Fish

[LJC]

What is your favorite fish?

I was on vacation out of the country recently and had a chance to eat Permit for the 4th time in my life. Permit are endangered and although in the US you can sport fish for them there are huge fines and possible imprisonment for keeping them. I am not sure if it is the romance of food on vacation or eating the forbidden fish but I can't stop thinking about how much I love it.

I love fish in general and as of late Cod has been my go to, but if I had to state my favorite it would be Permit hands down. What is yours?

[NulloModo]

I like different fish prepared in different ways.

For a simple beer-batter set-up cod is hard to beat.

Tuna wins for being served sashimi style, or seared, or as a steak. It is an extremely versatile fish.

Catfish is great for spicey preps, really, blackened catfish with a nice gravey on top, that is ethereal.

[Jensen]

Being an island girl from the west coast of Canada, I'd have to say my number one favourite is halibut, followed by salmon. Kokanee is damn good too but it's not a commercially available fish; I haven't had it since I lived in the Yukon.

[robyn]

What is your favorite fish?

I was on vacation out of the country recently and had a chance to eat Permit for the 4th time in my life.  Permit are endangered and although in the US you can sport fish for them there are huge fines and possible imprisonment for keeping them.  I am not sure if it is the romance of food on vacation or eating the forbidden fish but I can't stop thinking about how much I love it. 

I love fish in general and as of late Cod has been my go to, but if I had to state my favorite it would be Permit hands down.  What is yours?

←

I think someone gave you the wrong information. Permit is a regulated game fish in Florida. Basically - you have to use a rod and reel - and there are daily limits - but you don't face fines or imprisonment for keeping them (unless you've caught them in a prohibited way - or exceeded the limits). By the way - are you sure you had permit - and not pompano (they're similar - but permit are usually a lot larger)? Robyn

[SobaAddict70]

Smelts, by far. Fried, served with a squeeze of lemon and maybe some steamed rice, and a salad.

Flounder, trout and porgy aren't far behind either.

Flounder/porgy: steamed, with scallions, ginger and black beans.

Trout: pan-fried, with maybe some broiled tomatoes and bacon.

Soba

[Carlovski]

I'm a big fan of the often underrated sea bream.

Also lemon sole - maybe not quite as good as dover sole (although sometimes I even prefer it's softer flesh), but about 1/3rd of the cost.

Also Mackerel and Herring.

[DaleJ]

OMG, smelts! Twenty five years ago "a mess of smelts" was a spring and summer standard at the London Chop House in Detroit. Sadly enough, I haven't tasted one since.

[wattacetti]

What is your favorite fish?

←

Anything!

Fresh- or salt-water, all fish are good to me, though I'm not in the habit of eating fish in batter (too much Cap'n Highliner at one point).

Since it's winter, I've been partial to Patagonian Toothfish (especially good when pan roasted with a port reduction). I've also been on the road a lot in the past couple of weeks, so I'm seeing a lot of the "in" fish - halibut, skate, black cod. Staples such as salmon, sole, trout, tuna, snapper and tilapia(!) have also made appearances on menus I've read.

Edited January 28, 2005 by wattacetti (log)

[reesek]

mackerel and yellowtail for sushi or "collar" eating. pickled herring is also very good.

white spanish anchovies in vinegar (boquerones) i'm obsessed.

cooking favorites - albacore, wild king salmon, sturgeon & halibut.

[Tess]

I'm extremely fond of the fish you get in Hawaii, such as opah, onaga, ono, opakapaka... anything. In any restaurant in Hawaii, I pretty much ask for what's best and freshest, and I always like it. Coming from the Midwest, it is such a treat. I buy it when it turns up in the stores here, but it's not the same.

More locally to me, I do like Lake Superior Whitefish if it's cooked right (a big if).

[Mr Wozencroft]

lightly smoked haddock

Thick end of salt cod (make it at home)

Sea bass (on the bone)

yellow fin tuna sushi or (albacore tuna in oil with horseradish).

[patti]

Mine would have to be any of the fish caught on fishing trips with my Dad when I was a kid. The list would include bass, white perch, sac-a-lait, and catfish. Spend the day catching fish, then home where Daddy would fry them all up for us. I've never tasted better fish.

[Country Cook]

A freshly caught 2-7 lb Walleye

[fifi]

In a younger time, I was involved in some serious sportfishing (pestering pointy nosed fishes in various parts of the western world) so I suppose my prejudices come from there. First, a confession: I don't like raw fish. And I have had tuna belly sliced by a sushi chef who happened to be on board when we landed the 400 pound yellow fin. I still don't like it.

Number one has to be wahoo steaks, fresh from the hook.

Next is mahi-mahi, dorado, dolphin fish . . . whatever, in the form of ceviche about two hours from being flipped into the boat or a few hours later with the filets grilled in garlic oil at the Presidente Hotel in Cozumel. The grill (griddle, actually) guys know what they are doing.

