Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with seafood

Refreezing seafood; why is it bad?

[insert clever name here] — Fri, 24 May 2013 09:11:02 -0800

I'm trying to find technical information on why refreezing seafood is bad. I've found a pretty good one explaining the problem behind refreezing food in general at The Straight Dope, but I'm looking to dive deeper into it, specifically what effect it has on things like lipids, what the chemical changes are, what nutrients are lost or start to break down, etc . . . along with the spoilage risk which sounds like its much worse with shellfish even if kept at refrigerated temperatures. (At least that's what the internet tells me) Bonus points if anyone can also point me to something that explains the problem with long term freezer storage of shellfish, again, specifically what nutrients break down and how. It is recommended only 3-6 months as opposed to a year for other meat.

Have rods, tackle & permit, will travel near Seattle.

halogen — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 16:37:43 -0800

I just acquired a couple of light-duty (i.e. inappropriate for river salmon) fishing rods, I've received a primer in selecting tackle and setting everything up, I know my knots, I've got my permits and a Discover Pass, and my cooler is ready for some fresh catch. Where, within a 40 minutes' drive of Seattle, can I go catch delicious fish that I can cook and eat? Any recommendations for location-specific books or other resources geared toward an absolute beginner who is more enthusiastic about the food than the sport? I live near I-90 at I-5, a few blocks from the lake but am not so sure about all the sewage and pollution warning signs at the docks that are within walking distance – and I take my dog there daily but I've never seen any people fishing.

Minor food neurosis help needed

A Terrible Llama — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 18:49:09 -0800

Can you help me bravely order mussels in restaurants? I like mussels, and occasionally cook them at home. But I sometimes find myself skeeved out by the cooking of other people and in particular, find it impossible to order mussels in restaurants. The descriptions sound good -- in fact, pretty much like I would make them. But I don't trust them to have bought the mussels that day and to throw out the grody ones and to not have them sitting in a big walk-in cooler in a plastic tub filled with the gray brown water of melted ice that surrounded mussels from last week.

I do like raw oysters, roasted marrow bones, venison, carpaccio, blue cheeses--a whole host of things that some people are probably right to be grossed out by. I'm not overly concerned with germs. I use a wooden cutting board for everything and don't concern myself about it. Why does this thing bother me?

Can you (gently, if you don't mind) suggest an alternate viewpoint that will allow me to order mussels in a restaurant?

Seattle restaurant for 20-30 fancy fellows?

Juicy Avenger — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 13:53:56 -0800

Calling all Seattle foodies. I am totally at a loss, as I've never been there. But I'm looking for a nice, classic restaurant that serves good seafood. I'm looking to book a place for our main dinner honoring the residents/post-doc fellow students who will present at a conference. Criteria are:

It should be near the downtown/bellhouse/pike place area.

It needs to be a place that would take a reservation for 20-30 people.

Seafood.

NICE. Money not much of an object. In fact, if it's too cheap, it will raise eyebrows.

Even the biscuits are gross.

sparklemotion — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 11:33:49 -0800

I need to eat at Red Lobster. What is there on the menu that a relative food snob like myself might enjoy? A friend has gone through some rough times, and some of us are taking her out to dinner to help cheer her up. Said friend loves Red Lobster and is really excited to go there.

I've tried politely suggesting other options nearby in the same price range that I consider to be a better value for the money (I also offered to cook and host dinner at my house), but her heart is set, and this is about her, not me, so I need to go along.

I will be less resentful about having to eat at a place that I consider to espouse everything that is wrong with chain dining in America if there is some hidden gem on the menu that is actually really good.

My parameters are kind of picky:

I'm hoping to avoid anything pre-cooked and frozen, or straight off of the Sysco truck. This, for example, is why a place like Outback Steakhouse that supposedly cooks much of its food from scratch would be more appealing to me, whilst still being a chain.

I've read enough Anthony Bourdain to know that dishes like Crab Linguine Alfredo (which are 90% pasta and 10% yesterday's leftover crab all for only $19.95) are a ripoff.

I'd be OK with doing the whole lobster (at least I know that's fresh) but will I be overpaying for a sad, poor quality lobster that lived out the last of its life in a tiny tank with poor filtration?

