# a fishy problem



## fred420 (Sep 18, 2008)

turning to my fellow smokers for help.... i am not a fish eater at all but looking to smoke some fish for company coming over... what would be an unfishy fish with a meat like texture that i could smoke? any ideas would be appreciated............ thanks for your input from a non-fish eater....


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## douglaslizard (Sep 18, 2008)

it all tastes like chicken to me


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## pitrow (Sep 18, 2008)

Tuna steaks would be my first thought.


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## the_selling_blues_man (Sep 18, 2008)

If your fish tastes or smells "fishy" it is because it is not fresh.  My vote is for Salmon!  Wild salmon has a pretty strong taste but the farm raised fish is actually pretty mild.


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## chef_boy812 (Sep 19, 2008)

fish that is mild and has a meaty texture...

I like sword fish, pretty mild, good solid tight flake, kinda feels like a pork chop when it is cooked well.

wahoo is a great fish if you can find it, another firm flesh that takes on pork like properties when cooked well

any of the flat fish will be mild but not very meat like when cooked.

Tuna is awesome, but at 21.99 a lb where I live who can afford it.

There are cool things like scallops and crabs that are fun and different and even anti fish folks like.

I even think seabass might be nice, it has a firm texture when cooked, not like any meat though, but is not squishy or jelly like.

Good luck


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## white cloud (Sep 19, 2008)

I see the chef already recommended sword fish. We used to buy it when we lived in the city and when grilled you would think it was a pork chop.


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## meandmytwodogs (Sep 19, 2008)

Word up! Smoked fish is great! I'd go with some fresh salmon or trout!

Dave


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## flash (Sep 19, 2008)

Being you are in NY, I would go for Salmon also. Pick up some Kraft's Sundried Tomato Salad Dressing and use it as a dip for the fish. Even you might like it.


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## supervman (Sep 19, 2008)

Herring, Cod, Cisco, Trout, Tilapia, heck whatever. 
Salmon rocks. 

Jeeze, smoked carp is pretty good. 

ANY fish will do.


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## guvna (Sep 19, 2008)

i would try hot smoking trout for a bunch of non-fish eaters. IMO, that would be your best bet...


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## saltbranch (Sep 19, 2008)

For me the best unfishy fish is Talapia. It takes the smoke flavor quick and is very easy to do. I buy  a box of fillets at Walmart when on sale, if not on sale, just deli fillets. I'll baste the fillets with some butter and then season them with my favorite spices, depending on my taste. Some times cajun, or season All. I use a foil pan sold at store with holes in the bottom, put fillets in and set on pit when heat is right (200 or so). About 15 minutes or so later they are done. If the fillet is white when probed with a fork all the way thru its done.
You can also cook fish on the half shell, I do Red Drum, Croaker, Trout, Black drum, Whiting this way. When you fillet fish, leave the scales on, season fish and put them scale side down/meat side up on pit. I like to put seasoning on then top the half shells, then cover with Pico De Gallo, put in fridge a couple hours then send them to the pit.


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## blacklab (Sep 19, 2008)

Halibut


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## bcfishman (Sep 19, 2008)

Grouper or swordfish.

Grouper flakes off wonderfully. We spearfish grouper down here and it is by far one of my favorites. Not too fishy, and awesome texture.

Tilapia just for what it is makes me not a huge fan. Farm raised most of the time. Some like it though so I respect that.


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## roadrunr (Sep 19, 2008)

Walleye if ya can get ur hands on it...that stuff smoked is better than sex.


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## erain (Sep 19, 2008)

i highlyrecomend this salmon recipie, here a link on a post i did this summer.

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/for...ad.php?t=18948

and the recipie, i actually think its a raichlen creation. i got from my sis but seems pretty close to one in a book i seen,

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/for...+smoked+salmon

i also did some walleye in a butter bath

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/for...032#post245032

what about halibut??? never smoked but grilled, is a very clean tasting fish.....


