# Dairy with seafood- yea or nay? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 23, 2007, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dairy-with-seafood-yea-or-nay/389031 "2007-01-23T02:09:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![katie1341](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/91b2a8/32.png) [@katie1341](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/katie1341)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2007, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dairy-with-seafood-yea-or-nay/389031/1 "2007-01-23T02:09:57Z")
I’ve been watching Top Chef, and there have been a couple of guest judges who have said that they don’t like dairy with seafood. I’ve heard from other people in the food business that they don’t think that seafood and dairy go together. ``` I have a couple of killer cream sauces- one with jalepeos and habeneros, one with parmesan and garlic- that I use with various seafoods, and I think that Gruyere is great with a lot of different fish. And, of course, there's smoked salmon and cream cheese! Anyone else here who thinks that seafood and dairy don't mix? ``` ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2007, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dairy-with-seafood-yea-or-nay/389031/2 "2007-01-23T02:33:43Z")
Four words: New England Clam Chowder. ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2007, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dairy-with-seafood-yea-or-nay/389031/3 "2007-01-23T02:36:06Z")
[QUOTE=RealityChuck] Four words: New England Clam Chowder. [/QUOTE] I raise you two words: Shrimp Scampi. ---
**Author:** ![Azeotrope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/0ea827/32.png) [@Azeotrope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Azeotrope)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2007, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dairy-with-seafood-yea-or-nay/389031/4 "2007-01-23T02:41:49Z")
I’ve heard that from a lot of people myself who just kind of take it as a a Law of Food, but on the other hand I know plenty of people who like seafood with cream sauce or cheese (my food geek sister makes shrimp crusted with Parmesan). I don’t like shellfish, but I’ve had regular fish with sauce and cheese and liked it. I can see where the combo wouldn’t work if it was a real strong cheese that would overwhelm the flavor of the seafood, or textures that wouldn’t work together but I don’t get why the judges would just dismiss it out of hand. although that’s one of the many many many things that have annoyed me about this round of Top Chef, how the guest judge blew off Mikey’s crab and brie quesadilla (which most people I’ve asked said they’d eat and probablly like) yet Cliff’s fish & mac cheese combo for the TGI Friday’s episode was raved about. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2007, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dairy-with-seafood-yea-or-nay/389031/5 "2007-01-23T02:47:56Z")
[QUOTE=Eva Luna] I raise you two words: Shrimp Scampi. [/QUOTE] I was talking with a coworker about this last week. I put cream in my scampi, and she said that that’s ‘wrong’. I want to try making a cream or alfredo sauce with some really good smoked salmon in it. ---
**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2007, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dairy-with-seafood-yea-or-nay/389031/6 "2007-01-23T02:59:47Z")
There’s a cream-and-irish-whiskey-with smoked salmon and english peas pasta I’ve had that was wonderful. ---
**Author:** ![Aestivalis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Aestivalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aestivalis)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2007, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dairy-with-seafood-yea-or-nay/389031/7 "2007-01-23T03:11:36Z")
Seafood Bisque? Most have heavy cream. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2007, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dairy-with-seafood-yea-or-nay/389031/8 "2007-01-23T03:56:49Z")
I don’t hate all dairy with it cream sauces are good, but cheese and seafood is a really nasty combination. The one and only time I decided to try a tuna melt I actually had to run to the bathroom to barf after the first bite. They just interact really nastily in my mouth. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2007, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dairy-with-seafood-yea-or-nay/389031/9 "2007-01-23T04:07:51Z")
My mother was convinced that drinking milk while eating fish would make you ill. As an example of just how dense I was as a child, I never thought to ask her at the time why the school lunchroom was allowed to serve milk when we had fish sticks… ---
**Author:** ![MissGypsy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8491ac/32.png) [@MissGypsy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MissGypsy)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2007, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dairy-with-seafood-yea-or-nay/389031/10 "2007-01-23T04:24:01Z")
And McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish, with the cheese… It must be high cuisine! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2007, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dairy-with-seafood-yea-or-nay/389031/11 "2007-01-23T04:32:14Z")
