Even though I have a good vent hood, I generally don’t like to cook fish indoors, but on the gas grill. For years we had fish once per week (“fresh” from Wegman’s cases, which are probably thawed but are good), but fell out of that, since DD can’t deal with most fish. My favorite recipe is Bobby Flay’s fish taco recipe, plus chipotle mayo instead of his salsa. I also like Cook’s Illustrated’s Indian salmon with fresh mango salsa. And for a super quick meal I make glazed mushrooms with sake, soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, and a bit of brown sugar, and then top plain grilled salmon with them. Yum! I think we’ll be having fish this week, DD’s preferences notwithstanding!

My family loves salmon and I usually just bake it with whatever spices I have on hand. I also make blackened fish tacos with mango salsa and avocado lime sauce. I've also made a sheet pan shrimp boil that was posted over in the cooking forum recently. It's shrimp, sausage, potatoes (pre-boiled), corn, and I usually add a few extra veggies. Toss everything in Old Bay and butter, spread on a sheet pan, and bake. It's simple and easy. My kids like shrimp but my husband is allergic so he eats the sausage.

Lately I've been getting all my seafood from Costco for convenience. Our nearest seafood shop is 20 minutes away in traffic. I would love access to a fish market like Sas95 especially for dry scallops.

Interesting about cooking fish indoors, fouramblues. That's always been the rap against fish, but I've never found it to be a problem, and we have fish in some form 4-5 times a week, since hub developed an allergy to beef!

Also, I forgot to mention tuna steaks earlier. They are the best! I pan fry them in an oiled pan with nothing else, flipped once. The.first side develops a nice crust that I love. I like mine rare, hub likes his medium. Oh, they're so good. We eat them with rice and often stir fried broccoli with almonds.

We love salmon....I buy a side at Aldi and portion it out. I freeze what I don’t use.

I usually marinate it in some rice vinegar, balsamic vinegar, powdered ginger, powdered garlic, powdered mustard, salt, pepper, a little brown sugar, then heat some olive or avocado oil and unsalted butter, brown the bare side, then flip and cook on the skin side until done.

Thursday I did this, but before I flipped, I added a cut up bunch of asparagus and about 1/2 an onion in chunks. Once I flipped the salmon, I put the lid on to steam the asparagus, then added a smidge of the marinade, cooked it a bit more, and it was great!

I usually grill fish on the stovetop or bake it in parchment. Seasonings or herbs are whatever I have on hand. Our favorites are halibut, salmon, rainbow trout, mahi-mahi, sablefish, Chilean sea bass and tuna.

That sounds delicious, Springroz!

ETA my family really likes mango salsa with fish and pork. But jarred mango salsa is too sweet and has a weird, slimy texture. For convenience, I buy fresh prepared salsa (not jarred) and add a chopped mango, along with a squeeze of lime, cilantra, and maybe a bit of honey. It's very good with any type of seafood.

I don't find the smell of fish lingers when I cook it. Mostly you smell the garlic. :)

I noticed that Costco also has cod in individually sealed portions, and it's about 25% less than Whole Foods. But the convenience of WF probably outweighs the savings.

Costco frozen salmon fillet: defrost, place on oiled shallow pan, top with a mix of mayo and prepared horseradish, bake in the toaster oven at 350 degrees for 14 minutes.

I cook a lot of fresh fish - lucky to live where there is an amazing supply of it, as well as having a top notch fish shop. They have fresh salmon nearly year round, but if it was frozen at sea, they post that.Black cod is caught locally, as are halibut, and many varieties of white fish.

For something different besides the suggestions posted by others above, I love making Brazilian Seafood Stew.

