# Fish and Seafood
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-and-seafood/558129
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [October 23, 2010, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-and-seafood/558129 "2010-10-23T21:26:30Z")
**Posts on this page:** 18
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2010, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-and-seafood/558129/21 "2010-10-24T13:52:38Z")
Love clams. Love lobster. Love crab. Love shrimp. Am seriously allergic to scallops, so much so that I’ve never bothered to try mussels, abalone, any other shellfish. I had one fried oyster once with no effect, but I may just have dodged a bullet and I’m not going to try it again just out of curiosity. I’ll stick with what I know won’t kill me.
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### Author:  [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2010, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-and-seafood/558129/22 "2010-10-24T16:28:50Z")
> [@Waterman](#):
>
> Perhaps I’m in a bad mood but WTF with regards to a poll that offers 17 options that would have been much better presented (IMO) as a hierarchy of choices:
>
> Liking or disliking fish/shellfish.
> Liking or disliking sushi versus cooked fish/shellfish.
> etc
> etc
I was surprised that with all the choices offered there was no mention of people who avoid some seafood for environmental or religious reasons.
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### Author:  [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2010, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-and-seafood/558129/23 "2010-10-24T17:26:16Z")
> [@Eva\_Luna](#):
>
> I love most fish and seafood, but a) I have much less tolerance for less-than-perfect freshness than I do with other proteins;
Ditto.
I’ve also never liked oily, “fishy” fish like bonita or mackerel. I’m not even a huge fan of salmon, though I’ll eat it. I pretty much go for things like lingcod or halibut - firm, white-fleshed fishes ( or occasionally green in the case of lingcod, but you know what I mean ) and they must be fresh. The older I get, the more aversion I seem to have to fishyness in my fish.
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### Author:  [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2010, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-and-seafood/558129/24 "2010-10-24T17:46:16Z")
I pretty much like it all, raw or cooked.
Though I’m not a fan of using heavy cream sauces with fish. Keep it light and fresh.
If I had to choose my favourite it would be fresh squid, dusted and fried for 30 seconds. Closely followed by a whole grilled gilt-head bream. The latter is one of the cheapest and tastiest fishes in the local seas and has the added benefit of, when you pick the meat off it, ends up looking like a cartoon fish skeleton a la “Top Cat”. Endless hilarity for the kids.
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### Author:  [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2010, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-and-seafood/558129/25 "2010-10-24T17:52:18Z")
I eat most of it except for the following:
**Octopus** : rubbery, tough and no thanks.
**Oysters** : a member of the phlegm family, even if deep fried, and no thanks.
**Raw fish** : unpleasant texture that reminds me of fat and makes me gag and no thanks.
Cold-smoked salmon (lox): same comments as for raw fish, but add slimy into the equation, and no thanks.
Loves me some mussels provencale, grilled salmon, halibut and shellfish, fish tacos, etc.
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### Author:  [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2010, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-and-seafood/558129/26 "2010-10-24T17:56:53Z")
Why is this a public poll?
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### Author:  [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2010, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-and-seafood/558129/27 "2010-10-24T18:01:32Z")
Crab, shrimp, lobster, clams, abalone, fish, calamari, scallops… Actually pretty much anything except oysters - I never did acquire a taste for them.
man, now I want a seafood platter…
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### Author:  [@Invisible\_Chimp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Invisible_Chimp)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2010, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-and-seafood/558129/28 "2010-10-24T19:13:36Z")
I’m not too fond of oysters or clams, but I’ll eat them occasionally. I love most other seafood. I especially love salmon, crab, and calamari.
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### Author:  [@Fried\_Dough\_Ho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fried_Dough_Ho)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2010, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-and-seafood/558129/29 "2010-10-24T20:11:30Z")
> [@Stoid](#):
>
> Fried: I just saw your mention of being a "super-taster: in another thread.
> How did you come by the knowledge that you are a “super-taster”? I think I am, but I’m not sure if I would be _officially_ considered one. I just know that I’m able to detect the tiniest amounts of things and people look at me like i’m crazy. I can’t use any kind of detergent on non-stick or iron because I taste it in my food.
>
> In fact, I have to boil baking soda and/or vinegar in my pots to rid them of lingering flavors that infect the next thing I eat. It’s a pain, and why I try to only prepare certain flavor profiles in particular pans and pots.
Stoid, I started going through the sommelier program, the Wine Spirit Education Trust. There were so many teachers there that talked about people like me (and, from the sounds of it, people like you). We can detect all sorts of layers of flavors and aromas. In wine, we can detect the minutest amount of TCA (Trichloroanisole) – also known as cork taint – which gives wine the essence of wet cardboard. Many people can barely notice it; shockingly, many in the industry.
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### Author:  [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2010, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-and-seafood/558129/30 "2010-10-24T20:23:13Z")
I like seafood and fish. I rarely find myself finding foods gross or unappealing. Just new and surprising flavors and textures. And one of the best snacks ever is triscuits and kippers.
