Conference turris::cooks

    
    Well, there's always sole, halibut, schrod or cod (let's not get
    into it - okay? 8-) ) and the ever-popular haddock.  Is that the
    kind of answer you had in mind?  I mean these are really standard
    and I'm not sure if you're looking for more unusual types of fish
    or what.
    
    

    
    Dian --> promise me you will try MAHI MAHI!  It is totally lean,
    flakey, white-fleshed and definitely {{NOT}} fishy tasting.  It is
    flown in from Hawaii.  Why don't we go to the Fish Market on El 
    Camino for lunch and I'll introduce the two of you to each other?
    Perhaps as soon as this Friday? (<*:
    
    --dc

    
    Of those mentioned in .1, the least fishy tasting (IMHO) is sole.  I've
    always thought that haddock, halibut and cod were fishy tasting, but
    the times I had them they may have been frozen (good way to make any
    fish taste strong - the fresher it is, the less fishy-tasting it is). 
    I've always liked schrod much more, but then again I order it in places
    where it's almost always very fresh.
    
    My mother always used to soak scallops in milk before cooking them, and
    claimed that this cut down on the fish taste.  That might help
    matters...
    
    Sarah
    

 In the northeast, there are a number of fish with "flaky, white flesh" when
cooked that are not fishy tasting when properly prepared.

 The first rule about buying fish is that you should never buy frozen fish.
Properly cleaned and chilled fish will not taste or smell fishy (with a
few notable exceptions).

 If you catch the fish yourself (truly the best way to obtain the freshest
of fish, especially since you have complete control over the treatment of the
fish) there are a few things that you can do to make your fish the height
of epicurean delight. :-) The first thing is to immediately bleed your fish,
especially if you are busy catching and don't want to stop and clean the fish 
immediately. On most fish, this can be accomplished by cutting through the
bottom attachment of the gills to the body of the fish. Then put the fish in a 
cool, damp spot (fish box, under some seawater soaked burlap, etc). Clean the 
fish ASAP! We often clean the fish caught in one spot as the capt. moves the 
boat. Then put the fish on ice. It is definitely preferable that you do not
allow the fish flesh to lie directly on the ice; it is better to put it in
a plastic bag. As the ice melts, the flesh will absorb the fresh water (this
is a bad thing). Certain types of fish should _never_ touch fresh water 
(bluefish is one of these). If you are not going to eat the fish on the same 
day, leave the fish on ice (but in the fridge). It will keep this way for
several days.

 The most common "white" fish that can be found in the northeast are as follows:
cod, pollock, haddock, flatfish (sole, flounder, plaice, fluke), hake, and cusk.
Mahi Mahi is also very good; it is a common fish found in tropical waters. 
Halibut is also more or less white, but is a "meatier" fish than the 
aforementioned. Wolffish is an exceptionally ugly creature, which has 
delightfully tasty flesh. Tilefish is another tasty creature that is less than
handsome.

 Having just noticed that the node of the basenote author is located in Santa
Clara, I realize that much of this will be less than helpful. %^} I'd try 
lingcod, or mahi mahi (west coast). I'm not sure what other kinds of fish are
common on the west coast.

 Good luck, and remember that fresh is the way to go.

 The Doctah

 
 Rep .0

  Try catfish, even my teenage daughter likes and says it doesn't taste
 "fishy". Shaw's supermarkets here in New England carries it.

  -mike

    Only liking certain white-flesh fishes myself, I
    used to do haddock and flounder and scallops ONLY when
    I was in N.E., now the closest I can get is orange roughy
    out here in the west. Orange Roughy tastes pretty close
    to flounder, IMHO, but I understand it's a *very* ugly
    looking fish, from what I've read here in notes.
    
    pat
    

    it may already have been mentioned as this too is an ugly beast, but in
    the UK its known as monk fish, the fish has only one central bone and
    the flesh is abundant and meaty, some say its similar to lobster.
    Because of its meaty nature you can cook this fish in many ways
    including roasting.
    
     I too am not a fish fan but like you i like salmon, trout and funnily
    enough sardines (very fishy) when cooked over open log fires. However
    monk fish is something that i will always be tempted by.

    Yes, monk fish is meaty and not fishy at all.  Dian, you might like it!
    
    Cara
    

well, thanks all, I now have plans to try:

		mahi mahi 	- Next Friday for you David....sounds great!
		monk fish	- I never would have been brave enough
				  to try this w/o your suggestion
		ling cod	- never even thought of cod, but it
				  sounds like what I like
		orange roughy	- again, I was too chicken to leap in by
				  myself.    

now, to the fish cookbooks.....

			D-the-desert-rat

    Orange Roughy is a very very mild fish.  I serve it with a
    sour cream, mozzorella, and scallop sauce that puts calories
    on your hips just by making it.
    
    I agree, haddock can be a strong fish at times.  Orange
    Roughy should not have any scent at all when you purchase it.
    I usually have a hard time with grocery stores saying that their
    fresh fish just came in today....I always ask for the frozen
    and have never had a problem with 'fishy' taste since.
    
    BTW - Mahi Mahi is dolphin....8*)
    
    Kristen

    Re .10 - Gees I was going to try Mahi Mahi too.  Oh well, I don't
    really like fish anyway.
    
    Flo

    Re .10 - I think you mean "dolphin" as in fish,
    and not the "dolphin" mammal.  There is a dolphin fish.
    
