Sea Food Questions.......

I know I like most white fish ( cod,perch,orange roughy) and stuff like shrimp & crab legs...but had a nasty run in with raw oysters....slippery little fellows YUCK
I've always wanted to try squid,octopus & lobster.. but been afraid to try thinking it would be nasty & good money wasted...are they really fishy tasting--slippery????
Any help would be awesome
Pam

Octopus, squid- calamari is the best way to try the squid, available as an appetizer in most Italian restaurants
- octopus- is definately an aquired taste-sometimes available in good Viet Namese or Thai restaurants.
Lobster is similar in texture to shrimp or crab meat but with a flavor that just really makes it special,
Mussels are another shellfish that don't get too much good press- these little tasty morsels from the sea are fantastic- steamed with a little white wine, garlic and your favorite herbs- put on a pasta with a little olive oil and garlic!- wow- I am thinking seafood tonight! Can also do really well in a good marinara sauce! With crusty loaf and bottle of vino!

If you like shrimp & crab you will probably curl up like a kitten over lobster.

Raw oysters? That's pretty adventurous. I love 'em, now, but never went near 'em until my 20s (and we actually used to throw them back when I was a kid). Unless you're a hand at sushi you might want to hold off on the raw shellfish, IMHO.

Squid or octopus? Depends very much on preparation. These have subtler flavors and their textures can be improved or destroyed by cooking. I've considered cooking squid, but I've read that you either have to cook it for a matter of minutes or hours - anything in between and it's rubber. Sample these someplace that's known to make them well. Easy start is some fried calimari. If you like fried shrimp, or fried vegetables, or just about anything breaded and fried you should like fried calimari.

Pamela,
Try some Oysters Fried , or in a stew and you can gain an appreciation for those little guys. I happen to love them raw also, but I will admit that raw is an acquired taste for many folks.

Clams are great also. Be they fried, steamed, raw or in Chowder or in a multitude of other recipes. Worth every penny!

If you have tried crab meat in various forms (crablegs-soft-shell-etc) You already know how good they are. Lobster, normally steamed or boiled, but sometimes broiled too, is a very mild flavored meat--sort of crab-like but with a variation of its own.

I pass on the squid/calamari, as the times I have tried it I found it to be chewy and rubbery. If I ever have some 'good' calamari I will report back on it.

I like most fish, but I prefer it to be the 'white-fishes' like Swordfish, Halibut, Dorato,and Tuna. I don't care much for strong flavored fish like Mackeral or Mullet unless they are smoked heavily and used as a snack type of serving. I prefer fish to be grilled or broiled, usually with a citrus marinade or dripping as opposed to baked fish or 'cream sauces' on fish, but this is just a personal preference on my part.

One special delicacy you didn't mention are SCALLOPS. Whether large (SEA) or small(BAY) they are wonderful on the grill(skewered) or breaded and fried, or broiled in butter. Scallops are my very favorite form of seafoood!

"One special delicacy you didn't mention are SCALLOPS. Whether large (SEA) or small(BAY) they are wonderful on the grill(skewered) or breaded and fried, or broiled in butter. Scallops are my very favorite form of seafoood!"

Ssshhh! We're trying to keep that secret!

I'd agree pretty much with Mr. Mayor. Among the shellfish/mollusks, most people like shrimp and crab, and love lobster if they get the chance to have good lobster. Most miss out on scallops which are wonderful, more like a cross between lobster/crab and oyster than clams, which is what people expect. Try them broiled or fried.

Clams are wonderful, but I'd recommend you don't try steamers first out if you had issues with the "slipperiness" of raw oysters.

Mussels are terrific little bites of the sea and hold up to stronger preparations as mland suggested. Along with squid and octopus, they were largely relegated to ethnic cuisines until recently as some can find issue with their texture/mouthfeel. But fresh and prepared properly they are all great!

Enjoy!

I am with Al on the squid/calimari. It is to rubbery and chewy for me. I like most white fish. Al mentioned ocean fish but I also enjoy fresh water fish such as white fish, crappie, walleye and bluegill. There are many other good fresh water fishes but I just ccannot remember them all.

It is crawfish time in coastal Texas and Louisiana and most restaurants that specilize in seafood include them this time of the year. Little bitty guys but tasty.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Crawdads are tastie, but just too much work for the rewards!!

We had some Lake Perch Filets last year in Michigan that were unbelieveably good. I think there were 6 to 8 in an order, broiled or grilled in butter and so good!

I don't see Catfish on the list here, but it would be very high on any list of mine. Breaded and fried, or Lemon-peppered...Catfish used to be food for Po'Folks, but the word got out and the rest of the world is catching on to it!

Al, they have refined the crawdad technique. Most places have them where you do not have to suck the head and eat the tail. I do not know how they do it but everyplace I visit anymore has them already shucked. I just made that word up but without the shell.

I had some great crawfish etoufee (SIC) at T Coons in Lafayette, LA.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

I was fortunate that a Cajun showed me how to properly get the tail out of a crawfish when he saw I was struggling. All you have to do is take the head off and pinch the tail underneath right near the end with your thumb. I can actually eat them faster than boiled shrimp now that I have the technique down. (By the way I don't do anything with the heads other than maybe making a stock).

