Fish

There is a lot of fish out there. Fresh fish SHOULD NOT SMELL. If it does it may have gone bad. Don’t eat it. The fish should be firm and the skin shiny. Look the fish in the eye. The eye should be bright and pop out a little from the head. Buy wild fish as opposed to farmed. It usually tastes better and has higher Omega 3 fat, which is good for you.

Fish can be either lean (cod, halibut, sole, red snapper, sea bass), which tend to be milder in flavor, or oily (salmon, trout, anchovies, tuna) which have a richer flavor. Make friends with the fish guy at the market (aka your fish monger). He or she can tell what is fresh and they can also clean and skin your fish for you.

Did you know there is no such fish called sea bass? It’s actually called a drum fish. Sea bass is a more attractive name for marketing purposes.

Below is a list of common North American fish. Cooking temperature 140F

Type of Fish	Source	Characteristics	Cooking Method
Anchovy	Salt water	Small and oily	Bake, grill
Anglar(monkfish: the poor mans’ lobster)	Salt water	Lean	Bake, braise, grill, poach, steam, stew
Fin Fish Barracuda	Salt water Pacific	Moderate oily, firm texture	Bake, braise, broil, grill, panfry, poach, steam, stew
Bass	Salt water Atlantic and Pacific	Moderate oily, firm, smooth textured	Bake, braise, broil, grill, stew
Blue Fish	Salt water Atlantic and Gulf	Oily, strong	Bake, braise, broil, grill, stew
Bonito	Salt water	Moderate oily	Bake, boil, grill
Butterfish	Salt water Atlantic and Pacific	Oily, soft, mild	Bark, broil, grill
Catfish	Fresh water	Moderate oily, firm and sweet	Bake, braise, broil, grill, panfry, poach, steam, stew
Cod	Salt water Atlantic	Lean, firm, mild	Bake, braise, broil, grill, panfry, poach, steam, stew
Drum (Sea bass)	Salt water	Lean, fine, white flesh	Bake, broil, grill, poach, stew
Eel	Fresh water and Salt water	Oily	Bake, braise, grill, stew
Flounder	Salt water Atlantic	Lean, delicate, mild	Bake, broil, grill, poach, sauté, stew
Grouper	Salt water Atlantic – Gulf	Lean, firm, mild	Bake, braise, broil, fry, grill, poach, steam, stew
Haddock	Salt water Atlantic	Lean, firm, mild	Bake, braise, broil, fry, grill, poach, steam, stew
Hake	Salt water Atlantic and North Pacific	Lean, firm, mild	Bake, braise, broil, grill, panfry, poach, steam, stew
Halibut	Salt water Atlantic and North Pacific	Lean and delicate flavored	Bake, broil, grill, poach, sauté, steam
Herring	Salt water Atlantic and Pacific	Oily, soft-textured	Bake, broil, grill, pickle
Herring, Lake(Lake Trout)	Fresh water northern lakes	Very oily, smooth, salty taste	Bake, broil, grill, poach, sauté, steam
Mackerel	Salt water Florida coast and Gulf of Mexico	Very oily, soft flesh.	Bake, braise, broil, grill, pickle, stew
Perch	Fresh water Northern Lakes and Rivers	Lean, firm, sweet	Bake, braise, broil, grill, panfry, poach, sauté steam, stew
Pike	Fresh water Northern Lakes and Rivers	Lean, firm, sweet	Bake, braise, broil, grill, panfry, poach, sauté steam, stew
Pollock	Salt water Atlantic	Lean, firm mildly sweet	Bake, braise, broil, grill, poach, sauté steam, stew
Pompano	Salt water Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico	Moderate oily, firm full textured	Bake, broil, grill, panfry, sauté
Red Snapper – many fish labeled Red Snapper are Rock Fish	Salt water –	Lean	Bake, braise, broil, grill, panfry, poach, sauté steam, stew
Sable Fish(Black Cod – Butterfish)	Salt water – North Pacific	Oily, buttery flavor	Bake, braise, broil, grill, stew
Salmon, Atlantic	Salt Water – Atlantic	Moderate oily	Bake, braise, broil, poach, sauté, smoke, steam
Salmon, Chum	Salt water Pacific	Moderate oily – lowest fat content of all Salmon	Bake, braise, broil, poach, sauté, smoke, steam
Salmon, King	Salt water Atlantic, pacific	Oily – lovely	Bake, braise, broil, poach, sauté, smoke, steam
Shark	Salt water	Lean	Bake, braise, broil, grill, panfry, poach, sauté steam, stew
Sole	Salt water	Lean	Bake, broil, grill, poach, sauté steam, stew
Scrod	Salt water Pacific and Atlantic	Lean, chewy	Bake, braise, broil, grill, panfry, poach, sauté steam, stew
Striped Bass	Salt water	Moderate oily	Bake, braise, broil, grill, panfry, poach, sauté steam, stew
Swordfish	Salt water	Moderate oily	Bake, braise, broil, grill, stew
Trout	Fresh water	Moderate oily	Bake, broil, grill, poach, sauté, Smoke, steam
Tuna	Salt water	Oily	Bake, braise, broil, grill, sauté, stew