Sashimi grade tuna fish tacos in Hanalei, Hawaii.

Home smoked, fresh caught salmon with my buddies in Bellingham, Washington. Ditto for the grilled halibut.

A nice big (30 pound or so) baked red snapper, fresh from the Gulf of Mexico, body cavity stuffed with oja santa leaves, doesn't suck.

[irodguy]

Tuna encrusted with Sesame seeds Rare with a Soy honey ginger sauce

Seared Salmon, normally the thinner tail portion best for a really nice sear. Over cucumber salad

Freshly caught Spanish mackerel

A really good grouper sandwich

[RETREVR]

That is like asking what your favorite color is. It all depends on the occaison, and how it is prepared. I had a very fast tuesday night dinner of simple cod that considering the context could not be beat. Halibut and sea bass are pretty dammed good.

[KatieLoeb]

Since I am newly employed in an oyster & seafood house, I am still exploring the menu. I had a lovely broiled Tilapia this evening with a sweet and spicy chili glaze that reminded me how much I really love Tilapia (aka St. Peter's fish).

Tuna is a favorite under almost any circumstances, as long as it isn't cooked past medium-rare at most. Love it as sashimi.

Sea Bream sashimi has to be one of the most awe inspiring things I've ever had.

Salmon is also good almost any way, again, as long as it isn't overcooked. Raw is even better.

I do love me some smelts! I miss having smelts and it's been awhile. I need to go find some on someone's menu somewhere.

A few years ago I worked at (and was a customer for years prior to that) a wonderful and sorely missed fish restaurant here in Philly called BLT's Cobblefish. One of my absolute favorite dishes on the menu were the "Buffalo fish", which were tiny little puffers, battered and fried and then served like Buffalo wings with Buffalo wing sauce, celery sticks and blue cheese dressing. I really miss that place as the fish preparations were endlessly creative, and incredibly reasonably priced. And the restaurant was BYOB which made it that much better. They made the most awesome smelts at Cobblefish. I really miss that place.

[EdS]

I love fish and I have to say that as long as its fresh and well-prepared, I like everything. For sushi, I tend to go for toro (fatty tuna) or saba (mackerel).

[binkyboots]

Mackerel and Herring, cheap and so good for you! I like to coat either in oatmeal and fry it (or bake it if I'm being diet friendly).

[chef koo]

I'm a big fan of the often underrated sea bream.

Also lemon sole - maybe not quite as good as dover sole (although sometimes I even prefer it's softer flesh), but about 1/3rd of the cost.

Also Mackerel and Herring.

←

in japan bream is considerd to be the best fish.

personally my favorite fish overall has to be cod.

[Carlovski]

I'm a big fan of the often underrated sea bream.

Also lemon sole - maybe not quite as good as dover sole (although sometimes I even prefer it's softer flesh), but about 1/3rd of the cost.

Also Mackerel and Herring.

←

in japan bream is considerd to be the best fish.

personally my favorite fish overall has to be cod.

←

It's amazing, a while back, at my local farmers market a local fisherman was selling sea bream and sea bass. The Bream was less than half of the price, but he couldn't shift it, although the sea bass was flying off his stall.

[howard88]

I enjoy most if not all salt water fish, for some

strange taste reason I cannot get close to any

fresh water fish.

The fish I eat most often is salmon.

The fish I like the most are Sea Bream,

Turbot, and Blue fish.

All in all I guess for the most part I like

a stronger flavored fish compared with fish

like flounder or sole.

[NulloModo]

Oh wow, how could I forget anchovies, a gift from the gods as far as potent flavor for such a little fish goes...

Still, my favorite fish-eating memory is from years back when I was visiting my uncle at the lake down in Auburn, AL. We were all ready to swim, and the rain moved in, so instead of swimming we went out to the corner store, bought a bunch of cane fishing poles (basically pieces of cane with a piece of twine that dangled from the end to which a hook and a worm could be attached) and from his pier my sisters and I easily caught 20+ pounds of great looking catfish. Fresh from the water my uncle cleaned them, fired up a huge outdoor deep fryer, whipped up a cajun style breading, and wow, that was some of the most succulent stuff I've ever eaten.

[jo-mel]

1. - Smelt

2. - Fresh water Perch

3. - Walleye

4. - Salmon -- and not just for health reasons

5. - Scrod

(Those last two, must be served with a Black Bean Sauce)

[M. Lucia]

I can't believe no one has mentioned my favorite:

Pompano

flavorful and luscious without being overly fatty, it is wonderful

It is also hard to find in groceries, and I am lucky to get it at Citarella in New York.

If you haven't had it, I urge you to search it out.

I also used to love the tilapia I used to get in South Carolina, but I find the proliferation of the farmed tilapia to be too tasteless. I like to do it en papillote, but these days I use sole.

And of course salmon, roasted is my favorite, but hey smoked is good too.