Favorite Fish?

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Walleyed pike is excellent! I can get it right here in the restaurant 4 blocks from the house. It's the only place I've found it west of Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Love lion fish too - a true delicacy. Wish more would discover it to help curb the infestation in the Caribbean.

Walleye, or pickerel as they call it in Canada, is a member of the pike/perch family, Though they are closer in flavor to a perch, than a pike. It's also much easier to remove the bones when filleting them. Walleye hafe a mild and wonderful flavor, probably second only to Great Lakes Whitefish (a member of the trout family, very mild and yummy) in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. Walleye tournaments abound.

I have two fish that are tied for first place - Fresh, wild Eastern Brook Trout, and Swordfish. Rainbow Trout comes in a very close second, as it is nearly indistinguishable in flavor and texture to the brookie.

But I haven't met a fish or clam, or muscle that I didn't like. Oops, hold the phone, I had catfish from the Mississippi River that tasted of mud to me. But catfish out of Lake Superior taste fine.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[Caslon]

Talapia. What's the big thing about that fish? I think it tastes bland. It's almost like..."get used to Talapia, cod is gonna be extinct in 10 years, Talapia is all you'll be able to buy". I'm not a fan of cooking Talapia.

 

[CraigC]

Talapia. What's the big thing about that fish? I think it tastes bland. It's almost like..."get used to Talapia, cod is gonna be extinct in 10 years, Talapia is all you'll be able to buy". I'm not a fan of cooking Talapia.

The biggest thing I've heard about Talapia is that the trash from SE Asia is to be avoided. Same with other fish/seafood from there. We don't eat Talapia and the only cod we've eaten is Bacalao. There are a lot of other fish to choose from should cod be no longer commercially available.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

No swahi, or tilapia will ever sit on my plate, or be cooked in my kitchen. I've tried both of them, once. That was enough for a life time. I don't purchase cod, or other endangered seafood. If I'm purchasing from the market, I buy canned tuna in water, but not albacore, great lakes salmon, steelhead. pollock, redfish, some of the saltwater flatfish that show up on the counter, farmed and wild shrimp, etc. I try to purchase sustainable fish and seafood. Swordfish, though I love the flavor, is a victim of a member of the top predatory fish, which it is, and is filled with human-made toxins, i.e. heavy metals, dioxin, etc. I've had it only twice for that reason. I fish in the Eastern U.P. as many of the western U.P. streams naturally have heavy metals in the foods that trout eat. Lead, copper, and iron are abundant minerals in Western U.P. Michigan.

I am, or at least was a hunter, and am still a sport fisherman. But I am also a naturalist by nature. If I were to trophy hunt, that hunt would be done with a camera. I love the world as it was before the industrial age. I subscribe to the idea that when you camp in the wilderness, it is your responsibility to leave it in as close to its natural state as possible, to leave it better than it was when you got there. If someone else left a mess, be part of the solution and clean up discarded containers, fishing line, etc.

Ok, I've strayed yet again. My head, right now is in only two places, taking care of my responsibilities at home, at church, and at work, and, conservation and preservation of this land.

I'm done now.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[Dawgluver]

I so wish lion fish could be imported locally. It is truly the most delicious fish I've ever had. I can't handle "fishy" tasting fish, and lion fish is soooo delicate and tasty. Thankfully many of the Caribbean islands where this predator is decimating the reefs have realized this, and it's on the menu. They have to be speared, as they won't take a line, so it's quite a process to catch them.

I too won't eat swai or tilapia anymore. Wild-caught here.

 

[roadfix]

I like mackeral, salted and grilled. As sashimi, I love yellowtail.

 

[Andy M.]

This thread started 12 years ago and I can't believe I never responded. So, here goes.

Swordfish, blue fish, salmon.

In sushi/sashimi, tuna, butter fish, salmon

I'm not a fan of "fish that doesn't taste like fish".

 

[CraigC]

I like mackeral, salted and grilled. As sashimi, I love yellowtail.

Your yellowtail and our yellowtail are two different species.

 

[roadfix]

Your yellowtail and our yellowtail are two different species.

Ok, hamachi, to be more specific....)

 

[Addie]

I am, or at least was a hunter, and am still a sport fisherman. But I am also a naturalist by nature. If I were to trophy hunt, that hunt would be done with a camera. I love the world as it was before the industrial age. I subscribe to the idea that when you camp in the wilderness, it is your responsibility to leave it in as close to its natural state as possible, to leave it better than it was when you got there. If someone else left a mess, be part of the solution and clean up discarded containers, fishing line, etc.

Ok, I've strayed yet again. My head, right now is in only two places, taking care of my responsibilities at home, at church, and at work, and, conservation and preservation of this land.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

Chief, there is a saying that Girl Scouts have when they go camping. "Leave the site better than you found it."

My sister and I always tried to have our Scouts not only leave it cleaner, but to leave something behind that they saw a need for. One year it was a clothesline that the girls had to put up and a package of clothes pins. They remembered from the prior year that placing your clothes on the bushes, they walked around smelling like pine trees.

How is your wife doing now? Is she home?