I also don't generally eat much seafood because I live in Minnesota so it's not like it's ever really fresh and it's always so confusing to tell what is overfished or poorly farmed, or has to much mercury and all that. I do know about the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch, so I'll be using that to help narrow my choices as well -- I'd like the fish to be a "good alternative" if not a "best choice".

I realize that this is particularly idiosyncratic of me, but I'm not a fan of cheese that tastes like cheese (gimme mozzarella or provolone and I'm fine) so the Cheddar Bay Biscuits (which seem to be a guilty pleasure of even my food snobby friends who agree that Red Lobster sucks) make me gag.

I don't want to do something like eating before hand and just nursing some drinks all evening either, because I feel like that would be awkward while everyone else is enjoying a meal.

The meal doesn't have to be particularly healthy: butter (as long as it's actually butter and not country crock or some hydrogenated nightmare -- what is that "butter dip" made out of anyways?), deep-fried, salty, fatty, are all good, as long as they taste good.

Money is also no object. I will be paying for my own meal, and we don't eat out that often, so if the right answer is the whole lobster at $35/lb (or whatever market price ends up being), I'll do that. I just don't want to get ripped off and be disappointed in the meal.

So, hivemind, what does Red Lobster have that's actually good?

San Francisco's Seafood Scene

graphtheory — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 13:08:49 -0800

Why isn't there more seafood in the San Francisco Bay Area? Geography, history, or something else? Other major port side cities have booming fish markets and access to lots of fresh seafood.

Why is this missing in San Francisco? Clams and oysters seem to be all we have. The only two reasons I can think of: not enough naturally occurring seafood in the nearby waters, or some historical / cultural preference for other cuisine. But I can't find any supporting evidence from a quick internet search.

Does anybody know?

Fish dish

elizeh — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 13:03:37 -0800

Need suggestions for seafood entrees that will hold up well (not get rubbery or slimy or unsafe) for a couple of hours on a buffet table. Soups/stews OK--we'll have access to a crock pot.

Help me make a delicious crab boil, please.

Charity Garfein — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 23:52:20 -0800

I am throwing a crab boil! Wait…how do I throw a crab boil? My friends and I are throwing a crab boil in Seattle next week. I've seen recipes that call for potatoes and ones that don't, ones that involve heads of garlic and ones that don't, ones that involve everything getting boiled, and ones that involve a giant pot but not too much water, resulting in most things just being steamed. What do we do? (I read this thread, but it didn't quite have the level of detail I am looking for. You can't put all the food in the pot at the same time, right? Don't potatoes take way longer to cook than crabs? SO MANY QUESTIONS.)

Is there an ideal way to do this? Should we do crabs, or other shellfish? Is it better with a variety of seafood, or just one kind? What have been some of your successful or perhaps unsuccessful variations on the [sea creature] boil? Do you pick the kind of sausage you boil based on the seafood you're using, or is there a gold-standard encased meat for all boils?

Most of my go-to food and recipe blogs don't seem to have covered the ins and outs of crab boils, so I'm also desperate for online resources you've found particularly helpful. Bring unto me your crab know-how so that I may turn it into a crowd-pleasing feast!

I wanna eat these leftovers! Just not right now.

catch as catch can — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 13:37:43 -0800

If I freeze this soup, will it be edible once defrosted and warmed up? Difficulty level: squid. Just made really tasty squid soup, using squid that was fresh on the day I bought it and then immediately frozen. Squid spent roughly 3 weeks in the freezer before I defrosted it in the fridge today for the aforementioned delicious soup. A rough ingredients list, in case it's relevant: onion, garlic, cumin, coriander, chickpeas, tomatoes, stock, squid, and stelle pasta.

So my question is twofold:
- presumably reheating the soup fully would negate any possible bacterial nastiness with the squid, right?
- will the veg and pasta just end up turning into a horrid mush if frozen, defrosted, and reheated?

Salad ain't cutting it, I want protein!

embrangled — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 02:15:47 -0800

I commute by bike, and ever since my commute tripled in distance, I've been coming home tired and hungry and and wanting to EAT ALL THE PROTEIN. Can you recommend some tasty, high protein vegetarian or pescetarian meals which I can either prepare in advance or throw together in the 20 or so minutes before severe post-workout hungry-crankiness sets in? (I actually love the exercise, I just don't think I'm giving my body enough protein right now to fuel all I'm asking of it)

I'll eat you out of that pineapple under the sea.

munchingzombie — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 20:16:33 -0800

What are some great seafood restaurants on the Oregon Coast not terribly far from Portland? It has been a while since a similar question has been asked. A friend from back home is visiting and loves seafood. We would like to go to someplace like Cannon Beach and stuff ourselves with all manner of sea creature.