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### Author:  [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2010, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-and-seafood/558129/31 "2010-10-24T21:15:29Z")
I like crab, shrimp, clams, calamari, tuna, salmon, mackerel, and (fried) whitefish. I also love sushi, but can’t abide sashimi, and I sometimes eat anchovies on my pizza.
I hate conch; am indifferent to lobster, oysters, and mussels; can’t get over the idea of eating a crawdad whole; and am not really fond of most other fish, though I’ll give it all a try if I run across it.
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### Author:  [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2010, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-and-seafood/558129/32 "2010-10-24T21:26:46Z")
> [@Chefguy](#):
>
> I eat most of it except for the following:
>
> **Octopus** : rubbery, tough and no thanks.
> **Oysters** : a member of the phlegm family, even if deep fried, and no thanks.
> **Raw fish** : unpleasant texture that reminds me of fat and makes me gag and no thanks.
> Cold-smoked salmon (lox): same comments as for raw fish, but add slimy into the equation, and no thanks.
>
> Loves me some mussels provencale, grilled salmon, halibut and shellfish, fish tacos, etc.
Each to their own of course but I do think the poor octopus gets a raw deal.
It should be cooked either very quickly or very slowly, never in between.
When done like that it is meltingly tender.
The same goes for squid. 30 seconds in hot oil THAT IS ALL! This is a tragedy that puts people off a wonderfully cheap and sustainable food. When people complain that squid is rubbery it is a sure sign that it was frozen and over-cooked, a culinary crime.
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### Author:  [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2010, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-and-seafood/558129/33 "2010-10-24T22:58:24Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#):
>
> Each to their own of course but I do think the poor octopus gets a raw deal.
> It should be cooked either very quickly or very slowly, never in between.
> When done like that it is meltingly tender.
> The same goes for squid. 30 seconds in hot oil THAT IS ALL! This is a tragedy that puts people off a wonderfully cheap and sustainable food. When people complain that squid is rubbery it is a sure sign that it was frozen and over-cooked, a culinary crime.
Quite possibly. I only had it once (in Greece) amidst a big platter of inedible seafood. How somebody could fuck up that much fish was beyond me.
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### Author:  [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)
#### Post date: [October 25, 2010, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-and-seafood/558129/34 "2010-10-25T00:56:15Z")
A strange poll…
I count various kinds of seafood as among my favorite foods. Starting with tuna salad on rye, or a tuna melt with swiss, to New England clam chowder, batter fried fish and chips, batter fried Ipswich clams, crab cakes, lobster rolls, steamed sea bass, even the Chinese processed “fish balls” (or even better, the shrimp balls) in soup. And that’s just to start with - I love quality sushi and sashimi as well. Rare seared tuna steak is awesome, as is broiled salmon. Calamari (squid) grilled or fried. Or dried, salted and shredded for jerky like goodness.
I do draw the line at raw oysters though - never developed a taste for that.
Still, it depends on how it’s prepared. Frozen fish thawed and cooked is an abomination unto the gods, just inedible. I’ve tried to freeze catfish fillets when I got too much for the number of diners, and even just a few days later, thawing and breading/frying them up resulted in something just awful compared to what came out with the same recipe when they were fresh.
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### Author:  [@Lobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobot)
#### Post date: [October 25, 2010, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-and-seafood/558129/35 "2010-10-25T06:32:04Z")
Used to be very fussy about fish as a kid–liked tuna and fish fingers (fish sticks) and some frozen, crumbed fillets and not much else. My stepfather is allergic to shellfish, so that wasn’t even an option.
As an adult, I enjoy a lot of fish, sushi and shellfish. And I’ll eat anchovy pizza. Seafood in general is probably my favourite meat, after chicken. Haven’t had oysters or anything of that nature yet, and I’m not sure I’m game to, but anything else is fine.
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [October 25, 2010, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-and-seafood/558129/36 "2010-10-25T07:32:15Z")
I don’t think there’s any fish or seafood I don’t like. Come to think of it, there really isn’t much food I don’t like. My favorites, though, are the fatty fish like sardines, mackerel, tuna, and salmon. As for shellfish, mussels (especially Penn Cove mussels) and scallops.
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### Author:  [@Tanbarkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tanbarkie)
#### Post date: [October 25, 2010, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-and-seafood/558129/37 "2010-10-25T13:43:37Z")
Love it all. Raw, steamed, fried, sauteed, baked, you name it, I’ll eat it. Light white-flesh fish, heavy tuna and salmon steaks, shellfish, fish eggs, seaweed, and everything in between… my mouth is watering just thinking about it all.
Sushi and oysters, which seem to be the most frequently mentioned “eww” things mentioned in this thread, I find absolutely divine. Just had home-made chirashi bowls last night, and it was delicious. Nothing better than tender, sushi-grade raw salmon on rice.
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### Author:  [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)
#### Post date: [October 25, 2010, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-and-seafood/558129/38 "2010-10-25T13:45:36Z")
I am a vegetarian, but before my veggie days I did not like fish. I occaisonally ate tuna or bland fish on the idea that it was good for me.
I cannot eat shellfish. It tastes like something that has gone really, really bad.
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