Great responses y’all. If nothing else, I am getting hungry!
One more question: I am living in the french part of Switzerland, and although many of these probably translate directly, I imagine that others have completely different names in french. Does anyone know how some of these translate?
Gah! I’ve killed my own thread!
I have to second (or third?) tuna as the least fishy fish that there is, IMHO it is more like a steak and seems to be acceptable to even the most hardened fish haters. It is always good griddled to give it that smoky flavour and should always be cooked rare in the middle but left to rest for a minute or two before serving. I had griddled tuna served with mashed cannollini beans, steamed broccoli and a lemon, olive oil, parsley and caper dressing last weekend which was delicious (so delicous that it is going to be my SO’s Valentines meal) but not in the least bit fishy, I reccomend this dish for fishophobes.
So, Robert Have you tried anything yet?
I haven’t actually done a search but I would think any freshwater trout in Switzerland would substitute for crappie in a blackened fish recipe. Be sure and clean them well. Let us know what happens. 
Nope, not yet. But this weekend I will go to the supermarket and take a long look at the fish counter. If I don’t see any species that immediately fit your recommendations, I may ask the fishmonger the same question. My wife just saw Jamie Oliver cook a fish curry with halibut – now she wants me to try it. Seeing it’s on the list, maybe I’ll look for that one.
Actually, one thing I have learned from this thread is that I hardly know anything about fish myself. My technique is usually just to bread the sucker (pun intended) and eat it with angel hair pasta with garlic sauce. Tasty, but not much imagination involved. I think I need to upgrade my fish cooking repertoire if I want to impress the missus!
Robert :shakes head: Sounds like you need to get you a good cookbook.
Fish are IMHO one of the best foods this world has to offer.
I rarely buy fish, (I like mine truly fresh and I love to fish) but when I do, if the shop stinks or has a really strong odor…go to a different place. People say, “it smells like fish” that’s bullshit. Fresh fish smell good they don’t stink. The place either has old/bad fish or it’s not cleaned well. Either way, find a clean market with fish caught or delivered daily.
There are places here where I can buy LIVE fish…now that’s the best way IMO. You can pay someone to clean them BUT I’ve never had anyone clean them to my satisfaction. You can always trim the fillets after you get home if need be. Stay away from whole fish recipes too. (If you are trying to lose the fishy taste)
Although there are many whole stuffed fish recipes that are great, they will taste like fish. If you’re looking for a clean sweet taste without all the overpowering seasonings to “hide” the fishiness, remember white meat, fresh water, no blood (lateral) lines, cold water soak, and stay away from heavy batters. Light meals or better yet, lights oil and seared in a hot cast iron skillet. A dash of garlic salt and some greens on the side. With good fish, less is more.
I’ll see if I can get you some more or better info. in regards to this OP.
Gotta run.
Interesting. I’ve always found tilapia to be very mild. I’ve had it Chinese style, Cuban style, and I’ve cooked it at home.
The tilapia in a Chinese restaurant is either steamed or deep-fried (without coating). Cuban style is deep-fried. Either way, it usually comes with the head. At a Chinese restaurant it comes with a sauce. I don’t know recall what kind. Sort-of like teriyaki. It also comes with sliced peppers. Mmmm! Cuban is similar, but without the teriyaki-ish sauce. I found it to be a little bland for my tastes. I’ve also fried it (the whole fish) in oil at home, and ate it with soy sauce. Make three vertical slits in the flesh to allow the inside to cook before the thinner parts overcook.
Last night I cooked a couple of fillets in olive oil, capers and sun-dried tomatoes. Again, I found the flesh to be rather bland. (Next time, I’ll use more capers and add some garlic.)
How about fish’n’chips? Cod tends to be non-fishy, and the batter would tend to cover up some of the “fish taste” (if any) as well. Then there’s the malt vinegar and salt (or tartar sauce).
