betty boop Posted February 26, 2015 Posted February 26, 2015 guys what sort of fresh fish do you indulge in ? we seem to love Basa...which I understand is another name for catfish ? well thats what its called in the us instead. do we get it fresh here ? or is resident in other countries...ours seems to come frozen from vietnam...wish we could get it fresh instead. is there another similar tasting fresh fish thats local to our waters that can buy fresh ? reason we like it is it isn't too fishy..if know what I mean ...ie doesn't smell like cat food i.e. like mackerel or something like that
Jake Posted February 26, 2015 Posted February 26, 2015 You could eat chicken, that doesn't taste like fish. 4
colinm1 Posted February 26, 2015 Posted February 26, 2015 we try to only eat locally caught seafood, Fremantle has many great seafood places so we are very lucky 3
betty boop Posted February 26, 2015 Author Posted February 26, 2015 You could eat chicken, that doesn't taste like fish. we do that too….though cat fish / bass is a nice option too
mello yello Posted February 26, 2015 Posted February 26, 2015 this threads only cool for cats calamari, prawns, barry mundi, toona and the local shark down the fish n chip shop
mello yello Posted February 26, 2015 Posted February 26, 2015 guys what sort of fresh fish do you indulge in ? we seem to love Basa...which I understand is another name for catfish ? well thats what its called in the us instead. do we get it fresh here ? or is resident in other countries...ours seems to come frozen from vietnam...wish we could get it fresh instead. is there another similar tasting fresh fish thats local to our waters that can buy fresh ? reason we like it is it isn't too fishy..if know what I mean ...ie doesn't smell like cat food i.e. like mackerel or something like that ever heard of a fishing rod ? 1
PorkBun69s Posted February 26, 2015 Posted February 26, 2015 Barramundi is my choice for fresh water fish. Best with a sambal paste marinade with lime slices wrapped in banana.leaves and cooked over a charcoal bbq. Really fresh fish don't smell fishy unless it's small cod. Made the mistake cooking these suckers and the whole house stunk of fish. Snapper, sea bass and breams are nice steamed or charcoal grilled. 1
Luc Posted February 26, 2015 Posted February 26, 2015 (edited) Sorry al...but I have no idea how anyone can eat farmed Mekong Catfish from Vietnam; bland tasteless,rubbery...awful awful awful stuff. I'm about to cook fresh whiting caught this morning, now obviously few people have the opportunity to do this(the catching of on a regular basis) regularly like I can but your in Melb the home of the fabulous Vic Markets. Go and stock up on their fresh caught local seafood and freeze the stuff as well as getting a meal out of it before it hits the freezer. Basa and some of the other various oddly named fish in Coles&Woolies is total tosh apart from when Woolies have fresh wild caught Barra as opposed to fresh farmed Barra from Thailand and the Philippines which again are bland gormless rubbish. al, go to the markets and get some King George whiting or Port Phillip bay snapper or some coral trout from QLD, or flathead fillets, Bream,Flounder(yum) these are all aerobic fish. Schooling surface fish like Tailor,Mackerel(of all varieties),Tuna and host of others are anaerobic. Anaerobic flesh is actually better for you as it is very high in the correct oils the 6's and 3's, the fatty acids. But the payoff is that they are not on the same level as aerobic flesh(your white fleshed saltwater fish bottom feeders) taste wise and they are always darker,bloodier if you will and have a much stronger taste that many people who don't eat fish regularly don't like. Yes sashimi is nice but not everyone does it well especially at home and quite often the fish is just masked by marinades and dips. Your Basa is a very very cheap farmed fish, the same as Vanamie(sic) prawns from Coles&Woolies...they are rubbish when compared to fresh local seafood. They are the 5 dollar in ear plugs from catch of the day of the fish world...break the habit al! Go Fresh! I'm having the whiting shortly flambéed , you fillet your fish with skin on and three slashes along the skin side to stop it curling, you put fish skin side down on bbq or pan, a very hot one and when the skin is crisp you dump some whisky on it and light it...job done. A salad with mini herbs from the garden finishes it all off. Also having some panko flathead fingers for entree's with the ubiquitous smoky Japanese bonito based soy as a dip sauce. Fat rating of meal? Bugge.r all. C'mon al support your local fish industry go to the markets... Edit: In the NT and QLD way up north they rate Barra way down around 5 or six in their top ten, some go even lower than that. Try some Mangrove Jack or some Threadfin salmon or Fingermark bream and you crawl over sharpened hooks to eat it before you'd have barra. I used to think barra was it but many years spent fishing in the far north have changed that view. Edited February 26, 2015 by Luc 9
Jake Posted February 26, 2015 Posted February 26, 2015 Luc is on the money with excellent advice Al. Hit the markets. You cold always ask the fishmonger when you are there as well. 1
