Favorite Fish

Fish, shrimp, lobster, crabs, scallops, and any other type of seafood.

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Postby Stan41 » Tue Dec 04, 2007 9:48 pm

Bigwheel: Catfish do readily absorb the taste of their surroundings. Here in Mills County the Colorado has such cloudy water that there are no water plants of any kind growning in it. The fish are delicious. However by the time the Colorado gets down to Austin it has been through several lakes and is crystal clear with water weeds growing in it. My Brother in law lives between Austin and Bastrop and fishes in the Colorado. I can tell lots of difference in the fish he catches and the ones I catch. His tastes like those water weeds smell.

I have a friend who lives here now, but used to live on the Brazos up near Mineral Wells. He said the Catfish from the Brazos up there tasted slightly better than the ones here. His reasoning is that there is enough salt water dumped in the Brazos from oil wells that it gives the fish a better flavor. I don't know about that.

Stan
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Postby bigwheel » Wed Dec 05, 2007 6:18 pm

Sounds plausible to me. Thanks for the info.

bigwheel
honu41
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Postby honu41 » Thu Dec 06, 2007 12:34 pm

Aloha guys and gals,

Just dropped in on "Fish and Seafood." Very interesting and I would like to try some different ones. How do you prepare them... in a smoker, grill, fry or bake? Living here in the Pacific Northwest we have 5 different kinds of salmon and I hope to learn how to smoke salmon. My sons and I went to Sitka, Alaska last June and got into coho and king salmon plus halibut to 80 lbs. Each of us brought back over 100 lbs of flash frozen fillets and steaks.

As for my fave fish? Ahi or yellowfin tuna...and you don't smoke or even cook it! RAW! There are a few fish that that I like from HI but you have to pay dearly to get them.

I noted that some of you had tilapia on your list. It was introduced to Hawaii from Africa in the mid 1950's as a control for vegetation and a baitfish for the tuna industry. In fresh water the fish tasted terrible like the water it was in. Eventually it migrated to brackish water then salt water. I never could get by the taste of freshwater tilapia. The ones from saltwater, including Waikiki Beach were good. Nowadays the tilapia in the American markets are farm raised in the States and are okay but I still have memories from HI. Asian markets often sell frozen fish imported from Asia. We were warned here by the Health Dept. that the fish farming environs in other parts of the world could be contaminated and making the fish less than healthy for consumption.

I plan to go to Florida next year to visit a grade school friend and fish for redfish, bonefish, jack cravelle and mahimahi. He said the redfish and mahi are ono (delicious) but the bonefish and jack are barely palatable. Has to be what the fish eat and I think that is the same for any species, fresh or salt water no matter where in the United States.

So if any of you have info, techniques and recipes for smoking seafood please share. Mahalo (thanks) in advance.

a hui hou kakou,
honu41
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Postby copkid » Thu Dec 06, 2007 1:02 pm

Aloha Honu!
It sounds like you know as much about seafood as alot of us. Unfortunately, in Indiana, our selection of fresh fish is so limited, especially if you are on a budget! My kids and I love salmon,(kids more than me) and alot of people smoke them indirect on the grill on cedar or alder planks, soaked in water first. (the planks) I've cooked more delicate fish on the grill using soaked corn husks. You can find them in the international or mexican aisles at the grocer. I wrap the fish in them with some lemon slices, fresh dill and good old S&P, drizzled with EVOO. We love tilapia, but I'm sure it's difficult getting over a bad taste experience.
Other than that, our favorite way to cook fish is a quick pan fry with eggwash, and panko bread crumbs and parmesan cheese crust! Yummy!
I wish I could try more fish!
Laura
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Postby Papa Tom » Thu Dec 06, 2007 2:13 pm

Now here we got a Hawaiian living in the Northwest asking us flatlanders how to fix fish? :dont:
Smoking salmon I dry cure the fish with Mortons sugar cure for a day then rinse, coat with oil and smoke it (with oak because alder doesn't grow here). Simple as that they come out good. I'm talking about whole salmon but then I guess I'd do a fillet the same.
tarde venientibus ossa....
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Postby honu41 » Thu Dec 06, 2007 3:05 pm

Aloha Laura and Papa Tom,

Beside grilling I like fish panfried like that. Last Friday I had a highschool classmate from Indiana for dinner and I served halibut eggwashed then breaded with panko and chopped macadamia nuts. But instead of a cheese topping I made a salsa with papaya, mangoes, avocado, lime juice, cilantro and jalapeno peppers.

