ISO Fish that doesn't turn to mush

[Rom]

I have gone reading threads back to the good ol' 05's in DC and found lots of good recipes that made me hungry in regards to seafood but my original question when i first started out on my fish thread adventure was:

"What is a good fish to use in a curry/gravy based dish that doesn't fall apart after 2 minutes. Something that holds itself and doesn't ended up looking like imitation mashed potatoes?"

I've tried a few different fish, found one and can't remember its name because it was a while ago and I forgot what it was called.

thanks :)

[Katie E]

Truly, I can't help you, Rom. I live in an area where seafood of almost any kind is difficult to find, unless frozen, and that's limited.

Certainly, someone will come along and give you a hand.

[Aera]

Was it swordfish? I think swordfish is known to be a firm fish.

[abandonship]

Aera,

How are you cooking the fish? Are you basting it in the sauce or dry cooking it and then adding the sauce? for the former I would recommend Swordfish, Sea Bass, or Tuna. Stay away from Tilapia or other thin filleted fish. The thickness really counts when cooking in a sauce. I hope this helps

[TATTRAT]

rock fish, sword fish, snapper, halibut, cod?

[Rom]

Thanks for the replys guys :)
I was cooking it in like a curry, so making the gravy/curry then putting/emersing the fish in it.
I bought some Nile Perch the other day was cooking it in the griller and also the fry pan - it was very thick and noticed it really turned crumbly/just fell apart pretty fast. :(

I think we didn't like the flavour of Tilapia much, although I might be confused with Ling fillets (i forgot to write down the yuk one, when it happy to disgrace itself on my tastebuds) you know what I think it might have been Ling, will have to try Tilapia again, Snapper might be something else to try. Swordfish, trying to recall if I see that when i go shopping. I used Basa fillets a few times, then i had to go and watch a doco on them..haven't bought it since :S (shouldn't have watched the doco lol)

Katie E, I live next to the sea and the harbour where all the fishing boats are as well so seafood not too hard to come by, different types are a different story though - we do get a fair bit of imported stuff too though

[keltin]

Sorry this is short, but I’m tired. Fish is delicate. Back off your cooking time and you’ll see a difference. Fish is fast. Very. Unless it’s a soup or Gumbo, have all ingredients ready to go first then add the fish for a couple minutes at the end. Fish is delicate so do it last.

[college_cook]

Two potential problems here:

first, like keltin said, make sure you're not overcooking it, but also make sure your heat isn't too high. For that matter, depending on the cooking method, make sure your heat isn't too low either.

The other problem might be if you're buying frozen fish, previously forzen fish, or just terrible quality fish.I'm about as landlocked as can be, so I have to be VERY discriminating when I purchase fish.

Final tip, sounds like you're mostly going for leaner whitefish. Whitefish (fish with white flesh) are almost always very lean, and there are some other varieties of fish that are also very lean. While they're very healthy for you, oils and fats in fish are what help hold them together during the cooking process. This is why tuna or salmon, and even swordfish will always hold up better than walleye or perch.

[ironchef]

Regardless of what kind of fish you use, you shouldn't be braising it in the sauce anyway. Cook it seperately, make a flavorful sauce, and serve the fish along with the sauce together at the end.

[justplainbill]

Fresh Tuna