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## curious aardvark (Sep 19, 2008)

lol so far I think people have recommended just about every fish that swims. 

Trout is a strong flavour and a lot of fish eaters doin't like it. avoid trout.

I'll jump on the salmon, swordfish and tuna wagon. 
Both swordfish and tuna cooks like best fillet steak. You have to be very careful not to over cook them though as they turn tough very easily.
Salmon has a very mild flavour and takes extremely well to smoking. Both hot and cold. Start with hot - cold smoked salmon seems to be a europaen thing mainly :-)

Plus it's farmed, cheap and readily available. 
The fiosh itself has large bones and you rarely find any in salmon fillets - another bonus :-)
go for salmon. but be careful not to overcook.


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## richtee (Sep 19, 2008)

Some have mentioned some good fish for grilling...which does not necessarily mean they are good for smoking. Best results are obtained smoking when the fish has a decent fat content. Salmon, Sable, Chub, Whitefish are some of the kings for smoking! I did see an article here on marinating Walleye with some oil for smoking....


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## phreak (Sep 19, 2008)

just cut the blood line(dark meat) out before smoking/grilling and that will get rid of most of the "fishy" taste in any fish


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## irish (Sep 19, 2008)

My way of cooking seafood:

White flesh - hot smoked or grilled over a medium fire & basted with lemon & butter. This includes most shellfish. Cooks up very fast. 

Pink flesh or oily fish - cold smoked or planked is even better.

Dark flesh - seared over a hot fire, medium rare like a good steak.

I buy seafood the day or at most the day before I cook it. Take it home with ice in the bag (ask for it when you buy) and keep it on ice in the fridge until I prepare it. The best fish at the store will quickly get 'fishy' if not handled properly once you get it home.


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## shellbellc (Sep 19, 2008)

Salmon...try Dutch's Maple glazed salmon recipe.  Everyone that has tried it has loved it, even people who aren't big fish fans!!  You won't go wrong.

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/for...hread.php?t=75


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## blacklab (Sep 19, 2008)

lol  than your doing it wrong


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## smokin365 (Sep 19, 2008)

_IMO, a non fishy fish would be the box fish, GORTONS fish sticks.  On a serious note, i dont like fish that much, and wont touch a fish with a strong flavor with a 10 ft pole.  I DO like walleye though, enough to fish for it (unsuccessfully).  It has a mild flavor and is nice and firm.  Ive only had it fried, but i guess that smoking it would be good also, maybe with some lemon pepper or a cajun rub, or a coconut rub spritzed with malibu rum. Hmmmm. I may be making a trip to the store shortly.  What ever you decide, i would try it out on the spouse, parent, neighbor, or some other carnivorous friend who would be honest with you before trying something new on a guest.  Good luck and let us know what you some up with!_


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## jbchoice1 (Sep 19, 2008)

scallops, shrimp, sea bass, halibut, flounder... halibut has a great creamy taste... love it
I've also done redfish, bluefish, and mackeral, but I like fish so it could be a little fishy for someone that doesn't...  

I know, dr. suess...


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## oldschoolbbq (Sep 19, 2008)

Awww, come on , anyone do Catfish? I know some of you Southern Boys do a Cat or two now and then!


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## jsanders (Mar 6, 2010)

grilled catfish is great. make it spicey. Grilled I stick with tuna, shark, striper or salmon. Tuna is #1 in my book. very steak like. I'm in the deep south and have a pretty strong cajun background so, well you know, suck the heads and eat the tails. smoked crawfish rock!!!!


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## gnubee (Mar 6, 2010)

When doing salmon or large trout, when it is done, You peel off the skin there is sometimes a grey line all the way down the fish. This is a fatty substance that can taste a little off. Take a spoon and gently scrap this grey stuff off and discard it. 

I agree with what selling the blues man said. If it smells fishy it probably is not fresh and should not be used. 

Monkfish resembles steak when done also.