Yield: Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 1/2 pounds white fish fillets (such as red snapper or orange roughy), cut into 1-inch pieces

1 1/2 cups chopped onion

1 1/2 cups chopped green bell peppers

2 garlic cloves, chopped

3/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

2 cups chopped tomatoes

3/4 cup canned unsweetened coconut milk

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 cup chopped green onions

1 1/4 pounds uncooked medium shrimp, peeled, deveined

Preparation

Whisk 2 tablespoons oil and lime
juice in large bowl. Add fish and sprinkle generously with salt and
pepper; stir to coat. Let stand 15 minutes.
Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in large pot over medium heat. Add
onion, bell peppers, garlic and crushed red pepper; sauté 5 minutes. Mix
in tomatoes, coconut milk, half of cilantro and half of green onions.
Add shrimp and fish with marinade. Simmer until shrimp and fish are just
opaque in center, about 5 minutes. Season stew with salt and pepper.
Transfer to bowl. Sprinkle with remaining cilantro and green onions.

This time of year I use canned tomatoes instead of fresh.

I've never noticed a fish smell when I cook fish in the kitchen, and I cook it often, as it is one of the preferred proteins on the diet I am on. I almost never buy fish that has ever been frozen, except for king crab legs and lobster tails, and the crab legs are definitely my favorite. I used to go to the Santa Monica Seafood Market for fish, but they moved their location to a place where it is very difficult to park, and so I stopped going. Also, the Bristol Farms in my neighborhood has an excellent fish department (not cheap), and the buyer is extremely picky - therefore I know that whatever I buy there will be good. My favorites to buy are ahi tuna, swordfish, and opah. The tuna is often from Fiji, but the swordfish is local, and I believe the opah comes from Hawaii. I buy salmon in season, but the season is fairly short.

Salmon is the only fish (besides shrimp) that I grill outdoors as it is the only one fatty enough to absorb the smoke flavor from the grill. I also sometimes bake it with dill, capers, and butter and then add lemon juice after it is cooked. Tuna, swordfish, and opah I grill on the stovetop in a grill pan with wide ridges. I always cover these while grilling with a loose fitting domed lid, which keeps the fish from drying out. I like to grill them to medium rare. Often I serve them with various types of tartar sauce that I make, but I sometimes marinate tuna briefly in a mixture of soy sauce, ginger, wasabi, and sesame oil. Otherwise I generally season fish with dill. On a rare occasion, I will buy salmon that has been frozen and marinate it in the soy mixture or make it Teriyaki style. If I cook fish Japanese style, I serve it with yuzu instead of lemon, since I have a yuzu tree.

I used to make deep-fried fish, but I've stopped doing that lately. My brother likes to make Cajun style blackened catfish, and he uses a whole stick of butter to cook this in a cast iron pan.

Well here in MN we don't have a lot of fresh fish markets. We have some higher end grocery stores that have nice fish but very expensive. I want to come up with some more economical options so I eat it more often without breaking the bank. I'm okay with splurging from time to time but not several times a week. Great ideas above that I will make note of. DH is not a big fan of shellfish - other than cold shrimp and dungeness crab so I will go with the filet o' fish ideas. I like scallops though I have never made them myself. He thinks he doesn't but he might. Good tip on the dry scallops as I know nothing about them.

We use a charcoal grill - either a Weber or BGE. The only fish we cook on the grill is cedar plank salmon. I like the cedar flavor with salmon but not other fish. If you cook on a charcoal grill, what do you place the fish on in the grill so it doesn't fall apart and down into the grill? Our grills are currently covered with about two feet of snow and another foot on the way today but hopefully they'll surface sometime in April so planning ahead for that.

Well, maybe my vent hood isn’t as good as I’d thought! :/ Or maybe I need to run it longer after cooking? I forgot to mention that DH and I love tuna steaks, but they’re only an occasional treat. So good with charmoula, an herb vinaigrette.

You aren't kidding-- when I was spending a lot of time in Minneapolis, it was shocked by the fish prices. And the fish wasn't really all that fresh. I'd assume it has all been previously frozen.

My have two favorites-- at two different ends of the price spectrum. I love cod and halibut. I prepare both with simple preparations-- cod with salt, pepper, olive oil, lemon zest and panko-- then baked. halibut with a quick marinade of olive oil, grapefruit, garlic and green onions -- then grilled. There are many other types of fish I enjoy but I generally keep the prep simple for all of them.

