Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with cooking and fish

Traditional-schmaditional

owtytrof — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 12:49:42 -0800

RecipeFilter: Seafood stew stumper! A local Italian restaurant serves a fantastic bowl of cioppino, which I would like to try to replicate at home. The problem is that the dish I'm trying to make is not cooked in the traditional tomato and garlic broth, which is all I can find via Google, but a creamy lemon butter version.

I'm fairly handy in the kitchen, and not afraid of improvisation, but I need a starting point. Any tips, ideas, or actual recipes for this apparently rare version of cioppino would be greatly appreciated!

No-carb carnivore cooking and diet tips?

korpios — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 21:08:31 -0800

What are some cooking and diet tips for an ovo-lacto carnivore? (No, that wasn't a typo.) After reading Good Calories, Bad Calories, I swiftly changed my entire dietary regimen over to a near-zero-carbohydrate diet. I still eat leafy greens — but other than that, I barely touch single-carb foods and refuse to eat anything with more than a single carb per serving. The bulk of my diet now consists of meat, eggs, and cheese, along with servings of spinach leaves here and there. While I've gotten creative with mixing ingredients into omelettes, I'd like to expand my culinary horizons a bit while staying within the boundaries of my chosen diet. Does anyone have any suggestions for doing so? (Examples: ingredients to try, useful cooking techniques, or recipe sources.)

Note: Please do not reply with either moral or major health concerns regarding my diet; that's not what I'm asking for. Minor health concerns, e.g., "you might want to take a Vitamin C supplement", are okay.

The last time I ate fish, it was in fingers...

[ixia] — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 00:15:24 -0800

After a decade of vegetarianism, I'd like start including fish in my diet. I live near my city's major fish market, but I have no idea what to buy or how to cook it. I would love to hear your favourite simple fish recipes. What can I cook which is:

a) Practical to cook for one person.

b) Not too challenging to the palate of someone who has never really eaten fish.

I'd like to start out eating with fish that are relatively mild, but I am not brave enough to ask the local fish sellers "Um, hi...which of your fish taste least like fish?"

Despite my vegetarianism, I am generally an enthusiastic and adventurous eater. Strong spices, interesting flavour combinations and unusual cooking methods are all very welcome.

Can I make a ceviche a day ahead?

deinemutti — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 16:41:38 -0800

Can I make a ceviche a day ahead? I am going to a potluck dinner party tomorrow and I'm thinking about making a ceviche as an appetizer. I've never made a ceviche before (but have eaten it many times), but I was wondering if I can get away with making in a day in advance? Or will it be a dodgy, soupy mess if I do it that way? Should I make it a couple hours before instead (if I have time)? The recipe includes coconut milk being added after the tuna is cured with lime juice, I don't know if that complicates anything. I can give you a fuller recipe if needed.

Great ideas to spice up fish cooking?

parmanparman — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 20:38:16 -0800

What is the best fish cookbook for the beginner?

Overcoming a fish block

banjo_and_the_pork — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 04:07:12 -0800

Help learn to like (or at least tolerate) fish! Recipes needed. I've read this thread, and have always written fish/seafood off as something I'll never like. I've never, ever, liked any kind of food from the sea, but I'd like to give a valiant effort to trying to overcome my fish block. I eat pork, poultry, and beef, but I'd like to have some more options (other meats need not apply, I could barely choke down some lamb I made last night, but I'll save that for another question).

In recent years I've tried really high quality seared tuna steaks and a little smoked salmon- the tuna wasn't overly fishy, but the texture and the length of time it sticks around in my mouth for chewing really put me off. The salmon was so, so fishy, and again, the texture was off-putting. I'm not picky about veggies or spices, so any kind of preparation would be welcome.

I'd love some tried-and-true recipes that have helped to convert non-fish-eaters to fish-likers (or fish-tolerators). Please no seafood, though, I'm ok with the idea that I'll never eat lobster, clams, etc.

how to I make salmon behave properly?

mustcatchmooseandsquirrel — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 11:48:40 -0800

How do I make salmon "cakes"? Or, rather, something similar to salmon patties or salmon croquettes. I've googled and found some recipes but most do not line up with what I actually want to do.

I want to make the salmon cakes with the frozen salmon that is, at present, hanging out in my fridge defrosting. And, I want to bake rather than fry. Most of the recipes online call for canned salmon and frying.

Can you give me a good recipe for what I want to do? I would prefer recipes that you have tried and have worked but would also be cool with general "if something says to fry it for X minutes, you can bake it for Y minutes" advice.

How do I clean turbot?

romakimmy — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 03:18:01 -0800

How do I clean turbot? Thanks to the Christmas rush, the fish counter at the supermarket wasn't cleaning purchases. Despite years of fishing with my dad, and generally being pretty handy in the kitchen, I am totally clueless when it come to actually cleaning the fish.

A quick Googling gives me helpful results like "clean the turbot " (Great. How?), "have your fishmonger clean the turbot" (Argh), or "Clean and Unclean foods listed in the bible" (not clean). Help?

Bonus Points: A quicker method for cleaning mussles apart from getting OCD with a wire sponge?

