Choices For Buying, Cooking And Enjoying Fish

Wild Salmon

There are six species of Pacific salmon – chum, coho, king (chinook), pink, sockeye and steelhead – and all are wild. Wild West coast salmon are harvested commercially in Washington, Oregon, Alaska and much of Canada. Smoked wild salmon is a delicious seafood item. The delicacy is simple to prepare and lends itself to a wide variety of dishes.

Salmon is high in Omega-3 fatty acids which is well known as having health benefits. Studies have shown that smoked salmon has a very low level of mercury, unlike some other seafood.The Journal of American Medicine Association recently published a report stating that adding salmon at least once a week to your diet will cut the risk of sudden cardiac death in half.

Tuna

Tuna is consumed in a variety of ways. Tuna is the most well known and available fish in the USA and many other parts of the world due to it’s popularity as a canned product. Most of us grew up on tuna salad sandwiches and associate that experience with tuna as a meal.

Readers that have been lucky enough to enjoy fresh caught tuna know that there is quite a difference between a canned tuna salad sandwich and a fresh grilled tuna steak! Tuna is delicious grilled, blackened, or as sushi. Those of us that still love tuna salad can enjoy tuna from the can or use leftover grilled tuna to create a unique and delightful tuna salad with a unique flavor. Smoked fish lovers will be thrilled to know that tuna is excellent when smoked. The finished smoked product makes fish dips, salads or just eaten alone.

Wahoo

Wahoo are beautiful pelagic fish and are excellent table fare. Wahoo live in the open ocean and are common along much of the USA and Caribbean. Wahoo should be rinsed well and then the fillets can be removed from the body. The flanks can then be cut into steaks with the skin on or the entire sections can be skinned before cutting into steaks.Wahoo is delicious grilled, fried or smoked. Fresh wahoo are available in Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Hawaii and other areas.

Mahi Mahi

Mahi Mahi, also known as dorado or dolphin fish are fast growing, pelagic fish. Mahi Mahi are among the most beautiful of all fish. The meat is mostly white with a high content of oil. Mahi Mahi is best grilled or smoked. Fresh Mahi Mahi is available in states such as Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Hawaii and others. Other areas of the country can enjoy this fish as a frozen product or fresh via overnight shipment.

Striped Bass

Cooks have a variety of favorites for cooking rockfish. Whole fillets of school sized fish or steaks of larger fish are delicious fried. Other choices for cooking striped bass include grilling, broiling, fish cakes and more.

For top quality striped bass or “rockfish” as table fare, it’s important to take care of the fish prior to cooking. The fish should be chilled on ice and laid out flat until cleaned. Once the fish is home, it can be rinsed thoroughly and filleted. Several cleaning methods exist and each angler learns their favorite style. The fish can be scaled and the skin left on, filleted and then skinned or the skin can be cut around the perimeter of the fish and pulled off with pliers. The skin-on version is nice when baking or grilling smaller fish. Skinning the fish before filleting has some advantages, the most important being speed. Filleting the fish and then cutting the skin off removes the most dark meat and leaves the highest quality portion, although some fish is lost in the process.

Black Sea Bass

Black Sea Bass are excellent table fare. The meat is firm, white and delicious. Sea Bass are superb fried, grilled, baked or broiled. Sea Bass are easily skinned and filleted. Black sea bass are common along the Atlantic coast from New York to North Carolina. They are best fresh. The fish do not freeze well.

Grouper

Grouper is among the most popular fish in the Southern USA. Grouper is a premium fish harvested from the Gulf of Mexico and southern Atlantic Ocean. While individual species have unique identifiable characteristics, they are commonly described as lean, white flesh fish with a taste and texture which is popular and distinct from many other white fish.

Tilapia

Tilapia have gone from being an obscure fish to one of the most popular fish in many cultures. Tilapia are the second most important group of farm raised fish in the world. Tilapia has been introduced in over 100 countries. Tilapia farming and consumption are rapidly increasing in the US. Tilapia are a good source of protein and is now the fifth most popular seafood consumed in the United States.