The key to grilling fish is choosing the right fish-- you want a meaty, sturdy fish for the grill-- tuna, swordfish, halibut. Start with a clean, hot grill.. and olive oil on the fish. Alternatively, you can use a foil pack for flakier fish like trout.

Really, I think the first step for you is to find a couple of reliable types of fish you can get in your area. Since I'd guess that most fish you see-- even in a fish market-- is previously frozen, you might look at what you can get frozen at TJ's. I don't have one near me anymore but I remember they used to have quick frozen tuna-- and I am sure other types as well.

Wild-caught salmon, farm-raised catfish, and some cod. I haven't bought tilapia in quite awhile because I try to buy fish that's rated as a good choice by the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch, and the sources here are problematic.

seafoodwatch.org

I love smelts too, but they're not as easy to find around here anymore.

We buy smoked mullet and mackerel from a local place that's been here forever.

And I love me a tin of smoked sardines for lunch, with some lemon or lime juice and cracker bread.

Does shrimp count?

Just about everything I buy is frozen, as it's actually fresher, and @ better prices than a lot of the stuff in the fresh markets.

It's funny, but I don't actually use any written recipes for seafood, now that I think of it - other than referencing cooking times. About the only 'dish' I make with seafood is fish or shrimp tacos, and who needs a recipe for that?

We used to catch a lot of own fish, but FL waterways have become so polluted, it's a very dicey proposition nowadays. People still do it, though. I worry about mercury - there's a big problem with it in our inland waters, along with toxic algae, and red tide just about everywhere.

Back when I did fish, though, we ate a lot of grunts.

And when I go out to eat, I almost always order fried calamari, if it's on the menu.

I try to eat what's local. Gulf of Maine has lots of hake, cusk and cod. We also eat a lot of salmon, and of course there's lobster, oysters and mussels.

Most of the fish I buy is frozen also, Carolb- w. Why is there a problem with buying frozen fish and seafood? I've never ever opened a package of frozen fish that wasn't perfect. I also freeze pork and chicken, and beef when we were still eating it, and vegetables and casseroles and breads, etc. I thank goodness for frozen foods!

what am I getting wrong about frozen fish and seafood?

I don't think there is anything wrong with buying frozen. We get really nice fish at the fish store that is not frozen (and though expensive, it's not crazy-expensive), and it tastes much better to me than the frozen fish, so for me there is no reason to buy frozen. If you can't get good fresh fish where you live, or you don't taste a difference, then there is no reason not to buy frozen. We buy most of our fish from a local place that does most of their business selling to local restaurants. So while they don't have a huge selection day. to day, what they do have on any given day is usually lovely. I guess we are lucky to have that place, because I won't buy fish in the supermarkets-- even Whole Foods, which used to have decent fish in our area, has gone way downhill

We use a fish basket for grilling.

Thank you, sas.

The only time I know I had fresh shrimp was when my husband and I were on a patrol boat in the Gulf of Mexico. Our captain pulled up next to a shrimp trawler and traded a 12 pack of cold beer for a giant bucket of still living shrimp, right off the ocean floor. Captain boiled the shrimp, dumped the load onto the floor of his boat and let us have at it. I never tasted anything so delicious in my life, and haven't since. We were watching the sunrise during this event and the whole thing was just amazing.

Other than that one experience, I don't think I can tell the difference between fresh and frozen.

Only fresh from the fish market.. Mostly halibut. I have the fishmonger remove the skin, and I bake it on parchment. Cuts down on odor/cleanup. I usually make an herbed lemon butter, sometimes saffron holandaise, almandine, or bkackened.

Sometimes trout, which we have in our pond but catching it makes no sense since we stock it in the first place.

oh and mix Mayo and mustard with chopped fresh dill and parsley , slather it over swordfish and grill it

my kids like Praegers Panko crusted fish sticks

We buy marinated bourbon salmon from Publix. Very good. It is priced per piece and it is already skinned. Also, their mahi mahi is good. One time they were out of the bourbon salmon, and I had the brown sugar which is also good. Their crab cakes also are quite good and better than some restaurants.

