Question about fish.....

[RPCookin]

I believe grouper is one of those fish that has been frequently mislabeled; a cheaper fish was substituted for what you thought you were buying. Colorado had a pretty high incidence of this problem: One In Three Fish Sold At Restaurants And Grocery Stores Is Mislabeled : The Salt : NPR

I have never had that problem. I know what it is before I shoot it.

Certainly not a problem here. It would be more expensive to bring in a "cheaper" fish than it is to offer the real thing. The grouper and hogfish I buy are literally brought to shore about 75 yards from where I buy them. They have a gigantic walk-in freezer, and the fish are filleted right on the spot and immediately frozen. If my timing is right, I'll buy it fresh, but I haven't seen any difference between the two. I usually buy 5 pounds at a time, so I freeze most of it anyway.

 

[GotGarlic]

Yes, it's nice living on the coast where there are local shops that sell very fresh fish and seafood

 

[RPCookin]

Yes, it's nice living on the coast where there are local shops that sell very fresh fish and seafood

This whole island is coastline. 80 miles long and 4 miles wide at its widest point.

 

[jennyema]

Pond raised, but from where. There is a lot of pond raised fish coming out of Asia, China in particular, that is just plain garbage.

You're absolutely right. IMO, catfish and tilapia farmed in Asia aren't safe to eat.

 

[jusnikki]

I hope it was local fish lol. I have to tell ya I'm going to start asking.

 

[Mad Cook]

I'm doing this on my cell phone for the first time. I'm not sure what catagory it's posting under but here goes.......

I fried catfish yesterday and the end product was tough. I fried it the way I normally would pan trout. I just dip it in a light egg mixture and battered it in meal and fry that bad boy.

For some reason the fish was like leather. I literally threw it to the trash. I'm not a big fish fan...but I've cooked enough of it. I can say it had been frozen for at least two months. But there was absolutely no freezer burn. Anybody know what I may have done wrong?

Over cooked I would think. Fish continues to cook for quite a while after removing from the heat and over done fish tends to be chew-y

 

[Roll_Bones]

Yup...bottom feeders do not get cooked in our house.

No crab, shrimp, lobster, clam, oyster, cod, grouper, snapper ect.......
They are all bottom feeders and in my opinion, the best the sea has to offer.
Bottom dwellers!

And nope, I don't eat shrimp or lobster, etc. I eat a little bit of fish but that's about it.

My condolences.

 

[Mad Cook]

No crab, shrimp, lobster, clam, oyster, cod, grouper, snapper ect.......
They are all bottom feeders and in my opinion, the best the sea has to offer.
Bottom dwellers!



My condolences.

Over here it used to be that many people wouldn't touch mackerel because they were believed to be scavengers. Now that very few people know or care where their food comes from mackerel are very fashionable. Delicious fish, especially grilled and served with a simple gooseberry sauce - gooseberries stewed gently with a little sugar and a spot of water or white wine, yum. It just takes the edge off the richness of the fish. They must be very fresh though - as must all fish.

 

[Mad Cook]

Yes, it's nice living on the coast where there are local shops that sell very fresh fish and seafood

Nowhere in Britain is more than 75 miles from the sea but most of our fresh caught fish and seafood is exported to France as soon as it's landed. It's a crying shame that most people here prefer to get their omega 3 from fish oil capsules bought from the pharmacy than from delicious fresh fish on their plate.

 

[Hoot]

Having eaten catfish..locally caught, usually by me, all my life, I ain't sure what the problem was with your nuggets. But then, I always cook the whole fish, minus the innards and head. Mrs Hoot can't stand the idea of a fish looking up at her while she eats it. Fried for smaller ones, baked for the larger ones. We always skin 'em. Never had one to be tough as you describe. I wonder if it was really catfish...as pointed out by many folks, mislabeling can be very common. If you have a local fish market, that would likely be a better source of fish. Just my 2 cents, mind you.

 

[Roll_Bones]

Having eaten catfish..locally caught, usually by me, all my life, I ain't sure what the problem was with your nuggets. But then, I always cook the whole fish, minus the innards and head. Mrs Hoot can't stand the idea of a fish looking up at her while she eats it. Fried for smaller ones, baked for the larger ones. We always skin 'em. Never had one to be tough as you describe. I wonder if it was really catfish...as pointed out by many folks, mislabeling can be very common. If you have a local fish market, that would likely be a better source of fish. Just my 2 cents, mind you.

I hear that a lot in the south about the fish looking up at you.
I have never had a whole catfish with head on as its really not the way to make them. A dressed catfish has no head.

But, should I run across a nice fresh red snapper, I will gut it, rinse it off, season it and bake the whole fish. Head and all.
If they (family or friends) don't like the head, they can look away. I usually serve it anyway, so the only place the head resides is on the serving plate.

 

[CraigC]

Hoot, do you use the "nail through the board" method for skinning cats?

 

[Addie]

Nowhere in Britain is more than 75 miles from the sea but most of our fresh caught fish and seafood is exported to France as soon as it's landed. It's a crying shame that most people here prefer to get their omega 3 from fish oil capsules bought from the pharmacy than from delicious fresh fish on their plate.

England has my sympathy. I say let France catch their own fish. They have a fishing fleet.

 

[Addie]

I hear that a lot in the south about the fish looking up at you.
I have never had a whole catfish with head on as its really not the way to make them. A dressed catfish has no head.

But, should I run across a nice fresh red snapper, I will gut it, rinse it off, season it and bake the whole fish. Head and all.
If they (family or friends) don't like the head, they can look away. I usually serve it anyway, so the only place the head resides is on the serving plate.

I have used the head along with the frame for fish stew broth. I have also cooked (baked) a whole Haddock cooked in tomatoes. With and without the head. The filets fall right off the frame. No bones.

 

[Mad Cook]

Having eaten catfish..locally caught, usually by me, all my life, I ain't sure what the problem was with your nuggets. But then, I always cook the whole fish, minus the innards and head. Mrs Hoot can't stand the idea of a fish looking up at her while she eats it. Fried for smaller ones, baked for the larger ones. We always skin 'em. Never had one to be tough as you describe. I wonder if it was really catfish...as pointed out by many folks, mislabeling can be very common. If you have a local fish market, that would likely be a better source of fish. Just my 2 cents, mind you.

If serving a whole fish I always leave the head on (advice from an old-fashioned fishmonger) because if the head is still attached to the backbone it's easier to separate the flesh from the bones without getting a mouthful of bones. It almost as if the bones start to separate from the backbone once the head is severed. Anyway, if you don't have the head on your plate you miss the best bit - the little roundish cheek piece.

 

[Harry Cobean]

i don't think the problem lies with the cook or the fish,nikki.i think it's the freezing.fridges & freezers draw moisture from food.i usually leave fish,seafood & meat uncovered,in the fridge,for 24hrs before i fry it,so that the surface is nice & dry & any excess moisture in the food has evaporated before it hits the pan.
i think your fish had lost most of it's moisture in the freezer & therefore,all that was left was the tissue of the flesh.hence the dryness/toughness.

 

[Hoot]

Hoot, do you use the "nail through the board" method for skinning cats?

Not for a long time......these days, I have a little tool that that resembles a pair of pliers. Just slit the skin and grab the skin with the "pliers" and, in no time, you have a skinned catfish. I will not describe the rest of the process as it can be fairly revolting to most folks.