We would like something casual. We are willing to travel but can't be out of Portland more than eight hours. Bonus points if there is some land animal my seafood-averse boyfriend can eat.

Best Crab Legs in Suburban Chicago?

Angel de Lune — Sun, 08 Jul 2012 21:10:40 -0800

Where are the best crab legs in suburban Chicago? My birthday is next week and as a tradition I reward my annual aging by dining on crab legs (my fav!). In the past we have gone to Pappa Deaux in order to satisfy this convention, but the conveniently located one is closed now and I figured we may as well mix things up anyway. Where can we get the best crab legs in suburban Chicagoland? I live in Schaumburg and my parents live in Des Plaines and we'd prefer to stick around the surrounding area rather than heading deep into the city. Any recommendations? We have been to Pappa Deaux's, Red Lobster, Joe's Crab Shack, and Shaw's. I was considering Bob Chinn's, but that place looks crazy expensive and I saw it got some mixed reviews. Thanks for your suggestions! :)

Do you know her?

furiousxgeorge — Mon, 07 May 2012 19:09:28 -0800

I am trying to identify a woman from a cookbook. "The only thing I know about her is two pictures from a cookbook printed by the Maryland Seafood Marketing Authority (Department of Economic and Community Management) in the mid-1970s." "There's a picture of her on the second page, where she's standing ankle deep in the ocean, holding a big net and looking for fish or oysters or some goddamn thing. Before the recipe "Basic baked fish - tender and moist" there's a picture of her holding a spear, looking out at the ocean on a rock. I think she's wearing high heels for some reason? And at the intro to the chapter on Oysters and Clams, there's a night-time picture of her sitting next to a bonfire. And actually I just realized that on the back cover, she's sitting on the shore with the spear. So I guess its four pictures? Anyway, I found the sequel to this cookbook, and there are no pictures of her. Only pictures of cooked shellfish. So someone must have complained about her stealing the show?"

Eating in New Orleans?!?

ambient2 — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 11:30:13 -0800

New Orleans eats? A friend from Qatar (!) is traveling to Nawlins, would love some suggestions for places locals eat, mostly cajun and seafood--from cheap diners to spending a good bit of money. Thanks

LOBSTER ROLL NOM NOM NOM

stewiethegreat — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 12:54:52 -0800

Are there any places to get a Lobster Roll in Los Angeles? After a trip to the east coast, I've rediscovered my love of lobster rolls. So far, I've found the Lobsta Truck, which is tasty, but it doesn't come near me very often.

I live in Pasadena and work in Hollywood - any restaurant options? Thanks!

Revenge of the crab: rashes and their treatment

jquinby — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 17:31:35 -0800

How long can I expect to enjoy my new seafood-related rash and is there anything I can do to speed this up? I tried soft shell crab for the first time the other day and woke up the next morning with an all-over rash. I look sunburnt. The odd thing is that I've had no other symptoms. No upset stomach, tingling, difficulty breathing or any of the really scary allergy signs.

It really doesn't even itch that much except in occasional HOLY SHIT waves of pinpricks. Benadryl at night helps, but I'm interested in hearing about anything else to try (I came across a reference to vitamin C) or how long this might last. You are not my doctor, I get it. This is just really annoying.

I like spicy fish soup. But nobody will be there to make it for me.

Vorteks — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 15:23:46 -0800

I want a crockpot recipe I can make overnight that tastes like Bahama Breeze's "Bahamian Seafood Chowder" Tomorrow morning I have to pack a lunch. I was just thinking - it would be awesome if I could put some stuff in my crockpot go to sleep, wake up in the morning, put the contents in a thermos, and have something like Bahama Breeze's "Bahamian Seafood Chowder". Do you know a recipe like that?

