I wish I liked fish...

n0irin

So, I have a random food-based query...I was wondering if anybody might have any random ideas about how I could start to make myself like fish?!

I hate not liking foods - it really bugs me if there's a type of food that I don't like, and I generally keep trying it at intervals until I actually like it...but fish seems to get the better of me every time.

At this stage, I like cod or any basic whitefish, but beyond that I still find it impossible to eat seafood. I've tried salmon (fillets & smoked strips), tuna, lemon sole, squid, crab, mixed fish pie, even shark, and I just can't get into them. I know they all taste different from each other, but they have this consistent "fishy" taste that I really don't like...

One thing I know that bugs me about them is the look - I hate eating things with visible eyes and bones and skin and stuff, so things like prawns and shrimp and lobster instantly put me off, and I hate going to the fish counter in the markets, cos I hate seeing all the whole fish, cos to me that's the least appetising thing ever...and I also really don't like the smell.

I'm close to actually just giving up on it, and sticking with just the white fish, but I just thought I'd ask in case anybody had any ideas?

syklops

Have you tried tuna steak? It looks like steak.

n0irin

I haven't tried Tuna steak - I've only tried tuna from a can, though that's the only tinned fish I've tried.

I'd be willing to try it though - I've tried salmon steak and although I liked the texture more than other fish I've had (it seems more "meaty"), it still tasted very "fishy". Which is fair enough, because it's fish! But I guess I need to try to find a way of masking that taste until I can get more used to it somehow...

subway

have you tried fish cakes or fish pie?
you can use a bulk of your preferred white fish, then include some other types to mix the flavor up.

i would avoid pickled fish (like the majority tinned tuna) as, imo, it ramps up the fishiness with the vinegar.

syklops

When I am trying to learn to like things I have them in something that covers the flavour. For example, I started to like olives by having them in Martinis and eating the olive afterwards.

Also to start liking cranberry juice, I started drinking cranberry and raspberry and I weaned myself onto them.

Maybe add some chinese fish sauce to some of your favourite meals? It might get you past the fishyness.

Also definitely try tuna steak.

huskerdu

n0irin wrote: »

I haven't tried Tuna steak - I've only tried tuna from a can, though that's the only tinned fish I've tried.

Tuna Steak and tinned tuna are very different.
You should try tuna steaks.

If you dont like a overly fishy smell, avoid tinned fish. I love fish of all varieties but most tinned fish puts me off.

I would also recommend monkfish. It is usually sold off the bone and has no small bones anyway. Its a lovely texture and not very fishy. The only catch is that is is wild expensive, but worth a try.

the beer revolu

I'd also agree that fresh tuna could be your gateway fish.

DO NOT OVERCOOK IT!!
It cooks quickly and is really only good rare or very rare or raw IMO
Cooking it more does not make it less 'fishy' - quite the opposite, I find.

Lovely with lime, chilli and fresh coriander.

n0irin

subway wrote: »

have you tried fish cakes or fish pie?
you can use a bulk of your preferred white fish, then include some other types to mix the flavor up.

I really like that idea actually - like I can try to put in 2/3 white fish and then try some extra that I haven't been able to eat before. I looked at some fish pies in the supermarket last night, and noticed that most all of them have fish stock in the sauce - I did eat a fish pie before and found it VERY fishy, so that's probably the culprit. Hopefully if I try to make a homemade one it won't be the same...

syklops wrote: »

I started to like olives by having them in Martinis and eating the olive afterwards.
Maybe add some chinese fish sauce to some of your favourite meals? It might get you past the fishyness.

Mmm - Martinis...
Is Chinese fish sauce VERY fishy in flavour though? I always steer away from Chinese dishes that have Oyster Sauce in them - I've never tried but the idea of having a whole dish with an Oyster flavour doesn't sound very good to me...
It would be great if it managed to get me over the aversion to fishy things...

huskerdu wrote: »

I would also recommend monkfish. It is usually sold off the bone and has no small bones anyway. Its a lovely texture and not very fishy. The only catch is that is is wild expensive, but worth a try.

Hmm, that sounds like a definite possibility, if I can find a good recipe. There seems to be a new fish shop opened near here recently, and I think they're doing a lot of deals since they've just opened so might be able to get it reasonably enough *fingers crossed*

the beer revolu wrote: »

I'd also agree that fresh tuna could be your gateway fish.

DO NOT OVERCOOK IT!!
It cooks quickly and is really only good rare or very rare or raw IMO
Cooking it more does not make it less 'fishy' - quite the opposite, I find.

Lovely with lime, chilli and fresh coriander.

