can't be beat for grilling.  Cobia has the buttery smooth texture and delightfully simple flaver that I've NEVER experienced elsewhere (it's a very evolutionarily unique fish, so that might explain why it's so different). IMO Both are best grilled, lightly coated in oil, and seasoned to taste so that you can still enjoy the fish's own flavor and not just the seasonings, but cobia also broils and sautees AMAZINGLY.

2. Hogfish - light, sweet, super tender, yet JUST firm enough to hold together, a very slight upgrade from yellowtail snapper.  Great pan or deep fried (panko breaded!), or rolled/stuffed with crab/shrimp stuffing or similar.

3. Yellowfin tuna - if fresh off the boat and properly iced, sushi ALL the WAY!  a lil soy in the center, some key lime drizzle, and hopefully some wasabi on the side.  Alternatively, pepper or sesame seared in grapeseed oil on the stovetop are killer!

4) Yellowtail snapper - All purpose delicious.  Can do EVERYthing and EVERYone likes it.  The other shallow water snappers can't come close.  Have never had queen or other deepwater snapper though.

5) triggerfish - yes, I know this is an oddball for most, but hands down this is the BEST sandwich fish I know of after hogfish.  tender yet firm, white, flaky, sweet.  Awesome pan fried and slapped on some cuban bread or a kaiser roll.  Add some coleslaw and mango chutney, or just some good ol lettuce, tomato, onion.  Mmmmmm..

6) wild caught salmon, dolly varden, or arctic char - about once a month I get a HUGE craving for a sour cream dill or caper sauce over broiled salmon.  Teriyaki wood grilled also rocks!  Can't eat it often b/c salmon is so rich, but GOD it's good every once in a while.

7) mahi - another do-all that can be cooked any way and works for everyone.  Very versatile.  Falls behind yellowtail only because I guess I'm getting a tad bored of it and it can be found EVERYwhere down here. (yes, I know I'm spoiled).

8) pan fried fresh trout - a trout and bacon breakfast in cast iron skillet instantly teleports me back to childhood in Connecticut.  Properly cooked with the right amount of seasonings and a crispy skin, you can stick your fork in along the lateral line, and pull away from the body leaving ALL secondary bones still attached to the skeleton. Amazing!

9) striped bass - another New England specialty.  Large-bodied, firm, white, flaky, and just a tiny bit fibrous for texture.  Flavor is wonderfully mild but not as boring as something like cod.  Great baked/broiled or sauteed.  Tends to stick to grill if cooked on open flame.

10) lionfish - new entry this year, but kind of a cross between hogfish and cod.  Light, sweet, tender, flakier than hogfish, and great as seviche or panko fried!

Honorable mentions:

Sheepshead - a tiny bit "plasticky" in texture, but crustacean flavor is unmistakeable and delicious.
Rainbow runner - I know, another odd one, but to me it's a perfect cross between tuna and striped bass in texture and flavor.
kingfish - smaller fresh kingfish are awesome.  there is almost no fishiness when they have never been frozen, were bled immediately after capture, kept on ice, and are small enough that you don't have to worry about mercury.
redfish - classic, simple, reliable, popular and versatile
snook - haven't been lucky enough to catch a keeper in season in more than a decade, but strongly reminds me of striped bass with a slightly less appealing texture.

Haven't tried tripletail or permit but have heard they are delicious.
Only time I had tilefish it was a 14 incher from the fish market in Galilee Rhode Island 15 years ago and i thought it tasted like cardboard,  yet people rave about it down here.

Just not a fan of grouper.  Bores me.  Texture is too rubbery and it's almost TOO flaky (if there is such a thing).

What else have you got!?!?  

[gran398]

Great post Ryan!!

One I might add is Greater Amberjack.

Place three well scrubbed medium-sized river rocks in a pot of salted, boiling water.
Quickly add the Amberjack nuggets, boil three minutes, do not overcook.
Drain

Discard the Amberjack and eat the rocks

       

[seabob4]

Great post Ryan!!

One I might add is Greater Amberjack.

Place three well scrubbed medium-sized river rocks in a pot of salted, boiling water.
Quickly add the Amberjack nuggets, boil three minutes, do not overcook.
Drain

Discard the Amberjack and eat the rocks

       

That same recipe is used for a LOT of fish, Scotty...

Personal fav, snook nuggets deep fried in a fish n' chips beer batter...

[dburr]

Ryan man, I am so,disappointed, don't forget your YANKEE roots!!    