On the rare occasions I fry fish, I usually do it “Southern style”: dipped in whole buttermilk, dredged in pecans and bread crumbs, and fast-fried in very hot oil. The buttermilk lingers under the crispy coating, and is very, very yummy with the fish. ---
**Author:** ![LifeOnWry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@LifeOnWry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeOnWry)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2007, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dairy-with-seafood-yea-or-nay/389031/12 "2007-01-23T04:37:12Z")
Applebee’s makes a parmesan-crusted tilapia that I like (it’s part of a mixed seafood plate), and I’ve had assorted cream-based sauces on fish that didn’t bother me at all. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2007, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dairy-with-seafood-yea-or-nay/389031/13 "2007-01-23T04:37:58Z")
[QUOTE=Eva Luna] I raise you two words: Shrimp Scampi. [/QUOTE] I’m not arguing the relative merits (I prefer Manhattan Clam Chowder to New England), but just pointing out at least one classic seafood disk has milk in it. AFAIK, shrimp scampi – a favorite of mine – does not. Another classic is lox and cream cheese on a bagel. And coquilles St. Jacques for the higher end. [FoodTV.com](http://FoodTV.com) had 24 pages of recipes when you search for “fish” and “cheese,” so someone is doing it. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2007, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dairy-with-seafood-yea-or-nay/389031/14 "2007-01-23T04:39:26Z")
[QUOTE=Eva Luna] I raise you two words: Shrimp Scampi. [/QUOTE] Fourteen words: Can o’ peas, can o’ tuna, and a box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. ---
**Author:** ![LifeOnWry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@LifeOnWry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeOnWry)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2007, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dairy-with-seafood-yea-or-nay/389031/15 "2007-01-23T04:52:34Z")
[QUOTE=kaylasdad99] Fourteen words: Can o’ peas, can o’ tuna, and a box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. [/QUOTE] Throw in a can of mushroom soup, too. It looks exactly like something someone else already ate, but despite its horrifying appearance, it’s pretty damned tasty. (I use frozen peas - just toss 'em in the colander before draining the macaroni.) ---
**Author:** ![Bobotheoptimist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/919ad9/32.png) [@Bobotheoptimist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bobotheoptimist)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2007, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dairy-with-seafood-yea-or-nay/389031/16 "2007-01-23T05:13:14Z")
Didn’t butter used to be made from cow juice, back before partially hydrogenated cottonseed oil? Or does butter not count as dairy? ---
**Author:** ![aktep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f0a364/32.png) [@aktep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aktep)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2007, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dairy-with-seafood-yea-or-nay/389031/17 "2007-01-23T05:20:39Z")
I’d also been noticing a lot on top chef and the food network (that “throwdown” show where the pizza guy said fish and cheese don’t mix) that, well, fish and cheese don’t mix. This is news to me. Many restaurants around here serve fish or shrimp with various cheeses or sauces in tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas, and on its own. One of my favorite dishes in town consists of a catfish filet, wrapped in toritillas, deep fried, and covered in a spicy queso. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2007, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dairy-with-seafood-yea-or-nay/389031/18 "2007-01-23T05:26:37Z")
In the kosher laws, there’s nothing wrong with mixing dairy and fish. Fish are parve (neither milk nor meat). ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2007, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dairy-with-seafood-yea-or-nay/389031/19 "2007-01-23T05:28:52Z")
I think this is a bit of a confabulated myth related as truism… a subtlety lost in translation and exploited by foodies and critics. In Italian cuisine, as defined by gastronomy and general regionalism, the clash of _certain cheeses_- specifically parmigiano reggiano, and peccorino romano, mixed with the taste of the sea is frowned upon by the coastal gustatory. I think it is a purists arguement, but they have a point. The acidity and sharpness of these aged cheeses might interfere with the purity and “breath” of Frutti Di Mare. The gentleness of the sea is overpowered by what some might consider acridity. Of course, this is only with theese cheese. I don’t believe this disqualifies all dairy and seafood combos. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2007, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dairy-with-seafood-yea-or-nay/389031/20 "2007-01-23T05:30:48Z")
Shrimp Scampi? Shrimp are shrimp, and scampi are scampi … where’s the dairy in that? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dairy-with-seafood-yea-or-nay/389031.md?page=2)