comfortablynumb Posted February 26, 2015 Posted February 26, 2015 Sorry al...but I have no idea how anyone can eat farmed Mekong Catfish from Vietnam; bland tasteless,rubbery...awful awful awful stuff. I'm about to cook fresh whiting caught this morning, now obviously few people have the opportunity to do this(the catching of on a regular basis) regularly like I can but your in Melb the home of the fabulous Vic Markets. Go and stock up on their fresh caught local seafood and freeze the stuff as well as getting a meal out of it before it hits the freezer. Basa and some of the other various oddly named fish in Coles&Woolies is total tosh apart from when Woolies have fresh wild caught Barra as opposed to fresh farmed Barra from Thailand and the Philippines which again are bland gormless rubbish. al, go to the markets and get some King George whiting or Port Phillip bay snapper or some coral trout from QLD, or flathead fillets, Bream,Flounder(yum) these are all aerobic fish. Schooling surface fish like Tailor,Mackerel(of all varieties),Tuna and host of others are anaerobic. Anaerobic flesh is actually better for you as it is very high in the correct oils the 6's and 3's, the fatty acids. But the payoff is that they are not on the same level as aerobic flesh(your white fleshed saltwater fish bottom feeders) taste wise and they are always darker,bloodier if you will and have a much stronger taste that many people who don't eat fish regularly don't like. Yes sashimi is nice but not everyone does it well especially at home and quite often the fish is just masked by marinades and dips. Your Basa is a very very cheap farmed fish, the same as Vanamie(sic) prawns from Coles&Woolies...they are rubbish when compared to fresh local seafood. They are the 5 dollar in ear plugs from catch of the day of the fish world...break the habit al! Go Fresh! I'm having the whiting shortly flambéed , you fillet your fish with skin on and three slashes along the skin side to stop it curling, you put fish skin side down on bbq or pan, a very hot one and when the skin is crisp you dump some whisky on it and light it...job done. A salad with mini herbs from the garden finishes it all off. Also having some panko flathead fingers for entree's with the ubiquitous smoky Japanese bonito based soy as a dip sauce. Fat rating of meal? Bugge.r all. C'mon al support your local fish industry go to the markets... Edit: In the NT and QLD way up north they rate Barra way down around 5 or six in their top ten, some go even lower than that. Try some Mangrove Jack or some Threadfin salmon or Fingermark bream and you crawl over sharpened hooks to eat it before you'd have barra. I used to think barra was it but many years spent fishing in the far north have changed that view. what sort of whiting would that be Luc?
Viognier Posted February 26, 2015 Posted February 26, 2015 (edited) @@Luc Hold the serving of dinner. I am just at the bottleo grabbing some French bubbles that we know you are partial to. My choice for accompanying wine would be a recent Clare Valley Riesling but bubbles will be fine. Will be there in 5 minutes. Edited February 26, 2015 by Viognier 2
markm1111 Posted February 26, 2015 Posted February 26, 2015 What Luc said! (Sorry, my quoting button doesn't seem to work) We are extremely lucky in this country to have access to the most delicious, cheap, freshly caught fish (at least in the main metro centres, a little harder out of town). Whiting, flathead, bream are superb. For something different, try a few leather jackets as well - peel off the skin, lightly toss in flour then a quick shallow fry, yummo and cheap. Or for me, special occasions are John Dory fillets pan fried - to die for! I avoid all the imported farmed products whenever possible - who knows what they have been eating, and the taste is just bland. 2
evil c Posted February 26, 2015 Posted February 26, 2015 With both Victorian Labor & Liberal parties having identical plans to eradicate commercial netting in Westernport & Port Phillip Bays - the days of buying locally caught fish are looking even more unlikely/ unaffordable! A lot of our good fish seems to go o/s while we import the cr@p like much of our produce nowadays with the threat of unsanitary / contaminated being a big worry. :eek: I avoid like @@Luc so eloquently put it - Basa and any other overseas caught fish with the exception of New Zealand Salmon but I normally get the Tasmanian which is a bargain for the quality you get! In fact just about to cook some Teryaki marinade Salmon on the bbq! (Goes a treat with a good Pinot Noir!) Up till recently I was getting local Flatties at Springvale fish markets but they seem to have stopped stocking as they stated only Aussies like them!! 1
bzr Posted February 26, 2015 Posted February 26, 2015 @@Luc Hold the serving of dinner. I am just at the bottleo grabbing some French bubbles that we know you are partial to. My choice for accompanying wine would be a recent Clare Valley Riesling but bubbles will be fine. Will be there in 5 minutes. Mate, with due respect, I'd throw a Marlborough Sav Blanc with the Whiting, as fresh out of the sea, it is stupendous!