Haha, I mentioned it to my mom last night that I was thinking of trying a whole bunch of fish, and that tuna might be a possibility - and she was saying how I'd have to cook it so it was really done really well. I think this is her philosophy on steak also, so maybe not the best to go on...

So at the moment I'm gonna go with
- Avoid ANY tinned fish (Yay, I like this rule)
- Try Tuna Steak (cooked rare!!!)
- See if I can find monkfish and figure out a nice recipe
- Get the makings of a fish pie at the weekend

kupus

I would advise on staying away from tinned fish altogether so +1 on the tuna steak, shark steak also would be a good start.
Leave the crabs, calamari and lobsters for a while........

Instead of frying try a bbq to start eating fish, it gives that smokey flavor, and you could be eating chicken for all you know lol,
then take it down a notch from burning and replace with a sauce of olive oil garlic cut very small and pieces of rosemary/parsley and dose the fish in this oil.....

Curry Addict

im like you, the look of things puts me off easily. i get my wife to prepare these things so thats how i get around it.

only use fresh fish and wash it well so u avoid that fishy flavor.

learn to cook it properly, most people cook fish badly and dont get optimum flavor.

try the higher end fish like black sole, langostines, fresh lobster and king crab they are food of the gods.

syklops

Mmm - Martinis...
Is Chinese fish sauce VERY fishy in flavour though? I always steer away from Chinese dishes that have Oyster Sauce in them - I've never tried but the idea of having a whole dish with an Oyster flavour doesn't sound very good to me...
It would be great if it managed to get me over the aversion to fishy things...

I love oysters but can tell you that oyster sauce does not taste like oysters. Just like tomato sauce doesnt really taste like tomatos. Also chinese fish sauce does not taste fishy. I regularly use it when making stir fry to give a different flavour, but not a fishy flavour. I mean, beef stir fry tasting fishy? Yeurch!

I also cant imagine beef or chicken going with oysters and yet I add oyster sauce to most of my chinese dishes. Its like a stock cube, it just gives extra flavour and depth to things.

Have you eaten oysters? They definitely arent fishy. taste wise I would say they are closer to liver. They dont have eyes or bones or faces and dont taste fishy.

ElleEm

syklops wrote: »

I love oysters but can tell you that oyster sauce does not taste like oysters. Just like tomato sauce doesnt really taste like tomatos. Also chinese fish sauce does not taste fishy. I regularly use it when making stir fry to give a different flavour, but not a fishy flavour. I mean, beef stir fry tasting fishy? Yeurch!

I also cant imagine beef or chicken going with oysters and yet I add oyster sauce to most of my chinese dishes. Its like a stock cube, it just gives extra flavour and depth to things.

Have you eaten oysters? They definitely arent fishy. taste wise I would say they are closer to liver. They dont have eyes or bones or faces and dont taste fishy.

I love oyster sauce in stir fries but would never eat an oyster- can't imagine liking the texture.

OP, I make fish cakes... they kinda "dilute" the taste of the fish. I'm not a lover of salmon but my boyfriend loves it, so we often make fish cakes with it (mixing the salmon with mashed potatoes, herbs, coating with breadcrumbs, then shallow frying).
This got me to be brave and try other fish. Seabass and John Dorey are also lovely and not that fishy.

You could also try to make fish goujons with a flavoured breadcrumb.

huskerdu

n0irin wrote: »

Is Chinese fish sauce VERY fishy in flavour though? I always steer away from Chinese dishes that have Oyster Sauce in them - I've never tried but the idea of having a whole dish with an Oyster flavour doesn't sound very good to me...
It would be great if it managed to get me over the aversion to fishy things...

Chinese or Thai fish sauce is not very fishy, but it is a very, very strong smell and flavour. You use very small amounts, and usually with a pinch of sugar and often with soy sauce and other flavouring. I would not recommend just adding it to other recipes.

Likewise, oyster sauce is not very fishy at all, but not everyone likes it.

I dont think aversion techniques are right. This is food, you should be aiming to find food you love, not eating something that repulses you, in order to get over it.

Your plan sounds good.

Neven Maguires Fish pie recipe has a nice gentle flavour, no fish stock, just milk and herbs. Leave out the prawns , if you like, at least the first time.
http://www.rte.ie/food/2011/0222/killybegsfishpie.html

huskerdu

I just checked my bottle of oyster sauce. The ingredients are

Water
Sugar
Salt
Malted Barley Extract
Cornflour
Oyster Extract ( 1%)

Oyster Extract contains Tapioca Starch, Oyster, Salt, Veg Oil, Flavourings.