I really love a good burbot fillet, its nice and firm with a really nice delicate flavour. 

In reality I must admit that if someone tells me they don't like a food that I am preparing for them, I just let them go hungry.
I have little or no patience with food snobs.


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## badfrog (Mar 7, 2010)

I am a bit late to this one, but I would go with the swordfish or Tuna steaks...pretty easy to cook (don't overcook them), very mild and tastes great! I am not a big fan of salmon...although one of my best friends lives in Portland, Oregon and does a fresh salmon cooked on a ceder plank that is (even for me that doesn't generally like salmon) pretty darn tasty...plus it is something not everyone has seen before and it makes for a dramatic presentation! 
You Salmon plank cooking folks out there can probably give better details, but as I recall he did a basic salt/pepper (maybe some lemon?) season on the fish put on the ceder plank (be sure your ceder is not treated in any way!) and put in on a VERY hot grill (I believe you would put the lid down). The planks start to char and smoke the fish cooks...serve it on the plank.


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## rdknb (Mar 7, 2010)

I am on the tuna bandwagon, swordfish works also.  Although I love carfish a lot of people up north will not.


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## hounds51 (Mar 7, 2010)

I would suggest Cod, Flounder, or Halibut with about a 1 hour mild salt brine. These are cold water fish, and have the good colestrol factors in them. You could always marinate them in a Italian dressing overnite. I had done this with tuna steak, and it tasted fantastic. But if you don't like the fishy taste stay away from tuna. My kids loved fresh flounder, they used to call it chicken fish. It would be fairly safe to say that almost any farm raised fish is less fishy tasting than wild caught fish.


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## scubadoo97 (Mar 7, 2010)

Fred you looking to smoke it or grill it?  Fattier fish work well for smoking.  

*Salmon and steelhead trout* are king on the smoker but salmon has a rich flavor.  Some people just don't like it.  My wife is one of them.  Will eat most other fish but the only way she likes salmon is raw in sushi or cold smoked.  She will eat it in a smoked fish dip.

*Tuna* is best served raw or rare.  Cooked enough to just give a bit of color to around 1/8" of the surface all the way around but left basically raw in the middle.  

*Swordfish* is a nice meaty textured fish with a mild flavor.  *Grouper* is a bit softer with large flakes and good texture.   Yes a favorite here in Florida and I've shot my share.  I'm very partial to *snapper* when fresh.  It was my preferred fish when spearfishing.   More delicate than grouper with small flakes and a softer texture and mild flavor.  

I've been getting *wahoo* from a market near me.  I think it comes from Mexico.  I love it.  It has a texture more like swordfish but it is not as firm and cooks up very white.  It's an excellent balance of texture and flavor.  Also very mild

Wahoo is in the *mackerel* family but mackerel is much more oily and is great on the smoker or grill.  It has a stronger flavor though.  

*Tilapia* I can live without.  It has very little of any flavor and what flavor it has is a muddy taste that comes from the farm raised methods in which it's raised. 

I've also been getting *corvina or corbina*.  A common fish caught in the Pacific around South America.  Also very popular fish caught in Costa Rica.  Thick like grouper but a slightly softer texture.  Still considered a firm white fish.  Mild in flavor

*Flounder* is a very soft white fish.  Very delicate in texture and flavor.

Well I've covered a few fish.  Again how you're cooking will depend on what you want to buy.  Fatty and oily fish do great on the smoker or grill.  Firm white fish do great on the grill.  If the texure is too delicate like flounder or even small snapper it hard to grill without it breaking up unless you have a special grill basket for fish.  All can be done in a pan on the stove or oven.

I'll go back to my wife again.  When I first met her she would not eat any fish.  Must of had a bad experience growing up  I use to buy fish and poach it for her.  This removes much of the flavor IMO.  A nice sauce will do it well.  Over time I weaned her off poached fish and now she will eat most any fish.  I'm getting her more use to cooked salmon.


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