Here is a web page that describes this technique w/pictures:

http://www.nobts.edu/Enlistment/Crawfish.html

Back on oysters for a moment, the flavor varies wildly with the waters and climate they are from. (This is true of most seafood, particularly with stagnant shellfish, but it's pronounced in oysters.) It's not quite as noticeable when they're cooked and treated to a "stuffing" or such. Generally speaking, Atlantic oysters are milder and sweeter and Pacific oysters are stronger and more acerbic, with some of the Asian oysters having a pronounced kick of iodine.

If you decide to give it another go, try some Oysters Rockefeller, or some other baked preparation.

And, if you don't like raw oysters, stay away from uni, sea urchin roe, that's a delicacy at sushi bars. Kind of the consistency of soft, raw liver with a dose of iodine that will make your throat pucker. Some people love it, but I've decided I can live without it.

Nice description Asphalt.

The technique for stripping a crawfish is not as simple as it seems.

I have always bought them already naked. They are sold that way in most of the stores in Houston.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Oysters are a favorite of mine, whether raw, sauted fried, barbecued, grilled, baked, in stew or a pan roast. But I must agree that for the uniniated try them first fried or baked. The if you like the flavor gofortheraw ones. I am partial to west coast oysters as they are stronger in flavor and more pungent.

Mussels, I think, get a bad rap. Some people think they are to strong. I really enjoy them in a white wine, garlic broth, much similar to how clams are done.

Also really like squid and ocopus, and am really partial to the baby octopi that can behad in asian restaurants, either cooked or raw.

My all time favorite is abalone, however it is really, REALLY, REALLY expensive, since it was over fished, and now there are strict limits on how many that people can take for personal use. I am not aware, although I am probably wrong, that there is commercial U.S. abalone harvesting done any longer. However there are some farm raised abalone out there. I recently had a 3 ounce serving of abalone as an appetizer that ran about 70bucks. That was tough to take, when I rember there was a time more then 30 years ago tha you could get 3 abalone steaks for about six bucks up and down the Northern California coast. Alas, no more, said poor Yorick

Abalone appetizer for 70$? It's not THAT good! Back in the 70's, diving off the shores of San Diego, I would pull up five or ten abs every dive, averaging probably 2 to 3 pounds. I thought abalone steaks were horribly expensive in the few restaurants that served them, about 15 or 20 bucks.
When it comes to sushi, I like mackeral and uni, but most people don't ask me to share.

Different stokes for different folks PP.

I like your choices, I'll eat sushi and/or sashimi any time. I'll even share, if you will.

quote:

Originally posted by Ashphalt

Back on oysters for a moment, the flavor varies wildly with the waters and climate they are from. (This is true of most seafood, particularly with stagnant shellfish, but it's pronounced in oysters.) It's not quite as noticeable when they're cooked and treated to a "stuffing" or such. Generally speaking, Atlantic oysters are milder and sweeter and Pacific oysters are stronger and more acerbic, with some of the Asian oysters having a pronounced kick of iodine.

If you decide to give it another go, try some Oysters Rockefeller, or some other baked preparation.

And, if you don't like raw oysters, stay away from uni, sea urchin roe, that's a delicacy at sushi bars. Kind of the consistency of soft, raw liver with a dose of iodine that will make your throat pucker. Some people love it, but I've decided I can live without it.

I highly recommend another baked oyster dish....Oysters Bienville. Made with a cream sauce, cheese, minced shrimp or crab on top of the oysters and then baked.

Oh my-that oysters bienville sounds excellent-do you have a recipe handy or should i just google it??And to pipe in on the calimari subject,I had some disgusting stuff once so I never tried it after that.But this past fall, I took my southern cousin to a restaurant for lunch,and as she loves calimari,we ordered it.i tried it and was incredibly pleased.It had been deep fried in a very light batter(think tempura)and wasnt chewy at all.I guess its kind of a hit or miss thing.But if you are ever in Milwaukee,go to The Pieces of Eight retaurant on the lake and order the calimari!!

I live in Japan where squid and octopus besides being used for sushi are used for calamari steak and in seafood curries. I often buy a bit of cooked octopus and marinate it in dill, olive oil, yuzu (like lemon but sublime) juice and garlic. Make sure it is thinly sliced though.

I like almost all seafood except octopus, to chewy for me.

My ultimate favorite is scallops, Followed by conch, shrimp, crab, crawfish, salmon, roughy, shark, halibut, oysters( Hama-hama ) tuna etc.

I like it fried,grilled, boiled or fresh. Seasoned up or not. As long as it doesn't smell to pungent.

Lobster is too rich for me so I had to give it up.

Thank you all for your replies...It was awesome and informative. There is a store here in Fairfield,Ohio called Jungle Jim's ( I love the place ) they are an international grocery store. I've seen them bring out live crayfish ( crawdads to me) for ppls to buy...creepy little fellas....They have large tanks (like aquariums) for ppls to choose what live fish they would like...I was there the other day and that is why I was thinking about other seafood then what I normally eat. They had a tiny little whole octopus salad ...it looked awesome....but I was afraid to try...here is the link to Jungle Jim's
www.junglejims.com
(((huggs))) Pam

One further note on the Calamari- If you know someone who likes fried calamari in your area, ask which restaurant does a good job of it. Calamari can be outstanding when well prepared or like rubberbands if not well prepared. I'd hate for the latter to be your first calamari experience.

