I recently moved from California to Chicago, and I'm trying to figure
out how to cook the less expensive varieties of fish that are
available he tilapia and bass, for example. My experiments so far
has been less than rewarding. In one case I forced myself to eat the
thing because, damn it, I paid for it and cooked it. In another case I
gave up and threw it out.

The bass tasted like it was poorly cleaned and undercooked, neither of
which was the case. The tilapia just tasted like mud.

I'm following recipes, and I'm not accustomed to creating such
disasters. Is there some trick to cooking these fish that I need to
learn? Or do they just taste bad because they taste bad?

My mail address is jsachs177 at earthlink dot net.

Something I learned from a Canadian fishing guide years ago, was that over
washing fresh water fish filets will remove the flavor, leaving them
tasting like mud. When I clean fish now I dunk the filets once in water
to remove any blood or scales and zip lock them. I do not wash them again
before cooking them, the slime on the meat not only contains the flavor of
the fish but also holds on to the flour, no need for egg or milk. -RP

Randy Price > wrote:

>Something I learned from a Canadian fishing guide years ago, was that over
>washing fresh water fish filets will remove the flavor...

Good suggestion, but not the answer for me. I was cooking whole fish
(cleaned for me by the butcher and rinsed out at home).

My mail address is jsachs177 at earthlink dot net.

I like flavorful fish, and I gave up on bass (and halibut and swordfish
and other solid white fish) years ago because it always seemed to come
out tasting like cardboard. (Haven't tried sea bass, don't know if it's
any different.) Tilapia I've eyed in the store but haven't tried yet.

Frankly, when I feel like fish, I either bite the bullet and pay for
Dover sole (superb sauteed in a little butter) or buy catfish and resign
myself to messing with breading & frying it (a bit of a pain but catfish
has reliable flavor).

--
Sylvia Steiger RN, homeschooling mom since Nov 1995
http://www.SteigerFamily.com
Cheyenne WY, USDA zone 5a, Sunset zone 1a
Home of the Wyoming Wind Festival, January 1-December 31
Remove "removethis" from address to reply

Sylvia > wrote:

>Frankly, when I feel like fish, I either bite the bullet and pay for
>Dover sole (superb sauteed in a little butter) or buy catfish and resign
>myself to messing with breading & frying it (a bit of a pain but catfish
>has reliable flavor).

I've had good experiences with whitefish, and I love perch. And I'm
puzzled about your mention of swordfish, which is one of the more
tasty fish I've eaten. Also, unfortunately, one of the more expensive.

I tried catfish a few years ago, but it was too oily for me. I'd like
to try it again, but first I want to find some recipes that don't
adhere to the bread-and-fry school.

My mail address is jsachs177 at earthlink dot net.

"Jonathan Sachs" > wrote in message
...
> Sylvia > wrote:
>
> >Frankly, when I feel like fish, I either bite the bullet and pay for
> >Dover sole (superb sauteed in a little butter) or buy catfish and resign
> >myself to messing with breading & frying it (a bit of a pain but catfish
> >has reliable flavor).
>
> I've had good experiences with whitefish, and I love perch. And I'm
> puzzled about your mention of swordfish, which is one of the more
> tasty fish I've eaten. Also, unfortunately, one of the more expensive.
>
> I tried catfish a few years ago, but it was too oily for me. I'd like
> to try it again, but first I want to find some recipes that don't
> adhere to the bread-and-fry school.
>
> My mail address is jsachs177 at earthlink dot net.


Try blackened catfish.

Jack Burnt

"Jack Schidt®" > wrote:

>Try blackened catfish.

Will do, probably within the next week!

My mail address is jsachs177 at earthlink dot net.

> I tried catfish a few years ago, but it was too oily for me.

Interesting! I wouldn't have called catfish an oily fish. Did you
prepare it yourself, or at a restaurant? If the latter, I wonder if
they used too much oil in frying it -- other than a few tb of oil or
butter in the bottom of the frying pan before adding the first breaded
catfish, I don't need to add oil at all.

