To Fish or not to Fish???

[Inca's Momma]

I've never been a big fan of seafood. I totally avoid it if at all possible, but everyone is always talking about how good it is for you. Anyone know of any "mild flavored" fish and a good way to cook it or some recipes?

[Ivanna B. Skinny]

I've never really tried my hand at cooking "real" fish, but I LOOOOVE tuna salad, made with fat free dressing, chopped pickles, onion, and celery! Ooooooooh, it's so good!!

[jiffypop]

here's my easiest and favorite: scrod. very very mild. comes in big pieces. it's a baby cod [i think].

soak some dried onion flakes [2 tbs or so for 4 servings] in some vinegar for about 20 minutes. lay the fish in a baking pan [i ALWAYS line them with foil]. then mix the onion flakes with mustard and a few dashes of cayenne. spread this over the fish. then into the oven for about 20 minutes at 375, until the fish is opaque and flakes easily.

fish made this way stays moist and has lots of flavor. and all that acid takes away the 'fishy' smell. although, if we were all going to be honest here, we'd admit that if a fish smells fishy, it's not fresh and we probably shouldn't eat it.

flounder and sole are mild as well. probably the best non-frying way to cook them is to stuff them with something and bake them.

here's the basics: a little bit of bread crumbs. sauteed onions, peppers, mushroorms, whatever you have. but they MUST be very finely chopped. i use at least as much veggie as bread crumb. moisten with a little broth or milk or wine. season with some herbs - parsley, thyme, mustard, whatever.

now... you can add in other stuff... like a couple of chopped shrimp, or crab, or clams, if you have it and feel ambitious. otherwise, don't lose any sleep over it. or for a different look, blanch a few asparagus spears, but don't mix them into the bread crumb mixture.

now, if the filets are long, you can put some of this mixture on the fillet and roll them up. lay the asparagus spears [if you're using them] on the mixture before you roll them, and you'll have these cute little packages with asparagus sticking out of them.

if the filets are short, you can make bread crumb sandwiches with two of them.

however you prepare them, place them in a lined baking dish, pour some liquid - water, broth, white wine - into the bottom [about 1/4 inch]. top the fish with something to keep them moist. i suggest thinly sliced tomatoes, but you can use lemon slices as well - see? the acid thing again.

and bake at 375 for awhile. i have no idea exactly how long, but probably longer than 15 minutes and definitely less than 45 minutes.

sorry to be so inexact.,

[Annie-Rose]

Hi, I hate 'fishy' fish too but I love the following
Chargrilled Tuna steaks
Get your griggle pan (or grill) really hot
season your tuna steaks with
salt and pepper
the zest of one lemon/lime
pat with olive oil
cook until its how you like it (I find about 2 mins each side is enough)
Salmon steaks
Score the skin on your steaks and stick some mint and or basil on the holes.
Pat with minimal amount of olive oil
cook the same as the tuna steaks. This is lovely with a dollop of ff nat yog on top.
Cod/salmon
I just put it on foil, add anything like lemon juice/zest, garlic, tablespoon of white wine, chopped chilli, onion, red peppers etc (not all together) etc use the foil to make a little parcel then bake in the oven for about 25 mins.

Chopped watercress, dill,rosemary, mint, basil, dried chillies, garlic etc can all be added to natural yog or low fat creme freche and plopped on top if you like.

Another really nice fish is monk fish (I din't know if its called the same) but I've only had it eating out. I don't know how you cook it but if I do I'll let you know!

[Annie-Rose]

Monk Fish!!! a la Jamie Oliver

Cut 1lb monk fish into cubes and place on stick/skewers.
Mix 2 thumb sized pieces of ginger(thinly sliced)
juice and zest of one lemon
1tsp tumeric
2 cloves garlic
2 dried chillies crumbled
1 handful fresh mint
4 tablespoons nat yog
and drizzle all over.
Grill for 2 mins each side.

I love Jamie Oliver! He also does a sea food mixed grill but it looks a bit hard core for me!

[Scuttle]

Tilapia I've found mild, but maybe that's just me. Being lazy I just buy some honey soy or teriyaka 30-minute marinade, marinade in a bag, put in an oven dish, cover with tin foil, and bake at 425 or so until it's done. I forget how long it tooks, I start checking after 15 minutes but it takes longer.

[Jen]

I buy frozen fillets, usually whatever is cheapest, sole mostly and do them in the microwave because I am usually cooking them just for me as my husband hates fish. This is how I do them...put 2 small fillets on a plate, squirt a little lemon juice over them, salt and pepper and then a squirt of Italian dressing (or any kind of dressing or marinade) then microwave for about 5 minutes. I suppose you could do this with any white fish fillets.

[lessofsarahtolove]

I also find tilapia very mild; I eat the HECK out of that stuff! Same goes for salmon! I always cook each of these in a very hot nonstick saute pan with a small amount of olive oil (so the carmelization gives it a little crunch) and I flavor it with:
* My no-salt hot spice blend -- lots of it!
* Garam masala, my no-salt hot spice blend, and a few optional raisins; serve on a bed of basmati rice
* Lime juice and ginger (fresh or powdered)
* Lemon juice, fresh basil, and halved grape tomatoes
* Lemon juice, fresh mint, halved grape tomatoes, garlic, and a little reduced fat feta
* Lemon juice, artichoke hearts, and fresh Italian parsley
* Sauteed, portobello mushrooms, sauteed thinly sliced red onions, garlic, and rosemary
* Marinate in a little lemon juice or vinegar and tiny bit of olive oil, sprinkle with freshly ground pepper, and then coat in a mixture of chopped fresh herbs: basil, mint, Italian parsley
* Coat in (jarred) Thai red curry sauce and sautee
* Saute till cooked and top with a sauce made of Thai red curry sauce, cilantro, and light coconut milk combined
* Top with salsa that has lots of cilantro and an optional little dollop of nonfat yogurt or lowfat sour cream
* Lime juice, orange zest, ginger, and a little Italian parsley

I could go on for days.......I LOVE FISH!!!

[jiffypop]

what time is dinner, sarah????

[Annie-Rose]

Yeah let me know too because I'm coming!!!!

[mezmerize]

Sounds good to me we can car pool to Sarahs.
I love Salmon - I make it with olive oil and lemon pepper seasoning. I place it in glass microwave dish and cook for up 9 minutes on high. You'll know when it's finished if it flakes easy. I also make chicken breast the same way.
Mez

[lessofsarahtolove]

You guys are cute! I wish you COULD all come over for dinner -- I'd LOVE it!! And you know, I hadn't planned to have fish for dinner, but now I think I have to!

[Ivanna B. Skinny]

All of your-alls recipies sound SOO delish!! I want to try some "real" fish! My DH HATES fish, and HATES it when the smell "stinks up the house". I think I'll cook some anyway!

[jiffypop]

a tip for de-fishing the house... put a small saucepan on a back burner. add water, a few slices of lemon [or what's left after you've squeezed the juice out of them onto the fish!] and some cinnamon and cloves..

low heat.. low simmer... instant no-fish smell!!!!

[lessofsarahtolove]

That's a great tip, Jiff -- I love that! (And will probably put it into effect beginning tonight!) The kitties love the fishy smell, but we humans, not so much!