The Whole Foods near us now offers a nut-encrusted salmon which is also very good. A lot of the salmon I put over salad, though sometimes we have vegetable and/or potato sides.

I've also made grouper with shredded parmesan and mayo. That I make under the broiler. to broil the fish a few minutes and then add the topping to brown. Haven't done that one in awhile. I can get the grouper at Publix sometimes or else WF.

Harris Teeter has frozen halibut and tilapia which are very nice quality, also. We usually use Paul Prudhomme Blackened Redfish Magic spice and make it blackend. The halibut we usually pair with vegetables since it is still fairly pricey for two pieces (~$17.99 on sale or $19.99 not on sale). The tilapia we may use it for fish tacos or else make a fish sandwich on brioche.

Unfortunately, DH has developed some sort of stomach reaction to any type of scallop (maybe what they preserve them in) so we can't buy them anymore.

The fish chef at Wegman's told me about Ashmans House Mango Key Lime marinade.I use it on tuna steaks, which I broil, and mahi mahi, which I bake. I season both with salt and pepper and marinate for a half hour or so.

Right now I'm missing an oven, waiting for one that was supposed to be installed last week, so I made fish in my microwave. I heated up baby bella mushrooms and onions in butter in a covered pot, poured them and the liquid on top of flounder fillets, added some sherry and microwaved on high for 3 1/2 minutes. Delicious.

I was always concerned about overcooking fish. My favorite method comes from Fish Without A Doubt and uses the broiler/grill. Heat an oven-proof vessel, metal or ceramic, under the broiler. Put the fish on and cook for a few minutes (3-6) according to thickness. It's a great book and the only one I've ever bought for other people. There're a variety of methods used and we've enjoyed all the fish recipes we've tried.

Nothing wrong with frozen fish. It's usually frozen at sea while it's still squirming and has decayed less than most actual fresh fish.

I live next to the ocean but if I could only get fish that had been caught locally and was "fresh", I'd be eating those giant carp that the old men fish out of the local lake. Or I'd be eating something endangered...

LOL MN is KNOWN for their FRIDAY FISH FRIES!! But they are home cooking. I have a scallops recipe I love and we adore fish tacos, I also have a garlic lemon shrimp pasta dish that is delish. I am tempted to try the frozen salmon at Aldis. I have heard it is quite good. Such a big piece for just two of us. Years ago a friend grilled us tuna steaks they were magnificent. I am amazed at the fish eaters here.

We mostly eat what DH catches. Inland it'll be bass, catfish or bluegill. On the coast we get red drum, crappie, croaker, spot, sea trout, mackerel. If he's not getting much we'll eat it right away in fish tacos or on the grill. If he's lucky, we stick them in the freezer for later. I don't like the violence involved, so he has to do all of the handling until they are cleaned.

He usually cooks them, and when he's at the stove, it's anybody's guess what will come out. He's quit creative, and it's always good.

DH adores rare tuna steaks, so if they are on sale, I'll buy him a little. He just pan sears them so they have color on both sides. I love salmon but he won't eat it, so I don't get it often.

I'm going to try oly's seafood stew. That looks delicious.

Buffalo also known for Friday Fish Fry! Unfortunately, I just can't eat that anymore. Locally, the best fried fish is actually in a British pub vs. one of the "hometown" Buffalo food restaurants.

I buy the frozen salmon fillets at Aldi - the smaller size pkg of skinless ones, and usually coat them with seasoned cornmeal then saute in butter and olive oil. Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute mixed with tarragon is delicious with fish. Alternately, I broil the fillets, seasoned and dotted with butter and drizzled with olive oil, skipping the cornmeal. I always salt it too, of course.

Ha - MN Friday fish fries - no way can I eat fish encased in a giant grease sponge. Well, I take that back. I did eat some fish and chips when I was at the Ryder Cup in Scotland.