Speaking fo fishy taste, I remember when I was a kid that fish sticks were quite fishy. A little lemon off of the tree in the back yard took care of it. A few years ago, in a fit of nostalgia, I bought some fish sticks. They had no “fishy” flavour at all! Pretty much tasteless. I tried a gain a few more times, and it seems that all of the frozen fish sticks I can find nowadays have had all of their fishiness removed. It just doesn’t seem right.
The least fishy fish?
I’d have to nominate lungfish and mudskippers.
Heck, I don’t know what could be less fishy than breathing air and surviving out of water!
Well, I did go ahead last night and try one of the recommended fish – cod. In my earlier post I said halibut, but I meant haddock (yep, betraying my ignorance there). We couldn’t find any haddock at our grocer, but they did have cod (cabilloud in french in case anyone wants to know), which the fishmonger said was in the same family.
So, we prepared it in the recipe I told you about – basically a South Indian fish curry with a tomato and coconut base and a number of spices. I soaked the cod in milk for about an hour beforehand. And (drumroll please)…
… my wife liked it! Yup, she said it was really tasty and not too fishy at all. In fact, she said she even appreciated the very slight flavor the cod imparted to the curry.
So I know this is still a pretty simple recipe and I have only tried one fish, but I am very satisfied to know that we at least have this one option. Hopefully in the future, with a bit more experimentation and sensitivity to the details of preparation on my part, we will have lots of wonderful fish dinners. Thanks to everyone for their very helpful advice!
Until I moved to Japan, I though all fish tasted/smelled ‘fishy’, but I liked fish, anyway.
I have to tell you though, that since I’ve been here, I’ve learned that the only ‘fishy’ fish is fish that isn’t fresh. Somebody earlier mentioned sushi. Sushi and sashimi are never ‘fishy’, regardless which fish or seafood it is.
If your fish is ‘fishy’, blame the fish market, or the tardy cook, not the poor, dead fish.
Acidic sauces and marinades (lemon, tomato, wine; hell, even tartar sauce!) help if the fish is just past fresh. A little tarragon does wonders, too! Mustard’s nice if used carefully.
I’m off to the sushi shop!
I was shocked that nobody said walleye either. I’m also from Minnesota, and if it’s not walleye, it’s usually too fishy. Perch, crappie, and sunfish are also pretty good, but nothing matches walleye. The key, of course, is that you have to eat them fresh, like NurseCarmen said…
Ditto on the saltwater fish. Yecch!
Throw me in the halibut pile. Very mild. I like it grilled with lemon.
Definitely look for the freshest fish you can find, and ask the fishmonger what’s the freshest they have, and ask around until you find the best fishmonger you can. And congratulations on having fishmongers – what a fun word to say!
Around these parts, your best best is to get sushi-grade fish (or sashimi-grade): it’s gonna be the freshest, tastiest fish around. But for freshwater fish, you’ll just need to rely on your nose and on the fishmonger’s advice and reputation.
Are there ever any good trout in Switzerland? Fresh rainbow trout tastes like a mild salmon to me, and it’s a beautiful color, very appetizing. Get a fresh one and broil it in a lemon butter dressing, and it’s sublime. burundi makes a sauce out of white wine and scallions for trout, which is spectacular.
Daniel
stick to tofu, tastes much better the fish and you don’t harm an animal. If she doesn’t like the way it tastes why bother ruining the fishes life for her to trow it away
I had tofu once.
My advice is stick with the fish.
if she grew up in a vegetarian home i doubt she hates tofu
In the UK one or two types of geese are classed as fish - for historical, nor scientific reasons.
Yeah, to me too. I haven’t had much fish, but that was my favourite.
I love fish. My brother and I hated it when we were younger, so my family never really got into the habit of eating it, but as I got older I started trying fish again, I got used to it, and since then I have never found a fish I didn’t like. Maybe it takes some getting used to. I don’t know.
Anyway, on topic: how about scallops? My friend’s dad was a fisherman, so she grew up eating fish and lobster way too much and grew to hate it - yet she still likes scallops, because they aren’t fishy.
great idea, except she isn’t so keen on poultry either, on account of the carcass she has to leave on her plate. You know of any birds without bones? 