Papa Tom, we eat salmon raw, grilled or fried but I never made smoked salmon and that is why I asked. Hawaiians salt the salmon, then rinsed and chop or shred. Fresh chopped tomatoes and finely sliced green onion tops are added. Very simple...

So the salmon is brined first then smoked. I am assuming at a low temp?

I want to learn more about bbq/smoking and sometimes I feel lo-lo (stupid) to ask. But hey, I came to the experts...

take care a hui hou kakou
honu41
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Postby copkid » Thu Dec 06, 2007 3:17 pm

Trust me; there are no stupid questions! I've already asked all the stupid ones! :lol: Working with fish can scare me sometimes. Especially if I spend alot of money on it and I am scared of screwing it up! I would really like to do a whole fish on the grill, head and all! I've never done a fish just smoked or salt cured, just cook indirect or direct on the grill. I had a really bad experience with smoked fish at a restaurant once! :cry:
Laura
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Postby DATsBBQ » Thu Dec 06, 2007 3:18 pm

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Like Papa said, low temps around 190 to low 200s. Least that's how I do 'em.

Keep and eye on it, it can get too done quick. 8) They ain't as forgiving as pork butts.
Last edited by DATsBBQ on Thu Dec 06, 2007 5:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Postby Papa Tom » Thu Dec 06, 2007 3:26 pm

Don't feel lo-lo....ask away.
Yeah I smoke them at 225-250*. The curing seems to help the texture and the flavor. I have gotten far better feedback when I cure them. I have never used any spice but there's no reason why you couldn't.
My wife's cousin in Oregon was a commercial salmon fisherman before he struck gold (really) and he used elderberry to smoke his. I don't know what temperature he smoked at but it had to be low because he had a fire pit in the ground that was tile piped several feet to the smoke house (smoke box? really too small to call a house).
tarde venientibus ossa....
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Postby DATsBBQ » Thu Dec 06, 2007 5:18 pm

Oily fish smoke better than lean ones. It's a fish fat thing :D :lol:
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Postby Stan41 » Thu Dec 06, 2007 6:01 pm

I'm a native born Texan, and I can tell you the rules for 90 percent of Texans when it comes to meat and seafood.

1. All Chicken needs to be fried. (except chicken & dressing or dumplings)

2. Turkey needs to be smoked or fried whole. (exception is turkey & dressing once a year.

3. Pork can pretty well be fixed any way and it will be good.

4. Beef can pretty well be fixed any way and it will be good.

5. All fish, oysters, and shrimp need to be rolled in either a flour batter or a cornmeal batter and fried. Possibly blackened fish once in a while. Nothing raw.

6. Calamari is used for bait.

I pretty well agree with these rules.

Stan
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Postby Papa Tom » Thu Dec 06, 2007 10:30 pm

Long ago when I got transferred to Kansas I was welcomed by one of the city fathers and he said let me give you some advice...." It's Kansas, don't order the seafood......".
tarde venientibus ossa....
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Postby copkid » Thu Dec 06, 2007 11:51 pm

Papa Tom wrote:Long ago when I got transferred to Kansas I was welcomed by one of the city fathers and he said let me give you some advice...." It's Kansas, don't order the seafood......".


Boy, that's the truth! I didn't know what real Boston Clam Chowder was until I went to Boston!!!!!! Dang!! Not just the chowder, but seafood in general!!! Of course, they couldn't fix a good steak to save themselves....... 8) , but they could fix some darn good seafood!
Laura
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Postby catfishd » Fri Feb 29, 2008 10:44 pm

My favorite fish Hmmmm that is tough so here is two lists

Freshwater:

Flathead (Opoleousa) Not even walleye compares. Pure white meat only catfish that is not a scavenger eats live prey. Dont knock it till you try it :D
Walleye
Crappie
Perch (Real perch Northern Perch)
Highfin Blues (catfish)
Striper
Sandbass

Saltwater:

Wahoo
Amberjack
Pampano
Snook
Grouper
Yellowfin (Tuna)
Ling (Cobia)
Triple Tail
Shark
Salmon
Mangrove Snapper
Redfish
Speckled Trout
Sheepshead


My freezer stays stocked with fish. I just wish I could get my hands on more walleye and real northern perch.
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Postby JamesB » Fri Feb 29, 2008 11:41 pm

I like most all kinds of fish... prepared most all types of ways... fried, broiled, grilled, blackened etc... don't really care for poached or steamed varieties tho...

James.
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