--
Sylvia Steiger RN, homeschooling mom since Nov 1995
http://www.SteigerFamily.com
Cheyenne WY, USDA zone 5a, Sunset zone 1a
Home of the Wyoming Wind Festival, January 1-December 31
Remove "removethis" from address to reply

What about bass? This is another inexpensive fish that never tasted
very good to me, but unlike most of the others that have been
mentioned, I know it is supposed to be a delicacy.

A visit to the store yesterday reminded me that I enjoy many dishes
made with mackerel, but I stopped buying it because I could never get
the tiny bones out. Any suggestions for that?

My mail address is jsachs177 at earthlink dot net.

Jonathan Sachs > wrote in message >. ..
> Sylvia > wrote:
>
> >Frankly, when I feel like fish, I either bite the bullet and pay for
> >Dover sole (superb sauteed in a little butter) or buy catfish and resign
> >myself to messing with breading & frying it (a bit of a pain but catfish
> >has reliable flavor).
>
> I've had good experiences with whitefish, and I love perch. And I'm
> puzzled about your mention of swordfish, which is one of the more
> tasty fish I've eaten. Also, unfortunately, one of the more expensive.
>
> I tried catfish a few years ago, but it was too oily for me. I'd like
> to try it again, but first I want to find some recipes that don't
> adhere to the bread-and-fry school.

My husband has farm-raised cats twice weekly. One key is to make sure
you remove all the black skin (even on the fins) prior to cooking, as
it taints the meat. Rinse well and pat dry.

I coat them in a light layer of oil (we use canola), sprinkle with
onion powder, ground red pepper (just a bit,) a little chile powder,
vlack pepper and some paprika. Lay flat in a glass baking dish, add
1/2 inch of cold water, bake at 325 for about 20-30 mins (depends on
size) and then brown under the broiler for an additional 5-10. Meat
comes out flaky and most of the oil is rendered to the water during
baking.

-L.

"-L." > wrote in message
m...
> Jonathan Sachs > wrote in message
>. ..
> > Sylvia > wrote:
> >
> > >Frankly, when I feel like fish, I either bite the bullet and pay for
> > >Dover sole (superb sauteed in a little butter) or buy catfish and
resign
> > >myself to messing with breading & frying it (a bit of a pain but
catfish
> > >has reliable flavor).
> >
> > I've had good experiences with whitefish, and I love perch. And I'm
> > puzzled about your mention of swordfish, which is one of the more
> > tasty fish I've eaten. Also, unfortunately, one of the more expensive.
> >
> > I tried catfish a few years ago, but it was too oily for me. I'd like
> > to try it again, but first I want to find some recipes that don't
> > adhere to the bread-and-fry school.
>
> My husband has farm-raised cats twice weekly. One key is to make sure
> you remove all the black skin (even on the fins) prior to cooking, as
> it taints the meat. Rinse well and pat dry.
>
> I coat them in a light layer of oil (we use canola), sprinkle with
> onion powder, ground red pepper (just a bit,) a little chile powder,
> vlack pepper and some paprika. Lay flat in a glass baking dish, add
> 1/2 inch of cold water, bake at 325 for about 20-30 mins (depends on
> size) and then brown under the broiler for an additional 5-10. Meat
> comes out flaky and most of the oil is rendered to the water during
> baking.
>
> -L.

I love to fish. I am embarrassed to admit I own my own tackle box. It does
match my nail polish and lipstick, if that makes a difference. What I have
learned is that the really good fish to catch are not the best eating. I
get a kick out of reeling in a 5 pound catfish but they are tough and oily
compared to a 2 pounder. Cats are extremely strong compared to bass of a
similar size. It is less 'convenient' to skin, clean and filet a smaller
catfish but the meat is much better. I hate to make the comparison but it
is sort of like veal.

j

By coincidence I tried catfish tonight. I found a recipe for blackened
catfish on the Texas Highways web site. It came out okay, but the
recipe called for a tremendous amount of pepper (red, white AND
black), and it didn't really taste like fish; it just tasted hot. I
need to try it again with less pepper.

My mail address is jsachs177 at earthlink dot net.

