<p>I like oysters
Haven’t had lobster much, I did used to go fishing for crawdads though.
Crab I like- and I will make crabcakes on occasion or cioppino, but I am eating less and less flesh of any type, it isn’t just that it can be expensive, but even though it is yummy- it turns my stomach a little.</p>
<p>But I used to have fun hosting opening day of fishing parties- I lived on a small lake in King County ( it was rural once )and while the lake was stocked- which is cheating- frying up trout for breakfast sure smells good.</p>
<p>EmeraldKitty, I caught my first fishes, a rainbow trout and a bigmouth bass, at age 11 at Lake Kapowsin, which is in Pierce County, I believe. Kapowsin is a man-made lake that is stocked with fish by the state. State Wildlife Wardens were constantly on the lookout in their dingys looking for undersize catch and illegal bait like, God forbid, fish eggs. LOL.</p>
<p>I respectfully disagree Nrdsb4. In my opinion, the American farmed catfish has a clean taste. The NYT article that Mathmom referenced indicates that the quality of farmed catfish is good. Although I have often found catfish to have watery texture, and thus it needs extended cooking time. My sympathies regarding the American vs. Vietnamese catfish are a bit different after reading the NYT story. Tonight I’ll cook and taste the stuff from Vietnam (‘swai’) for the first time.</p>
<p>H and I have spent the fall and winter eating oysters and clams we (well, he, I don’t have a license, yet), dig out of the mud or scrape off the rocks. He and S have also been doing a lot of fishing, mostly “junk” fish like ling that are not overfished.</p>
<p>Can’t get any fresher than that, and the price is right!</p>
<p>There’s nothing tastier than fish fresh out of the water. By the way garland, do you mind sharing the location where your H and S drop their lines. Every stocked lake I’ve been to in NJ is crowded with casual anglers like myself. And it’s just as hard to get a seat (or a bite) at the piers in Raritan Bay. Not to mention the fact that unless your saltwater catch is of monstrous size, in NJ you have to throw it back. Do you know how painful it is to toss back a 15" flounder, because it’s 1" undersized? Well, we do have to preserve and promote ecological prorities. LOL.</p>
<p>H and I fish off Cape Cod in the summer and most of the time we catch bluefish and a few strippers. I never thought I liked bluefish, but I do, especially when it’s fresh. We almost always eat the fish we catch for dinner that night. Since the blues are so plentiful where we fish, we’ve started smoking them and then making bluefish pate. I freeze it in small containers and we’ll have all winter.</p>
<p>I no longer buy fish from Asia. I occasionally buy farm-raised salmon from Scotland or Norway because I like it better than the officially superior wild Alaskan or northwestern salmon that my local WF sells. I am the only person in my family who actively likes fish so do not buy it as often as I would like but when I do I look for the product of the USA note on the price card–not that US food safety is infallible but farm raised Thai or Vietnamese shrimp just doesn’t seem like something I want anymore. Not logical, but my preference. And yes, I know that farm-raised fish can be full of waste products but our various local fish sellers seem on top of that particular issue regarding suppliers.</p>
<p>LW–the fish they have been catching lately is called by the locals ling, though H looked it up and saw it listed as “spotted hake.” It’s not fished commercially and does not have size limits. they’re fishing off the jetty by the Cape May ferry (don’t tell’em I told ya!)</p>
<p>They are aiming for striped bass this year, and yes, that does have significant size limitations–but overall, that’s all to the good.</p>
<p>As an additional consideration, why on this green earth do grocery stores take flash frozen seafood and then thaw it? It is not always clear how long that seafood has been thawed and it certainly also has a very limited shelf life at home. I suspect a lot of it gets refrozen. Personally I trust frozen seafood over fresh. It is never clear how old that “fresh” fish really is. </p>
<p>I think all of us have some doubts about the reliability of any food from Asia. China seems to have problems killing pets and there own citizens. I like white clam sauce on pasta. A can of clams, some garlic, olive oil and pasta makes a very quick and tasty meal. Years ago I was eating my clam pasta sauce and bit down on something. At first I suspected a piece of shell. Within a couple of bites I realized that something was serisouly amiss. With close observation I found lots of bones from either a small rodent or bird. It was many years since I could again enjoy clams from a can. I kept thinking about the implications of “Product of Malaysia.” I could picture a rodent infested processing facility.</p>
<p>Food labeling- I wonder about the brand of fish that is from China when plain and gets a Washington state of origin when it has been breaded et al. Is the fish really from the US or did they process it here and because they added the spices and coating get to call it US? I try to avoid China as a point of origin based on their pollutants.</p>
<p>My favorite fish is Whitefish- from the Great Lakes, but not in the grocery stores in ages. Walleye is good, but not as moist. Lake Perch also good. Had to get in my regional favorites. Pet peeve of mine has been asking what kind of fish and the restaurant/fast food place doesn’t know. Also white fish isn’t whitefish.</p>
<p>Wis75, I thought the ‘whitefish’ vs. white FISH situation was curious. Sometimes I think fishermen and fish marketing people are intentionally trying to confuse us. Some fishmongers have tried to convince me that Ling Cod, Hake and Whiting are all the same fish. Could be, I guess.</p>
<p>As for the results of my taste test of frozen catfish fillets from Vietnam, a.k.a. Swai…I used it in a Indian style spiced recipe and it the results were quite good. Firm, fresh tasting and a mild flavor. Incidentally, while shopping at the supermarket I noted that farmed fresh American catfish fillets were going for 5 bucks a pound. Much, much more than the frozen swai.</p>
)and while the lake was stocked- which is cheating- frying up trout for breakfast sure smells good.</p>