Fish - Any hope in making it less....fishy?

BigLifter10
BigLifter10 Posts: 1,153 Member
edited November 16 in Food and Nutrition
Never been a fan of any type of fish (unless it is deep-fried and you don't really know what it is you are eating). I force myself to eat salmon once a week. I am open to any and all ideas on how to make fish more appealing. I currently make my salmon the same way: a drizzle of olive oil (only because someone suggested that), lime juice and dried lime no-sodium granulated lime. It's ok. I never look forward to it though. I would love to find some new things that are tried and true - especially from others who don't really care for fish.

If there is already a link for this, feel free to just post that and I'll check it out!
Thanks!
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Replies

  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    It's not really going to have anything to do with the way it's cooked but rather the type of fish as well as freshness. If you don't live somewhere that has very fresh fish or you're not willing to fork out the cash to shop somewhere that has in flown in fresh daily, I would advise frozen.

    Salmon is a pretty strong fish and has a taste all it's own (I personally love it) whereas white fish such as cod is very mild.
  • micheledemetroff
    micheledemetroff Posts: 21 Member
    white fish (talapia, haddock, halibut, pickerel) tend to be less fishy. I usually douse in Sriracha sauce if you have that where you live...
  • SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage
    SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage Posts: 2,668 Member
    Agree, white fish will be less fishy tasting. All fish should be as fresh as possible and fishy-smell is one way to tell if it's fresh. It shouldn't smell fishy at all. Also the eyes of the fish should be clear, not cloudy or sunken at all.

    If you don't have access to fresh fish, go with frozen and stick with a white fish, season the heck out of it if you you're not a big fan of the taste.
  • Roxiegirl2008
    Roxiegirl2008 Posts: 756 Member
    I would also try the white fish like others have said. I add dill, a little butter, salt and pepper to mine with fresh lemon juice after it cooks. I also love old bay seasoning on any seafood.
  • Sarasmaintaining
    Sarasmaintaining Posts: 1,027 Member
    edited April 2015
    Just finished eating salmon for lunch-I coated it in olive oil (tbsp worth) and then liberally sprinkled Lawrys seasoning salt on it. After it was baked I dipped it in a bit of lemon juice. Tasted great :)
  • LovelyIvy466
    LovelyIvy466 Posts: 387 Member
    Teryaki sauce can cut down. White fishes can be a bit better than salmon which sometimes has a really strong flavor, but above poster was right, freshness is what really counts.
  • juniebug2013
    juniebug2013 Posts: 31 Member
    edited April 2015
    I don't really care for fish either, but I do love salmon patties. I use canned salmon, but you could probably use baked salmon with similar results. 1 can salmon, half a cup bread crumbs (I use crushed up seasoned croutons), an egg, and a little salt and pepper. It makes 5-6 patties. You can bake them or I like to cook them on the stove top with a little cooking spray in a nonstick pan. Even my kids who also do not like fish will eat them. They really don't taste fishy at all to me. They also make good sandwiches with a little tarter sauce. I'm guessing these may not be as good for you as fresh baked or grilled fish, but other than canned tuna it's the only way I'm getting fish in my diet so I don't worry about it too much.
  • lisafrancis888
    lisafrancis888 Posts: 119 Member
    Try cod less fishy than haddock.
  • BigLifter10
    BigLifter10 Posts: 1,153 Member
    Thanks for all the replies. Good to know about the freshness and type making a difference. I will be trying out these hints for seasonings as well. Never had sriracha (sp) at all, have heard about it though. Will look into that also. Thank you!
  • cflynn99
    cflynn99 Posts: 6 Member
    Mahi mahi is a really mild tasting fish. My favorite with some lemon and dill, or a little teriyaki citrus glaze.
  • LovelyIvy466
    LovelyIvy466 Posts: 387 Member
    I don't really care for fish either, but I do love salmon patties. I use canned salmon, but you could probably use baked salmon with similar results. 1 can salmon, half a cup bread crumbs (I use crushed up seasoned croutons), an egg, and a little salt and pepper. It makes 5-6 patties. You can bake them or I like to cook them on the stove top with a little cooking spray in a nonstick pan. Even my kids who also do not like fish will eat them. They really don't taste fishy at all to me. They also make good sandwiches with a little tarter sauce. I'm guessing these may not be as good for you as fresh baked or grilled fish, but other than canned tuna it's the only way I'm getting fish in my diet so I don't worry about it too much.

    I've made this, and got RAVES on the result. Wasn't fishy.
  • NotQuiteNorm
    NotQuiteNorm Posts: 283 Member
    Cod. I definitely find meal of 1 cup peas, 2 cups neeps and 5 fish fingers and 20ml ketchup very easy, filling and tasty!
  • Lindy901
    Lindy901 Posts: 71 Member
    Agree with a white fish type, tilapia is another if not mentioned. Try different toppings on the fish. I like a lime and cilantro dressing on mine.
  • Mercedespony
    Mercedespony Posts: 162 Member
    I make a batch of mango/lime salsa in advance (stores for days in the fridge), and serve a 1/2 cup on my quickly pan-fried white fish (sole, cod, haddock) on the side. Love it!

    http://allrecipes.com/recipe/mango-salsa/
  • BigLifter10
    BigLifter10 Posts: 1,153 Member
    I make a batch of mango/lime salsa in advance (stores for days in the fridge), and serve a 1/2 cup on my quickly pan-fried white fish (sole, cod, haddock) on the side. Love it!

    http://allrecipes.com/recipe/mango-salsa/


    Also sounds great!! Thanks for the link.
  • BigLifter10
    BigLifter10 Posts: 1,153 Member
    Lindy901 wrote: »
    Agree with a white fish type, tilapia is another if not mentioned. Try different toppings on the fish. I like a lime and cilantro dressing on mine.