 

[Cheryl J]

Sorry Addie, but leaving a clothesline and clothes pins isn't leaving the site better than you found it. If I were to go to a campsite and find that, I'd consider it trash that the previous campers didn't bother to clean up. Plus, the clothesline could be a real hazard to wildlife. Hopefully, the Girl Scouts don't do that anymore.

Hmmm...fish. I really like salmon and halibut, but I think my favorite is fresh caught brook trout. I haven't had that in years, unfortunately. I had tilapia once about 10 years ago and thought it was nasty and haven't bought it since. It tasted like mud to me.

 

[Addie]

Sorry Addie, but leaving a clothesline and clothespins isn't leaving the site better than you found it. If I were to go to a campsite and find that, I'd consider it trash that the previous campers didn't bother to clean up. Hopefully, the Girl Scouts don't do that anymore.

Hmmm...fish. I really like salmon and halibut, but I think my favorite is fresh caught brook trout. I haven't had that in years, unfortunately. I had tilapia once about 10 years ago and thought it was nasty and haven't bought it since. It tasted like mud to me.

Cheryl, we had to wash the dish towels each day. There was no clothesline. The girls wanted one. That clothesline got a lot of use for the 10 days we were there. The year before they brought small mixing bowls for the kitchen. The only things the GSA Council provided for the site, was triple bunk beds and a kitchen. Each year that we took the girls there we all had to bring something we would need. Including pots and pans. One year we left a large pot for stew. The next year when we returned we found the large pot and a large saucepan someone had added. Our troop started a tradition. Bringing something from home that will make it easy for the troops that come behind us. It didn't have to be something new. Just useful. Recycling. When the Leaders had their monthly meeting, the subject of what we had done came up. One leader said she was going to have her girls ask their mother next year for one item she didn't use anymore. So if you had 20 girls, 20 items were left for use for the next troop. So how is that trash?

 

[Cheryl J]

I thought you were talking about wilderness camping, since that was the subject you responded to.

When you mentioned triple bunk beds and kitchens, I realized we were talking about two entirely different things.

 

[GotGarlic]

I thought you were talking about wilderness camping, since that was the subject you responded to.

When you mentioned triple bunk beds and kitchens, I realized we were talking about two entirely different things.

Heh. Yeah, sleeping in bunk beds and cooking in a kitchen is not exactly camping, even if you are out in the woods

 

[Cheryl J]

When I was a Girl Scout we slept in sleeping bags on the forest floor and cooked over an open campfire. Sometimes we had little 2-person pup tents.

 

[CharlieD]

This thread started 12 years ago and I can't believe I never responded...

Same here Andy.

Cold smoke: halibut and salmon, mackerel
Hot smoked: salmon, white fish, trout
Fried: Cod with skin on, ocean perch, polach, Halibut with skin on, smelt
Baked: Salmon, cod, trout,
Grilled: whole red snapper, Halibut
Salted: Russian stile herring, smelt.
Salted and dried: Caspian roach, Common bream
Canned: sprats, sardine, goby fish, Pacific saury

I do have to say I hate smell of fish on my hands and if I touch it I will wash my hands for hours making sure that there is no smell at all. Strangely I love going to fish stores, love the smell there.

 

[Addie]

When I was a Girl Scout we slept in sleeping bags on the forest floor and cooked over an open campfire. Sometimes we had little 2-person pup tents.

Our Scouts had a couple of night doing that. But not in the woods. Too many critters in the woods out back of the camp. So they slept out on the big lawn where the flag pole was. And they cooked out there also. Over a campfire.

 

[Caslon]

I so wish lion fish could be imported locally. It is truly the most delicious fish I've ever had. I can't handle "fishy" tasting fish, and lion fish is soooo delicate and tasty. Thankfully many of the Caribbean islands where this predator is decimating the reefs have realized this, and it's on the menu. They have to be speared, as they won't take a line, so it's quite a process to catch them.

I too won't eat swai or tilapia anymore. Wild-caught here.

Lion fish taste good, huh? I read recently that there's a serious overpopulation of lion fish in certain waters. I was surprised to read that. I always thought they were exotic looking, endangered almost with their wide fins.

Reel 'em in !

 

[CraigC]

Lion fish taste good, huh? I read recently that there's a serious overpopulation of lion fish in certain waters. I was surprised to read that. I always thought they were exotic looking, endangered almost with their wide fins.

Reel 'em in !

The lion fish here in the USA and Caribbean are an invasive species, rarely caught on hook & line. The most effective means of taking them is by spear with a trident tip. That style tip keeps them from sliding up the spear shaft where the diver might get stuck by the venomous spines.

 

[Dawgluver]

The lion fish here in the USA and Caribbean are an invasive species, rarely caught on hook & line. The most effective means of taking them is by spear with a trident tip. That style tip keeps them from sliding up the spear shaft where the diver might get stuck by the venomous spines.

A friend invented a spear, the ELF (Eliminate Lion Fish) that's been very successful. It doesn't damage the coral. He frequents Cozumel, where they have a yearly lion fish tournament. I haven't been down there when it was going on, but would love to be. A bunch of local restaurants set up booths by the marina, and cook up lion fish in many ways. My favorite is coconut-crusted at a local restaurant, two for one on Thursdays.

I've seen a few while snorkeling, they are beautiful. They also slurp up native fish species.