Marinated octopus salad is wonderful as is Japanese BBQ octopus.

The Japanese also do a good BBQ oyster appetizer.

Raw oysters are a tough deal- people either love or hate them. I agree with the masses- try them fried .

I love having access to the Gulf Coast

My favorites:

Snapper, Grouper, Spanish Mackerel, King Mackerel, Triggerfish, Shark, Scallops, Shrimps and Crab

Locally

My favorites:

blue gill, crappie, and catfish


Fried oyster Po Boys - YUMMMM

Clams - Fried, Chowdah, Steamed, White Clam Sauce over Linguini

Calamari- Fried or smothered in red sauce.

quote:

Originally posted by pamelakrest

Thank you all for your replies...It was awesome and informative. There is a store here in Fairfield,Ohio called Jungle Jim's ( I love the place ) they are an international grocery store. I've seen them bring out live crayfish ( crawdads to me) for ppls to buy...creepy little fellas....They have large tanks (like aquariums) for ppls to choose what live fish they would like...I was there the other day and that is why I was thinking about other seafood then what I normally eat. They had a tiny little whole octopus salad ...it looked awesome....but I was afraid to try...here is the link to Jungle Jim's
www.junglejims.com
(((huggs))) Pam

JJ is an awesome place to visit

!!!!!I DID IT !!!! hahahaha
I ate deep fried squid today and it was awesome...tenacles & all lolzzz I saw it today on the menu and thought why not..OMG....so tasty....I didn't know what I was missing all these years !
Thank you all for your insights
((((huggs))))
Pam

Pam.. JJ's is a kicking place.. I'm trying to talk my GF into driving up to Cinci so we can go... we're in Louisville...

quote:

Originally posted by pamelakrest

!!!!!I DID IT !!!! hahahaha
I ate deep fried squid today and it was awesome...tenacles & all lolzzz I saw it today on the menu and thought why not..OMG....so tasty....I didn't know what I was missing all these years !
Thank you all for your insights
((((huggs))))
Pam

I just looked back at this thread, and I think this is an example of one great aspect of Roadfood. People from all over the U.S., and sometimes the World, make suggestions and open other's palates to new experiences.

Pam, glad you like the calimari. IMHO tentacles show you're adventurous. But, remember, baby steps. Folks here give good guidance.

And I am really jealous that you live near Jungle Jim's. From everything I've read and seen, it's like the best of all the great markets I visit in town and when I'm travelling all under one roof. Let us know of any discoveries you make.

quote:

Originally posted by pamelakrest

I know I like most white fish ( cod,perch,orange roughy) and stuff like shrimp & crab legs...but had a nasty run in with raw oysters....slippery little fellows YUCK
I've always wanted to try squid,octopus & lobster.. but been afraid to try thinking it would be nasty & good money wasted...are they really fishy tasting--slippery????
Any help would be awesome
Pam

Unless you are twelve years old or raised in North Dakota your parents failed you in the seafood area. Never tried lobster and you have access to a computer? Where are you located? State only is fine but well I will wait for the answer for a recomenndation.

I went to the Jungle Jim site and was surprised to see periwinkles listed in the seafood department.

Get two pounds...here in NC we send the kids w/ a bucket and a trowel to the surf's edge for the little guys. Put them in a very large bowl w/ just a bit of salt (one tablespoon to the gallon of water) Let them stand for an hour or so, drain and repeat. This will make the little clams lose their sand.

Very briefly toss them in a hot skillet w/ butter and garlic. Cool and remove the meat. Now toss w/ parsley, heavy cream and cooked pasta...enjoy.

My son Adam, who is 9 is a major seafood aficiando. Unfortunately I can't pawn off any of the cheaper Gorton's/Mrs Pauls/Van De Kamps like most kids enjoy, He's definitely possessed of my tastes in seafood: clams, crab and shrimp in any manner, mussels, fried oysters, almost any fish, scallops,crawfish. He even enjoys raw oysters.(Something I forego). He even prepares his own lobster now, for since it's generally out of my price range, I usually get him one for special occasions and forego it myself.

He's always been upset at the idea of throwing away clam, oyster and mussel shells, so he's come up with an idea of making money off them: Aquarium Fish Coffins. He's made some up, lining the insides with velvet, satins and even a gingham or two. Sequinned, painted and beaded up the outer shell. He's been trying to figure out a way to market them to Pet owners as a final resting place for that guppy or goldfish one usually finds in the morning, floating belly up in one's tank. Instead of the usual practice of a n anonymous final flush down the city sewer system, the bereaved can now establish an Aquatic burial ground in their back yard.

What a creative and motivated young man you have! How unusual.

Pat..he's a hoot and he never ceases to amaze me. Thank you for the kudo.

From his biased Mama