Don't forget the two cups of FAT/tartar sauce you ladle on!! (We aren't fans either) Actually Walleye is the fish of choice in these parts, no breading or deep fat frying needed.

I love Friday fish fries. We have terrific ones here, all you can eat, so we don't go but once or twice a year any more.

If some chef invented a way to deep fry just the coatings used on fish, chicken, onions, vegetables, etc, and skip the innards, I'm afraid that's all I'd ever eat. I love the stuff! Onion strings might be my favorite, but I love anything deep fried.

Now I'm hanging my head in shame :(

"I cook a lot of fresh fish - lucky to live where there is an amazing supply of it, as well as having a top notch fish shop. "

Same here. Living in the Keys, plus having family and friends who are avid fishermen has ruined me for anything but the best LOL. I don't eat purchased frozen fish, and honestly I believe most of what's sold in large chains (Costco/BJs/grocery stores) is rarely what is advertised anyway. Knowing what real mahi that was swimming around <12 hours ago tastes like, it's pretty clear the frozen individually plastic wrapped chunks aren't it.

We don't care for 'fishy' fish so salmon isn't on our menu, not to mention it's not local anyway. Husband would eat grilled mahi every day if he could. I like that too, also enjoy grouper. Snapper is a lovely delicate fish but those pin bones annoy me. Fresh shrimp is delicious as is fresh grouper. My one no-frozen-seafood-purchase exception is giant sea scallops, yum.

As far as preparation grilling is always good. I also have a super easy oven fish prep-lightly salt and pepper, lay out the fillets with small pats of butter on top, then pour a couple of tablespoons of sherry on top. Bake at high temp (400-425) or broil for 5-7 minutes. The butter and sherry make their own light sauce, it's so easy and so good.

I prepare scallops by drying them thoroughly then shaking with flour in a plastic bag. Into a high-ish heat pan with some butter, saute 2 minutes/side (no more, just till browned) then remove them. Add a bit more butter, a splash of wine and a squeeze of lemon if desired although the butter/wine sauce works well on its own. Since the pan is still hot, the wine evaporates out fast, and it instantly becomes a yummy reduction brown sauce. Pour over the scallops and serve immediately. Couldn't be easier or tastier.

I usually follow the barefoot contessa recipe for broiling shrimp. Peel/devein, lightly spritz with olive oil cooking spray and salt/pepper. Cook at 425 for 8 minutes. They come out nice and juicy that way. I also do cold boiled shrimp, that requires a can of beer and some water sufficient to cover the shrimp batch. A spoon of old bay seasoning. Bring to a boil, dump in shrimp then turn off pot and let sit 5 minutes. Drain, chill and enjoy.

For lobster I obviously use our florida version (no claws). Fresh is best but the tails once wrung can be frozen and cook up well. I usually split the shell, devein then I run my finger or a knife between the meat and shell to loosen the connection and make it easier to remove after cooking. Sometimes I baste with a bit of butter and/or lemon but it's fine to cook it bare too. Under the broiler about 3-4 minutes/side, then discard shell and serve with melted butter.

I'm hungry now!

Sheesh --- I think that is what KFC's "extra crispy" is, essentially. I had a snooty friend who swore by KFC (the original kind) for backyard parties. Everything else would be gourmet, but a few buckets of KFC were the main event. After years of abstinence, I don't even have to try as fried foods do not agree with me anymore.

Runninginplace, I'm so envious of your access to fresh seafood! And the sherry/butter mix sounds interesting. I'll have to try that.

Fish and chips - YUM! I make it about once every two years (oil and fish - double the smell!). But I do love it.

I also wish I had easy access to the fresh stuff. DH’s friend one time caught way too much tuna (is there such a thing?!), so he gave us a few steaks. We had them just seared, and it was one of the best things I’ve ever eaten.

We live on Cape Cod and have access to fresh fish and shellfish year round. I do not deep fry at home but will order fish and chips or fried scallops when we eat out. My husband fishes and catches mostly bluefish (which we smoke) and striped bass which can be cooked many different ways. We buy cod and haddock, swordfish and tuna. Sometimes flounder or sole. He digs clams - steamers, littlenecks and quahogs. Fresh mussels are really cheap. We love salmon, but it's not native here. We cook squid which run locally through the canal. I like it added at the last minute to a seafood stew.