    
    Lynne

    Don't panic: there are two creatures called "dolphin"!  One of them is
    the familiar warm-blooded mammal ("Flipper"), and the other one is a
    fish.  Mahi-mahi is fish, NOT "Flipper".   And it's good, too.
    
    /Charlotte

    Well, I'm glad you cleared that up!
    
    Goodness.
    

    Mahi Mahi is called Mahi Mahi precisely to avoid the confusion that
    might be caused if they called it dolphin.
    
    					andrew

    Yes, this is a rathole, but...
    
    It is called Mahi Mahi because that's what the Hawaiians call it. In
    Mexico the fish is called a Dorado.
    
    	Marty Sasaki

 The dolphin/dorado/mahi mahi is coryphaenea hippurus, and is completely
unrelated to the mammal of the same name. It's yellow, with greens and blues
and sometimes other colors (though these colors quickly disappear when the
fish is removed from water.)

 The Doctah

RE .17  Yes that is right.  Mahi Mahi is NOT a dolphin at all.  it doesn't 
even look like a dolphin.

Steve

    
    Re: .18   "... it doesn't even look like a dolphin."
    
    True, although some Mahi Mahi have been known to disguise themselves
    as dolphins just to confuse the heck out of people.  This is a 
    little-known fact, I might add.
    
    
    
    

>    True, although some Mahi Mahi have been known to disguise themselves
>    as dolphins just to confuse the heck out of people.  This is a 
>    little-known fact, I might add.
    
probably don't jump thru hoops very well, however....dead give-away...

back to the subject at hand...I forget...was mahi mahi recommended as a
light flakey fish or not?

    
    
    
    Di,
    
    Actually, I would have guessed that it's not that light.  The
    only reason being that The Forest Cafe in Cambridge (great Mexican
    place) has, as its special catch(es) practically every night, from 
    what I can tell, tuna and mahi mahi.  What a weird sentence THAT
    was - sorry.  Anyways, I assumed they picked these because they can
    stand up well to spicey, complex sauces and are somewhat meaty.
    But previous replies seem to indicate otherwise.  Guess I'll have
    to try it one of these days.  
    
    Di
    

    Di,

being an abject coward about fish....tell me how you like it, will ya?

				D     8^}

    
    
    I love it.    I like it broiled or on the grill, with a little lemon
    herb sauce.
    
    
    RRG
    
    

    if you live or work near maynard, massachusetts go to the quarterdeck
    restaurant and fish market.  although expensive some cuts are not and
    they have a great selection where you can familiarize yourself with
    the different types of fish mentioned earlier.  i would suggest trying
    the monkfish.  at the deck its about 5.99/lb which is cheap compared to
    the others which run about 10.00/lb.  this fish however is well worth
    the price as they catch it themselves and never sell fish over a day
    old.  anyways.. broil your monkfish with garlic butter.  poor man's
    lobster they call it.  sometimes i prefer it over lobster!
    
    cj
    

Always...

No!

Never look at a whole monkfish...  Gives a new meaning to UGLY.

    I just saw a whole monkfish on a Julia Child's show this past weekend. 
    Lordy, it is awful looking.  She says the only part you eat is the tail
    and proceeded to debone the tail section and filet it.  The whole fish
    just lay there on a huge bed of ice and starred at the camera.
    
    I don't know exactly who removed the tail from the fish for her, she
    probably bought it that way and just borrowed the whole fish to
    display.  She wouldn't have the strength.  She said it has another name
    in Europe but I forget what.
    
    Mary Lou

    The Monkfish is also called the Dogfish or the Goosefish.
    
    					andrew

 Um, not to rathole this too much, but goosefish is an acceptable alias in
the US for monkfish, but dogfish is not. Dogfish refers to a small type
of shark which infests the waters of the northeast and can be quite a nuisance.
They are usually 3-4 feet long, and have very small teeth. The two general
varieties are the spiny dogfish and the smooth dogfish, both of which inhabit
northeastern waters (among other places), the latter being identified by a lack
of bony protrusions behind the pectoral and dorsal fins.

 As far as mahi mahi being a flakey white fish, I'm not really sure. However,
my grandmother says it is "as close as you can get to a white flaky fish in
Florida, and it is delicious." It should be easily available in california.

 If you can get some haddock or cod or pollock, you will get white flaky flesh.
I believe that hake is also white and flaky, and cusk is as well. Any of
the small flatfishes will do- sole, flounder, fluke, plaice. They are all 
very delicate in taste.

 I personally also like the meatier fish as well like swordfish and *tuna*. I
had blackened yellowfin tuna a few weeks ago, and it was out of this world!
I'm getting hungry...

 The Doctah

Another nickname is Anglerfish, I think.

    this could go on for years, i do not think that angler fish is
    monkfish. Angler fish is also known as rape (pronounced rap A).This
    fish is very popular in Spain and is more like a cod in texture.
    

    
    
	I gotta jump in here and say HEY!, I vote for the catfish suggestion
    mentioned many notes back.
    
    	If your not of the New England persuasion these are good caught
    fresh out of the nearest lake.  They can also be bought at the fish market
    or Supermarket in most parts of the country, though availability can be
    spotty.  Farm fed catfish has become quite an industry, mainly because 
    the fish are fed a constant diet in a controlled environment which makes 
    for some great fryin' or grilling fish.
   
    They've always been my personal favorite..
    
    --Bert
    
    
    	BTW, don't forget the hushpuppies and slaw when you make'em!