What the crap do I call this thing?

shwynn2 — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 12:05:29 -0800

Looking for a spatula that can pick up and flip food, especially fish. These were on infomercials for a while... I'm looking to buy one of these for a family member who wants one, but I cannot for the life of me think of what to call it, so google searches have been fruitless.

It's like a spatula made of wire, and it's flat. It somehow opens up to be like tongs almost? And you can use it to pick up and flip a piece of fish.

I remember seeing tacky as-seen-on-tv commercials for it maybe 3 or 4 years ago. Any ideas?

Salmon Rushdie!

potch — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 11:18:53 -0800

What's the best seasoning for baking a salmon fillet in the oven? My girlfriend's making it for dinner, and I'm advising. Since this is dinner, quick responses would be appreciated. Thanks!

Fish my wish

Afroblanco — Tue, 18 Jul 2006 20:29:28 -0800

What are some good sauces and marinades for fish? I love fish. I am also lazy. Typically, I'll just take a fillet of some sort, marinate it in soy (I love Soy Vey), and cook it in the oven.

However, soy is getting old, and I'm interested in some new sauces/marinades. What all would you suggest? Recipes as well as brand names are welcome.

My favorite fish are : tuna steak, swordfish, halibut, sea bass, and mahi-mahi. Salmon and tilapia are also good with the right sauces.

How can I eat more fish cheaply?

nebulawindphone — Mon, 16 Jan 2006 14:21:55 -0800

I'd love to add more fish to my diet. But I can't afford salmon or tuna steaks or swordfish or any of that yuppie crap. I happen to live near a decent fish market. They sell all kinds of cheaper fish: spots and chubbs and mackerels and whatnot. Tell me about those. How do I pick 'em? How do I cook 'em? Which ones are the tastiest? Which are the best bargain?

Shellfish cooking?

Cosine — Sat, 22 Oct 2005 14:07:50 -0800

Any cooks out there help me with shellfish cooking? I love shellfish, it's one of my favorite foods, but either I have a too sensistive palate or I'm not finding fresh fish, if I order shrimp, prawns, scallops, etc in a restaurant more times than not I regret it because the fish tastes "fishy", even in higher end restaurants and when I buy shellfish for home cooking I almost never end up eating the dish myself as it smells and tastes "fishy" while my guests say it's fine. I grew up in a fish free household 1500 miles from an ocean but now live on the Pacific coast so that could also be part of it. Does anyone have any tips to either find fresher fish or cook/prepare them in such a way as to keep their fresh taste?

Cedar Plank Salmon

nyxie — Thu, 11 Aug 2005 19:33:00 -0800

How do I cook salmon on a cedar plank in the oven? I've googled, but there doesn't seem to be a consensus on whether to soak the plank in water or brush it with olive oil (or both), whether to oil before or after preheating, and so on. What's worked or not worked for you?

Cardboard Box Smoker Advice?

robocop is bleeding — Thu, 30 Jun 2005 09:55:09 -0800

This weekend I intend to construct a Custom Corrugated Vapor Colloid Applicator to smoke some fish. Now I've seen Alton Brown do this on my DVD of the show a dozen times, but I'm still a bit iffy about 1) not burning the house down 2) creating something non-food poisonalicious and 3) getting it done in time for a BBQ on Sunday. Any MeFi homemade smoker veterans have any tips for a beginner?

Squeezing water out of canned fish

invisible ink — Mon, 06 Jun 2005 02:59:29 -0800

What's the best way to squeeze water out of a can of fish (i.e. tuna or salmon)? I've tried removing the lid and pressing it down hard into the can, but then it tends to get stuck, and I end up spending the next several minutes trying to dig it out with a knife. Thanks to everyone in advance.

In search of palatable fish dishes

Soliloquy — Mon, 21 Mar 2005 21:56:24 -0800

We have decided as a family that we need to lower our cholesterol levels, and want to add fish to our diet for the omega 3 fatty acids. But we all hate the taste of fish. Are there any fish dishes or preparation techniques that minimize, or, preferably, completely obliterate that fishy taste without smothering the fish in yummy cholesterol-laden sauces? Unfortunately, most of us dislike strong spices (well, except garlic), so masking the taste with curry or hot peppers isn't an option either.

Or should we just take supplements?

Cooked Fish Skin

adamrice — Fri, 02 Apr 2004 09:50:02 -0800

Any uses for cooked fish skin? [more inside] I smoked a 10-lb salmon on the grill yesterday and separated the meat from the skin (it was deboned at the fish counter). So now I've got all this skin (and the head), and I was wondering if I can make soup stock or fish paste or something with it. Seems a bit of a waste to throw it out.

Something's Fishy

ao4047 — Sun, 14 Mar 2004 09:00:09 -0800

How can I neutralize fish odors, either in the air after cooking / preparation on plastic or metal dishware? (more...) I'm doing a high-protein diet lately and find myself eating an inordinate amount of tuna and salmon. I'd rather not have the smell of a fish-house hit me in the face every time I enter my abode. Sure, potpurri is one option but is there some magic combo of lemon and some household product that I should be using when I wash the dishes?