One fish that dh and I both love is monkfish. We grill it and serve with a little butter. It is called "Poor man's lobster" for a reason. One word of caution--monkfish is about the ugliest fish in the world. Really, the stuff of nightmares. But you only eat the tail. When we were in Venice at an outdoor fish market, I took a picture of one with the caption "when your dinner is out of a Stephen king novel..."

I like monkfish, too. And it's one of the few types of fish that IMO, stands up to a sauce really well. We do monkfish braised with tomatoes, peppers and potatoes. And this monkfish recipe with clams makes a very impressive (and fairly easy) dish for company. I heave heard the "poor man's lobster description," but I struggle to really get the resemblance to lobster.

Monkfish and clam bourride

I think the texture is very similar to lobster, sort of the thick, succulent meat. Your recipe looks great--my only reservation is the fennel. I'm not a fan generally. How strong is the fennel flavor? Could it be omitted or substituted?

I'm not big on fennel either, but my husband likes it. It's not a super-strong flavor in the dish, but you could probably do fine omitting it or using a smaller amount.

Here's a monkfish bourride recipe we have also done that does not have fennel in it, and it is also quite good. We just have usually made the other one given my husband's love of fennel.

Monkfish and Clam Bourride without fennel

Haha @ Sheesh: there is such a thing; it's called 'hushpuppies'!

And fresh fennel bulbs have a mild flavor when cooked - not as strong as the seeds. It's a wonderful compliment to seafoods. I like to cook it until soft, not crisp. A dish I used to make often was scallops sauteed with sweet peppers, onions, garlic and fennel, served over pasta.

Carol, you're right! I love them, just never thought of them like that. Also, now that I think about it, falafel might fill the bill. I'll just make both hushpuppies and falafel the size of peas and be in heaven! Of course, I've never made either, but heck, what a way to fulfill my fantasy. Hmmm, maybe with some onion strings for good effect.....

Sas, Thanks for both recipes. I think we’re going to try the one with fennel because it looks more like what we enjoy (i.e. more garlic and tomato) LOL. Thank you, thank you!

Carolb, smelts! Gosh, we used to have them all the time when I was little. Well, we had fish a lot, but the smelts were my favorite. I haven't seen any in years.

For those of you who get salmon from Aldi, do you get it from the meat section or the frozen section? I generally don't buy meat at Aldi, but I would like to try their salmon.

Costco always has a different fish to try--perch, walleye, trout, etc., as well as catfish but I have to continually note the origin of the fish and do a quick google search on my phone to check for safety and sustainability. Also, everywhere I turn, sardines are mentioned for their health benefits and low mercury content--they are supposedly one of the healthiest fish to consume but I don't find them especially palatable. But I love pickled herring. I could eat that every day.

The fresh salmon at my Aldi's is farmed. The frozen is wild caught.

Thank you, Carolb!

Thanks for the info on the app, cleo! I have a Seafood Watch card in my wallet, but it’s well-used and frayed, so I’ll use the app in future.

When I was down in Connecticut, I got a lot of wild-caught fish and shellfish, several varieties depending on what was caught. Up here in western MA I find farmed salmon, slave-labor-farmed shrimp from Indochina, and maybe sometimes some fresh mussels. Other than the mussels, I don't want these.

I pay attention to the Seafood Watch.

When I go down to CT (to look after the old home prior to sale) I pick up fresh sardines (very sustainable - small and full of healthy oils), New England fishes, smelts, bluefish; sometimes arctic char which while farmed is a freshwater fish that doesn't leak out and harm wild fishes, and occasionally scallops depending. Mussels are still viable there.

I only prepare fish fresh, but shellfish I may freeze. An exception is that salmon still is good after freezing. (I aim for wild-caught, here.) I will also freeze eel, but I only buy one a year.