It actually needn't include that much seafood, since I'd prefer it be easy and I'm actually not a huge seafood fan ("So why are you asking this question Vorteks?", I know I know). I definitely don't plan on frying shrimp separately or shelling lobsters or anything. Salmon, or haddock, or some other high-protein fish would be fine. But I love that spicy creamy broth and would like to combine that flavor with a high-protein seafood.

Is this do-able? If you could recommend something similar to what I'm thinking of I'd be much obliged.

Thanks Mefites!

The jar also advises, "Examine oysters for pearls"

halogen — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 00:31:20 -0800

Can I eat it, oyster edition: I left a jar of fresh yearling oysters at room temperature while I went snowboarding. I was gone for approximately 10 hours, and when I came home the temperature in the apartment was 66°F, but it was around 70°F when I left. The jar is labeled "Perishable" and "Refrigerate", but the sell-by date is April 17th.

I plan to season and cook them in some way tomorrow and use them as the filling for a French omelette.

Will I die?

Anniversary-worthy seafood in Toronto?

scrute — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 22:44:36 -0800

Good seafood/fish in Toronto without breaking the bank? Monday is our anniversary, and of course we would like to go out somewhere nice. Mr. Scrute would like to eat fish or seafood, although it doesn't necessarily need to be a seafood restaurant.

So, Torontonians, please help me! Given that its December, we don't want to spend a fortune (mains between 18-25 if possible) but I really want the food to be good and the restaurant to be nice.

PS - We're open to different cuisines, although we'd rather not go Asian (simply because we eat it a lot).

Fix-it-and-forget-it fish?

gallusgallus — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 11:36:20 -0800

I need a fish course for the middle of a 2+-hour holiday dinner. Please recommend delicious fish or seafood recipes that can be prepped a few hours ahead of time, and that don't require much fussing right before serving? I'm looking for 1-2 fish or seafood dishes to serve in a family Christmas Eve dinner that follows the traditional Eastern European structure of 12 serial courses (i.e., each course is finished before the next is served). The dinner will be meatless, but otherwise I'm pretty flexible in terms of flavors/ethnicities/styles, because none of us are huge fans of the more orthodox cabbage- and beet-centric Christmas eve fare.

Because of the logistics of serial serving, I'm trying to choose dishes that can be mostly prepared at least an hour or two in advance of being eaten, and that don't require a ton of close attention-- for example, careful watching to test doneness-- right before they're served. Basically, I'm looking for things that can be made earlier, then slapped in a slow cooker or oven to keep warm until their moment in the meal arrives. But 99% of fish recipes seem to involve very brief cook times with lots of watching, and prompt serving thereafter. There'll be a soup course earlier in the meal, so fish stew is out.

Can anyone recommend any relatively low-maintenance, temporally flexible fish recipes for me to consider? It's a big dinner with picky eaters present, so bonus points for dishes incorporating fish that's fairly inexpensive and mild-tasting, like salmon, flounder, shrimp, tilapia, etc. Thanks so much!

Mackerel = Hake = Orange Roughy = Marlin = Snoek?

girlgenius — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 19:32:54 -0800

Where can I find information about local substitutes for fish varieties from other countries? I like cooking fish, but many of my cookbooks and recipes come from other countries. I'd like to be able to substitute local fish for those listed in the recipes, either because the variety listed isn't available here; or because it's air-freighted from the other side of the world, which I'd rather avoid.

Is there an easy source of information which will tell me what fish to substitute? Failing that, is there a single source that lists characteristics of many fish (oily, firm, flaky etc) so that I can work it out myself?

(Posisbly relevant: I'm in Australia. Most of my recipe books are from the UK, and I use online recipes from the USA, Europe and South Africa)

What's the best seafood restaurant in downtown Baltimore?

Faint of Butt — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 07:09:14 -0800

What's the best seafood restaurant in downtown Baltimore? Here I go, asking about my own hometown, but I'd like some advice. I've got friends coming in from the UK later this month (their first visit to the States), and I want to take them out for really good seafood. They'll be staying near the Inner Harbor, so I'd prefer to stick around there. McCormick & Schmick's? The Rusty Scupper? Somewhere else?

I don't have an expense account budget, but I don't mind spending money as long as the food is worth it. And excellent crab cakes are a must.