It looks like Oyster sauce is about 0.5% oyster.

dazzlemoo

Funny you should bring up the topic of fish as I too have been trying to get interested in fish in the last few weeks.

I went to the fish shop opposite The Submarine in Dublin last week and told the staff there that I wanted to try something new (I'd only ever really eaten the basics before'; cod, haddock etc) so they recommended mackerel, seabass and John Dory.

I was actually looking forward to trying the fish so when I got home I tried the mackerel first.
I grilled it for almost 15 minutes, on a medium heat, and wow it was beautiful.
Yes, there are several small bones in it, but I wouldn't let that put you off the amazing taste.

Today I hate seabass and it's gorgeous-has a meaty texture to it, a real bite to it and not "fishy" tasting at all-in fact I was surprised the kitchen didn't smell of fish as it normally does.
The John Dory was lovely too but a little bland.

I'm so glad I was adventurous now and I would suggest you visit your local fish shop and get some advice.
I think seabass is a safe choice-it's not strong and it has a lovely texture.

brick tamland

To be honest it kind of annoys me when I hear people say " I dont like fish". Its such a sweeping statement as there are so many different types of fish and seafood out with different tastes. I only imagine most are still carrying out some sort of childhood fussyness that they havent grown out of yet. I have friends who tell me they dont like fish and I'm sure most have never even tried any fish yet alone many differnet types. Guess what i'm trying to go out and try some.

Back on topic, swordfish is very meaty but not easy to find in Ireland. Smoked Haddock might be a good transition fish too.

Dermighty

IMO:

Tinned Tuna > Fresh Tuna

Melendez

This post has been deleted.

Dermighty

Melendez wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

I prefer tinned tuna over cooked tuna, and I eat tinned tuna cold.

Raw salmon > cooked salmon

Alun

Dermighty wrote: »

Tinned Tuna > Fresh Tuna

Melendez wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

IMO although they're ostensibly the same, they're really two different ingredients, much like tinned and fresh salmon, and both have their place.

kupus

I just done steamed calamari tonight and done a test with 3 portions
1 in EV oil, 1 in soy sauce and one in worchester sauce, and steamed for 15 mins
no salt, no spices no garlic no pepper, the worchester came out the nicest as in eating straight away with no additives.....the olive oil was bland and the soy sauce was meh,
I had never done that before as I usually pour every oil I have into it along with vinegar garlic and whatever spices are at hand....

travelledpengy

Try this tuna salad??

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/tuna-fish-salad/detail.aspx

It doesn't have a very fishy taste and it's lovely in a wrap or a flavored bagel

livinsane

As someone who catches and eats fish very regularly, I can confidently say fish is so variable and versatile that you should be able to find something to suit your tastes.

Your main popular types are:
White fish
Oily fish
Smoked fish (which can be white or oily to begin with).

White fish is great with creamy sauces. A very simple but delicious dish to ease you into it would be mashed spuds, grilled white fillet fish (eg. cod/haddock/whiting/flounder), green veg and parsley sauce. I would consider grilled white fish to be a very subtle tasting meat.

A favourite dish of mine is grilled white fish with toasted pine nuts, raisins and spinach. A mix of sweet and savoury and very complimentary to white fish.

Oily fish like mackerel is great fried. Makes a nice quick breakfast with some toast. Would be great in a tomato based meal also.

I would consider smoked fish to taste very "fishy" so maybe steer away from that for a while. It is fabulous in a fish pie mixed with white fish.

Maybe try chowder?

You could make a very simple batter with beer and flour, coat any white fish fillet and deep fry. Knocks the socks off anything you'd get in a chipper.

n0irin

kupus wrote: »

Leave the crabs, calamari and lobsters for a while........

Instead of frying try a bbq to start eating fish, it gives that smokey flavor, and you could be eating chicken for all you know lol,

I think you're right - it seems like general seafood is a whole other step beyond "regular" fish. I don't have a BBQ at the mo, but I'm sure I'll get a chance soon if the weather stays nice!

ElleEm wrote: »

I love oyster sauce in stir fries but would never eat an oyster- can't imagine liking the texture.

OP, I make fish cakes... they kinda "dilute" the taste of the fish. I'm not a lover of salmon but my boyfriend loves it, so we often make fish cakes with it (mixing the salmon with mashed potatoes, herbs, coating with breadcrumbs, then shallow frying).
This got me to be brave and try other fish. Seabass and John Dorey are also lovely and not that fishy.

You could also try to make fish goujons with a flavoured breadcrumb.