    Hmm, seems I did try some sort of tilapia once and it wasn't bad. Lime and cilantro is ALWAYS a good thing!
  • Emilia777
    Emilia777 Posts: 978 Member
    To chip in, fish taco type seasonings can really change the flavour profile of fish. Something like a milder tasting fish (i.e. white) with lots of taco seasonings (cumin, chilli powder, paprika, fresh cilantro), topped with guacamole and sour cream or greek yogurt. Yum :yum:
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    This needs to be merged with the Dr. Poon thread.
  • LovelyIvy466
    LovelyIvy466 Posts: 387 Member
    Emilia777 wrote: »
    To chip in, fish taco type seasonings can really change the flavour profile of fish. Something like a milder tasting fish (i.e. white) with lots of taco seasonings (cumin, chilli powder, paprika, fresh cilantro), topped with guacamole and sour cream or greek yogurt. Yum :yum:
    That sounds delish! Like a baja fish taco without the breading. I might try this with breaded, oven-baked fish next week.
  • Emilia777
    Emilia777 Posts: 978 Member
    Emilia777 wrote: »
    To chip in, fish taco type seasonings can really change the flavour profile of fish. Something like a milder tasting fish (i.e. white) with lots of taco seasonings (cumin, chilli powder, paprika, fresh cilantro), topped with guacamole and sour cream or greek yogurt. Yum :yum:
    That sounds delish! Like a baja fish taco without the breading. I might try this with breaded, oven-baked fish next week.

    Oh I like the sound of that! I think I’ll defrost my salmon (I love all fish) and try this too now :smiley:
  • Maries_wine_calories
    Maries_wine_calories Posts: 152 Member
    This recipe is for Basa Loins, (Costco $12.99 about 9 per bag). I prepare 5 loins thawed and marinated in the fridge for one hour with an even sprinkling of lemon juice, paprika, ginger, garlic powder, black pepper and pink salts (parsley if you like). Pan fried in 2 tbsp of olive oil on pre-heated pan. Cook on medium (convection) heat 10 minutes one side, flip and 6-8 minutes second side or until desired crispy/brown-ness. NOT a fishy fish, nice and flaky "meaty" white meat that pairs well with Orzo or rice :)
  • Nikkei74
    Nikkei74 Posts: 48 Member
    I'd look outside eating it as a fillet. Thai fish cakes are really straight forward to make. Moqueqa de peixe is a delicious fish stew, as are the many fish curries from Kerala. If you do want to stick to fillets, swordfish steaks taste quite meaty rather than fishy, especially if you barbecue it. Albacore can be similar. And if you want to stick with salmon, try it with wasabi mayonnaise to cover up the fish taste. Good luck!
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,224 Member
    Some people only like fish when it doesn't actually taste like the fish it is regardless of the freshness. If that's the case either learn to like fish in all of it's magnificence or save for me. :)
  • AdamImadA
    AdamImadA Posts: 74 Member
    You NEED salt! The fish taco ideas are also ones that work great in our house.
  • HeidiCooksSupper
    HeidiCooksSupper Posts: 3,839 Member
    edited April 2015
    Salmon, swordfish, and tuna are among the stronger tasting fishes. Try something white-fleshed like flounder, tilapia, etc. These are readily available frozen and tilapia is likely to be cheaper than salmon.

    Here's a trick my father used to make a strong fish, like bluefish, milder. He'd put the fillets skin-side down on a foil-line baking sheet. Then he'd salt and pepper the fish. Then he'd spread mayonnaise on it like you would peanut butter on bread. Finally, he'd squeeze lemon juice on top before cooking. Before eating, we'd push the cooked mayonnaise off the top and the resulting fish was very mild and not-at-all smelly.
  • esmeregina
    esmeregina Posts: 2 Member
    As far as salmon, grill it on a wood plank! No oil needed, but adds a nice flavor. Marinating it first helps too, in a bit of saltwater.
  • MonsoonStorm
    MonsoonStorm Posts: 371 Member
    Buy it as fresh as possible.

    Very fresh fish doesn't really taste fishy. Fresh raw tuna tastes more like a meat than a fish.
  • ruthtruman
    ruthtruman Posts: 50 Member
    Get the freshest, wild caught white fish (cod is awesome and so is Mahi Mahi) and use it the same day you buy it. Heat oven to 350. Wash filet, pat it dry, place on a large piece of aluminum foil. Then spray very lightly with olive or coconut oil. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, a dash of garlic powder, a dusting of ground cumin and a light dash of ground cayenne pepper-- with these spices, less is more, use a light hand. A sprig of fresh dill is nice too. Then, make a tent with the foil, folding edges together a few inches above the fish so as to trap the steam in when you cook the fish in the oven. Cook for 10 minutes. Pull out of oven and let sit a couple minutes before carefully opening your foil tent-- careful that you don't let escaping steam burn you. This will be a very moist, flavorful, non-fishy fish entree. Always cook fish without lemon (it dries the fish out) and add your lemon, if you choose, after its out of the oven. I don't really like salmon nearly as much as I like cod, but you will get a perfectly cooked salmon filet if you cook salmon in a foil "tent" as well. Another good trick with salmon is to salt the skin side pretty thickly first, then put in foil tent skin side down. Salt helps the skin peel off super easily and the salt on bottom of the skin won't transfer up into the salmon causing it to be over-salted. I used to mostly throw away my fish cooking efforts until I learned this foil tent method because my results were so un-appetizing but now I get rave reviews from my family when we have fish. Another perk with the foil tent is its such easy clean-up since your pan doesn't get dirty.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    It is o.k. to dislike fish. B)
  • Patrick0321
    Patrick0321 Posts: 102 Member
    If you like salmon you might like this
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/teriyakisalmon_66107
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