Let's play "Please the Pescetarian!"

supercres — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 12:06:46 -0800

Mrs Supercres just switched from vegetarian to pescetarian (which she already asked about). And I'm a fish-cooking neophyte. Now that the initial shock / honeymoon is over, help us integrate fish and shellfish into our weekday dinners cheaply and conveniently. Basically, we're looking for something with the convenience of frozen supermarket fish "portions" but the tastiness of fresh filets. I realize that's a tall order and we're going to end up compromising on one of those, but here are some thoughts we had (with questions following):

I enjoy cooking, but I haven't cooked fish or shellfish much in the past. When I do, it's a fresh filet of something mild and white with some butter, dill, and lemon. Put simply, I don't know that many techniques for integrating fish (especially shellfish) into recipes.

We try to grocery shop once a week, so we decided that would be our opportunity to buy a few fresh filets of whatever looks good (and possibly is pre-seasoned). It's tough to go out again on a weeknight to get something fresh, otherwise we'd just do that.

I've considered trying something "classic" like tuna casserole, but, you know, not the stereotypical mush. (If you have a recipe, I'd love a link. But that highlights that the fish doesn't need to be central-- I love making risotto (especially when it's cooler outside), so that's an easy way to add in some fishy protein.

We are keeping an eye to sustainability, for what that's worth. We have all the links to websites, iPhone apps, etc., so while that is appreciated, having them again would be redundant.

Mrs S enjoys mostly lighter white fish, as well as things like mussels and clams. No shrimp or smoked salmon/lox yet. Fresh salmon and tuna probably okay. I know describing desired fish as "non-fishy tasting" is ubiquitous and annoying, but yeah... that.

And now, some questions:

Is there a middle ground between fresh filets and frozen fingers? Are the frozen bags of tilapia filets at, say, Whole Foods worth it? And can we cook them the same way that we would a fresh filet, i.e., under the broiler, sauteed, or in a foil pouch? Does the taste/texture suffer in an obvious manner?

How well do other seafood products fare in the fridge/freezer? I'm thinking specifically of bivalves like mussels and clams, or more prepared products like lump crab and out-of-shell mussels. (And here I'm thinking about the non-canned kind that you might find in a refrigerated case next to the seafood dept at WF.) Is that something we could buy on Sunday and eat on Thursday? How about the canned lump crab or mussels? Again, do taste/texture suffer?

Other than the already-mentioned tuna casserole, do you have creative/tasty ways of serving up "cheap" seafood like canned (or vac-sealed packets of) tuna and salmon?

Just in case she changes her mind, how do you like to prepare smoked salmon and/or lox? I personally think it's heaven on an onion bagel with cream cheese and a slice of red onion, but I miiiight be willing to take a few other ideas.

I've seen these previous questions already: one, two, three. Those focus more on "If I have fresh fish..." though, so I'm set for that on the days that I do. But if you can find any that I missed, I'd appreciate it.

Thanks in advance!

Restaurant and Bar Recommendations for San Francisco

Kimberly — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 11:07:29 -0800

Restaurant and bar recommendations for San Francisco. My friend is taking a trip to the San Francisco area and needs some recommendations:

"I’m going to be in San Francisco next week for a girls trip and need suggestions on places to eat and bars to visit. We are in our 30s, so keep this in mind when giving bar suggestions. We would really like recommendations on a great seafood restaurant and good restaurants in Japantown or Chinatown. But really, we will take any suggestions you have. Our hotel is in the Union Square area, but we’re willing to taxi wherever we need to go. Thanks!"

(Previously, although those threads don't really contain the bar recommendations she's looking for.)

Overcoming seafood allergies?

geoff. — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 15:06:51 -0800

Since I was about 12 I've been allergic to seafood, after previously being fine with it. It would cause me to be really, really sick ... as in the worst case of food poisoning one could imagine, but no anaphylactic shock. I'm beginning to believe that my allergies may be specific to crab as I recently had shrimp and did not get sick. How do I test which seafood allergies I have? Anyway to do this safely? When I originally got sick, it was blamed on food poisoning, but subsequent attempts (all in my early teens) lead to same symptoms: namely throwing up until I had nothing and then dry heaving for hours. Thinking back, all my attempts were crab-based. I tried shrimp this past weekend and did not get sick.

Any tests out there I can take? Would it be safe to try oysters or lobster?Would someone have just a crab specific allergy?

In case it is not obvious, a seafood place has opened down the street and the smells are killing me.