"Julianne" > wrote in message news:<SJBsb.218$%b2.37@lakeread05>...
> "-L." > wrote in message
> m...
> > Jonathan Sachs > wrote in message
> >. ..
> > > Sylvia > wrote:
> > >
> > > >Frankly, when I feel like fish, I either bite the bullet and pay for
> > > >Dover sole (superb sauteed in a little butter) or buy catfish and
> resign
> > > >myself to messing with breading & frying it (a bit of a pain but
> catfish
> > > >has reliable flavor).
> > >
> > > I've had good experiences with whitefish, and I love perch. And I'm
> > > puzzled about your mention of swordfish, which is one of the more
> > > tasty fish I've eaten. Also, unfortunately, one of the more expensive.
> > >
> > > I tried catfish a few years ago, but it was too oily for me. I'd like
> > > to try it again, but first I want to find some recipes that don't
> > > adhere to the bread-and-fry school.
> >
> > My husband has farm-raised cats twice weekly. One key is to make sure
> > you remove all the black skin (even on the fins) prior to cooking, as
> > it taints the meat. Rinse well and pat dry.
> >
> > I coat them in a light layer of oil (we use canola), sprinkle with
> > onion powder, ground red pepper (just a bit,) a little chile powder,
> > vlack pepper and some paprika. Lay flat in a glass baking dish, add
> > 1/2 inch of cold water, bake at 325 for about 20-30 mins (depends on
> > size) and then brown under the broiler for an additional 5-10. Meat
> > comes out flaky and most of the oil is rendered to the water during
> > baking.
> >
> > -L.
>
> I love to fish. I am embarrassed to admit I own my own tackle box. It does
> match my nail polish and lipstick, if that makes a difference. What I have
> learned is that the really good fish to catch are not the best eating. I
> get a kick out of reeling in a 5 pound catfish but they are tough and oily
> compared to a 2 pounder. Cats are extremely strong compared to bass of a
> similar size. It is less 'convenient' to skin, clean and filet a smaller
> catfish but the meat is much better. I hate to make the comparison but it
> is sort of like veal.
>
> j

I dunno. Northern Pike and Walleye are excellent game fish that are
delicious grilled. I think it just depends upon the environment they
come from. IIRC channel cats are good to eat whereas bullhead (a
species which pretty much stays in murky, stagnant water) aren't. The
farm-raised cats taste excellent, from what I am told, but they feed
on catfish chow and the occasional bug that wanders in.

-L.

> I dunno. Northern Pike and Walleye are excellent game fish that are
> delicious grilled. I think it just depends upon the environment they
> come from. IIRC channel cats are good to eat whereas bullhead (a
> species which pretty much stays in murky, stagnant water) aren't. The
> farm-raised cats taste excellent, from what I am told, but they feed
> on catfish chow and the occasional bug that wanders in.
>
> -L.

I guess I need to check the species of cats we have. The thing is, I don't
eat any fish due to allergies. I go by what others tell me.

At my BF's camp, there is a 35 acre pond. A few years ago when it was built
(dug?), it was stocked with bream, several kinds of cats and bass. The bass
are just now large enough to mean anything. I do know that I have heard the
term 'bullhead' before and wonder if that is the species of some of the
larger cats I have caught.

I have read about 'channel' cats but don't think we have any at the camp. I
will check this weekend. Surely, the species matters.

As for feeding, there are three feeders at the pond. They go off twice a
day and stimulate the fishing activity. I am not sure how much they
actually sustain the fish. The fish food looks very much like dog chow but
I never mention it to them. I just give them something more colorful to eat
in the way of artificial bait. After all, you don't expect me to touch a
worm or a cricket???

j

Jonathan Sachs > wrote in message >. ..
> By coincidence I tried catfish tonight. I found a recipe for blackened
> catfish on the Texas Highways web site. It came out okay, but the
> recipe called for a tremendous amount of pepper (red, white AND
> black), and it didn't really taste like fish; it just tasted hot. I
> need to try it again with less pepper.
>

Personally, I don't like blackened anything. Try it again with fewer
spices - I think you will be pleased.

-L.

(-L.) wrote:


>Personally, I don't like blackened anything. Try it again with fewer
>spices - I think you will be pleased.

Did. It was OK, but nothing special. Catfish may just not be for me.

What about whiting? That's also cheap right now, and it has the
advantage of not looking anything like carp or tilapia...

My mail address is jsachs177 at earthlink dot net.