It's the texture that would definitely turn me off oysters, they just don't look appetising to me at all.
I'm going to try fish cakes tonight! I have some haddock to try, so I think it might be a good way of going...I actually tried some of those Donegal Catch frozen fish goujons with garlic and black pepper crumb, and they were really nice! I could easily eat those.

huskerdu wrote: »

Neven Maguires Fish pie recipe has a nice gentle flavour, no fish stock, just milk and herbs. Leave out the prawns , if you like, at least the first time.
http://www.rte.ie/food/2011/0222/killybegsfishpie.html

That sounds really doable - I'd definitely leave out the prawns though for the moment at least...I'll try the fish cakes later, and then see if I can do that fish pie later in the week! I'll let you know how it goes

dazzlemoo wrote: »

Funny you should bring up the topic of fish as I too have been trying to get interested in fish in the last few weeks.

I went to the fish shop opposite The Submarine in Dublin last week and told the staff there that I wanted to try something new (I'd only ever really eaten the basics before'; cod, haddock etc) so they recommended mackerel, seabass and John Dory.

I'm so glad I was adventurous now and I would suggest you visit your local fish shop and get some advice.

That's brilliant! I'm so glad it's gone well for you so far - I'm going to go into that local fish shop and ask them for their advice then, hopefully it'll go as well for me. I'm going to try to make a fish pie later in the week, so maybe I'll ask them to give me something for that...

brick tamland wrote: »

To be honest it kind of annoys me when I hear people say " I dont like fish". Its such a sweeping statement as there are so many different types of fish and seafood out with different tastes. I only imagine most are still carrying out some sort of childhood fussyness that they havent grown out of yet. I have friends who tell me they dont like fish and I'm sure most have never even tried any fish yet alone many differnet types. Guess what i'm trying to go out and try some.

Back on topic, swordfish is very meaty but not easy to find in Ireland. Smoked Haddock might be a good transition fish too.

I know it's annoying - like, it annoys me too that I don't like it! And it's not like I haven't tried a whole hell of a lot of different types of fish - I know they all taste very different, but there is a little bit of similarity there, perhaps only because I'm less familiar with fish and generally taste a "fishy" flavour which overpowers the rest of the flavour of whatever type of fish I'm trying.
I'm going to try some haddock today - non-smoked, but I do like smoked things so if this one goes well I might have to try that out next!

livinsane wrote: »

As someone who catches and eats fish very regularly, I can confidently say fish is so variable and versatile that you should be able to find something to suit your tastes.

Your main popular types are:
White fish
Oily fish
Smoked fish (which can be white or oily to begin with).

Oily fish like mackerel is great fried. Makes a nice quick breakfast with some toast. Would be great in a tomato based meal also.

I would consider smoked fish to taste very "fishy" so maybe steer away from that for a while. It is fabulous in a fish pie mixed with white fish.

Maybe try chowder?

You could make a very simple batter with beer and flour, coat any white fish fillet and deep fry. Knocks the socks off anything you'd get in a chipper.

I think I tend to getting on fine with white fish so far...it's the oily fish and smoked fish (and other seafood) that I'm having trouble with.

Heh, I totally can't imagine having mackerel on toast for breakfast! Might have to be tried sometime soon though....

With Chowder, I've found the same issue that I've found with a lot of fish pies, that they seem to be based with fish stock which instantly makes it too overpowering for me. I might be able to try some from scratch, but I think I'll try some fish pie and fish cakes to begin with.


So far, since I've posted, I've had some whiting goujons, some cod, and today I'm going to try some fish cakes with haddock. It's all been non-oily fish so far, so I really must get to trying tuna steak, and figure out something to put in a fish pie later in the week...

carolinespring

Maybe also give thai Fish cakes a go. Really tasty and don't taste all that fishy(!)

I like fish and eat it a cople of time a week but to be honest only as it good for me, would not be a fish lover.

I also find some fish really fishy and avoid LOL

1.Tura is a great one but maybe not rare first time.
2.Lemon sole is lovely and light without that fishy fishy taste.
3.Monk fish wrapped in parma ham, drissled with a good olive oil and popped in the oven.
4.Smoked coley again I find this mild.
5.Oddly BBQ smoked salmon is lovely.

Fish pie would be a really good way to go, maybe just use a plain while sauce and top with lots of mashed potato. Again I would suggest fish cakes. The thai ones are lovely and so simple to make.

Most tinned fish is vile and sticked to high hell. Tuna in spring water is the only one I like.

As someone said BBQ is a great way to make fish taste lest fishy. Alos cooking fish with smoled bacon really changes the taste.

Good Luck