Your move south is showing

Under the influence of a nice Einbecker Pils, but for tacos and sammitches,

#1 gotta be cod fish.. See post Yankee and Redneck tacos..
Some (most)will put haddock first but there is something about cod that makes it right....

Otherwise, I am in near complete agreement..

Scotty's AtKINson's breader really make a differance 'lesson your willing to experiment with your own recipe..

[Georgie]

#1 gotta be cod fish.. See post Yankee and Redneck tacos..
Some (most)will put haddock first but there is something about cod that makes it right....

 Probably shoulda mentioned that beer battered cod in fish n chips is DANG high up that list, but I don't deep fry too often, and growing up on the north side of LI Sound, we actually didn't ever catch them so I never got to eat 'em fresh.  Only exception were the few head boat trips we took out of Cape Cod when I was REAL young.  Permanently conquered any future chance of sea-sickness when I was 4 years old on one of those trips.    ...and still managed to catch one of the 6 fish caught by the entire boat.    

I think I may have also been scarred by the number of places that would substitute generic scrod when the Atlantic cod population crashed....To me, THAT stuff is Starboard in edible fish form.  

[seabob4]

We here in FL obviously have an entire smorgasbord of excellent choices, but seeing as I grew up about 10 minutes from Lake Michigan, boned and buttered lake (yellow) perch is hard to beat.  A whole mess of bluegill fillets lightly fried, smallies, freshwater cats...

[dburr]

 :bounce:  

[Georgie]

:( Where is everybody...thought this would bring people out of the woodwork to share/boast of their favorites.  Bummer....

seeing as I grew up about 10 minutes from Lake Michigan, boned and buttered lake (yellow) perch is hard to beat. A whole mess of bluegill fillets lightly fried, smallies, freshwater cats...

I've had some bass, crappie, perch, catfish and sunfish over the years, but to me most of the freshwater fish are just missing something huge in the flavor department...even the trout I mentioned in my list.  I don't know if it's just the saltier flavor in the meat of saltwater fish or not, but I say this only because I've been substituted freshwater fish like tilapia at certain establishments and my head started spinning on my neck after the first bite because the flavor difference is so significant to me.

Those of you who are able to go scalloping, are the fresh scallops noticeably better than store bought or restaurant stuff?  I ask just cuz the difference with finfish is SO noticeable.  LOVE scallops but haven't yet been able to get to the west coast with the boat and indulge.  

Also, I know it's a grouper, but anyone here had jewfish/goliath pre-moratorium (or otherwise  )?  Just curious.  Would love to hear opinions on some of the other stuff we don't see much in So Flo.  West coasters, hows the ling cod, yellowtail, rockfish, abalone, albacore, fresh salmon, etc. all compare?

Yes, I have not had dinner yet, in case it wasn't completely obvious.  :bounce:

[seabob4]

Ryan, there is NO comparison between fresh scallops and store bought.  You eat fresh, you won't buy store bought again!

[gran398]

Ryan, there is NO comparison between fresh scallops and store bought.  You eat fresh, you won't buy store bought again!

Once you've had fresh Bayport scallops....you'll never go back  

Hang loose for info...next summer's scallop diving event will be the best attended yet

[dburr]

Winter scallops up here, lightly sautéd in butter with a splash of white wine..???.... FUGETTABOOOUUUIT!!!!!!

Only better way is served up after a really light sauté in a stew, (whole milk right from the cow, butter, salt, pepper paprika) with oyster crackers and a dill pickle.......

[gran398]

Sounds delicious Dave!

Have the oyster crackers and pickle.

Please send cow

[seabob4]

Winter scallops up here, lightly sautéd in butter with a splash of white wine..???.... FUGETTABOOOUUUIT!!!!!!

Only better way is served up after a really light sauté in a stew, (whole milk right from the cow, butter, salt, pepper paprika) with oyster crackers and a dill pickle.......

This, right here.  Excellent, Dave!

[RickK]

For me, trout, reds and snook top my list.
Snook really doesn't have a taste after you skin it so it takes on the taste of your cooking style. Probably my favorite table fair but not so easy to catch.
Reds are very tasty especially when they are fresh - I remember catching a nice one and pulling to shore, filleting it, skinning, breading and frying it on the beach.  Fried up some potatoes and onions prior to cooking the fillet - yum.
Trout are also tasty but you gotta be good to skin them without cutting through the skin.  The skin is very thin.  Pouched with some onions and peppers - yum

[slvrlng]

If you have trouble with the skin on trout get one of these. Mine even works on spanish which IMHO are much harder to de-skin than trout.

http://www.amazon.com/Wusthof-Classic-7 ... ilet+knife