Monday, April 24, 2006

Fish

I like fish, but I don't know a lot about it. Culinary-wise. I realized this week, that snapper and tilapia are as different as tuna and salmon. Who'd have guessed? I thought all the freshwater white fish tasted all the same. Now I'm curious about roughy, pike, trout, and bass. What about minnows?

So I know you're dying to know, so I'll tell you the difference between snapper and tilapia. Snapper is substantial. It's almost chewy, and the texture is smooth and heavy. It flakes, but in very large chunks. And it smells very fishy. Even after it's cooked, it kind of tastes raw like sushi. Tilapia is light, almost odorless, and flakes in small pieces. It's tasty, but doesn't taste strong like tuna, for instance. I like tilapia way better. You know a good way to cook it? Put a fillet in parchment paper along with some thin thin slices of potato, garlic, red onion, lemon slices, salt, and pepper and then fold the edges together so that the steam will be sealed in. Then stick in a 350 oven for about 20 minutes, and you'll have a delicious steamed fish meal. Another good way to cook it is to make a mixture of sour cream, garlic, and a bunch of fresh dill and smear it on the fish. Cook it in a 350 oven uncovered for about 10 minutes. Yum.

5 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

I don't think snapper is a freshwater fish. I think it's a saltwater fish. I'm not sure about tilapia

7:08 AM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Snapper fish enter fresh water to feed. Tilapia is a freshwater fish. I know this because I looked it up. I thought they were both saltwater.

I can't get into fish. it's difficult for me to handle. I think I only like sushi for the wasabi and ginger. Is this because I grew up almost smack dab in the middle of the country, away from fresh fish, other than catfish from the river or perch from a lake? yuck.

5:16 PM  
Blogger trcdkk said...

Thank you, Dave, for affirming what I've said and almost gotten crucified for in the past - that often people in the Midwest don't have the same appreciation for fish as, say, someone from the Pacific Northwest. Seriously, people have gotten pissed at me and then ridiculed me in front of others, leaving me embarrassed and silent.

6:58 AM  
Blogger trcdkk said...

maybe affirm was the wrong word there. confirm? whatever, you get my drift.

7:00 AM  
Blogger Joanne said...

Who gets pissed at you-- other midwesterners because they actually like fish, or coastal peoples, because you're dissin their fish, or others because they think that you're lying about the fact that midwesterners don't like fish as much? Because I thought it was obvious that if you grow up eating little to no fish (and fish that's not all that fresh), you won't appreciate it that much when you're older. I am not an uber fish eater either. Though I have a slightly better appreciation due in part to my DNA and also that my mom tried to cook fish more often than the average midwestern family.

But sushi I LURVE. I think I really like smooth slimy textures.

7:25 AM  

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