betty boop Posted February 26, 2015 Author Posted February 26, 2015 @@Luc the vic market ? wrong part of town for me hehe I think a flight to adelaide to a fish market there might be quicker and easier hehe but yeah you get the idea... yeah thats what I want is fresh, and the fish mongers are useless here…just costs more and its not from the markets or fresh…all frozen and coming from all sorts of foreign places…I want local. catch my own isn't an option..you might as well be telling me to slaughter a small calf in the back yard next time I want to have some beef or neck a chicken, because thats about the chance of me catching my own fish hehe With both Victorian Labor & Liberal parties having identical plans to eradicate commercial netting in Westernport & Port Phillip Bays - the days of buying locally caught fish are looking even more unlikely/ unaffordable! A lot of our good fish seems to go o/s while we import the cr@p like much of our produce nowadays with the threat of unsanitary / contaminated being a big worry. :eek: I avoid like @@Luc so eloquently put it - Basa and any other overseas caught fish with the exception of New Zealand Salmon but I normally get the Tasmanian which is a bargain for the quality you get! In fact just about to cook some Teryaki marinade Salmon on the bbq! (Goes a treat with a good Pinot Noir!) Up till recently I was getting local Flatties at Springvale fish markets but they seem to have stopped stocking as they stated only Aussies like them!! and you got my hopes up with the springvale market…now that might be the go …or the dandenong market… not sure they have fresh fish there though maybe I can suggest to our local farmers market to do fresh fish…I reckon they'd do a killing ps is catfish not local then ? wondering what this thing is ... saw it at our local pond…it was huge and had 1000s of off spring…could be ready source of a fresh feed could just be a carp…or cr@p as some call it
betty boop Posted February 26, 2015 Author Posted February 26, 2015 Barramundi is my choice for fresh water fish. Best with a sambal paste marinade with lime slices wrapped in banana.leaves and cooked over a charcoal bbq. Really fresh fish don't smell fishy unless it's small cod. Made the mistake cooking these suckers and the whole house stunk of fish. Snapper, sea bass and breams are nice steamed or charcoal grilled. I know a guy from the uk I was talking to once …whom grew up in a small fishing village…he said the same thing…fish shouldn't be fishy unless its going off ! basically he was saying the fish we buy here is all a bit off …rather than a fresh catch he was used to back in the uk
LogicprObe Posted February 26, 2015 Posted February 26, 2015 It's usually barramundi or fresh trout around here.Sometimes some Tassie salmon...............I do like a bit of shark now and then.Far better than catfish.
comfortablynumb Posted February 26, 2015 Posted February 26, 2015 (edited) @@Luc the vic market ? wrong part of town for me hehe I think a flight to adelaide to a fish market there might be quicker and easier hehe but yeah you get the idea... yeah thats what I want is fresh, and the fish mongers are useless here…just costs more and its not from the markets or fresh…all frozen and coming from all sorts of foreign places…I want local. catch my own isn't an option..you might as well be telling me to slaughter a small calf in the back yard next time I want to have some beef or neck a chicken, because thats about the chance of me catching my own fish hehe and you got my hopes up with the springvale market…now that might be the go …or the dandenong market… not sure they have fresh fish there though maybe I can suggest to our local farmers market to do fresh fish…I reckon they'd do a killing ps is catfish not local then ? wondering what this thing is ... saw it at our local pond…it was huge and had 1000s of off spring…could be ready source of a fresh feed could just be a carp…or cr@p as some call it Looks like a crap to me. Carp can be cooked. Place fish in large pot of boiling water. Weigh down fish with a brick. Boil hard overnight, replenishing water as needed. Throw away fish. Eat brick..... Edited February 26, 2015 by comfortablynumb 6
ABG Posted February 26, 2015 Posted February 26, 2015 (edited) As @@Luc and a number of others have already said, imported basa is tasteless and completely lacking in texture. In addition, the manner in which the fish are raised is nothing short of environmental vandalism - seriously. I urge you to watch What's The Catch with Matthew Evans as well as its UK based older brother, Fish Fight with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. Eye opening and thought provoking (especially Fish Fight as it's a few seasons old now). Please think about what you are eating and the impact that food is having on the planet. If you do, you'll never eat imported basa or vannemai prawns again. As a direct result of watching these shows, I'm now eating a lot more sardines and a lot less salmon, tuna and no basa or vannemai prawns. Edited February 26, 2015 by ABG 1
betty boop Posted February 26, 2015 Author Posted February 26, 2015 Looks like a crap to me. Carp can be cooked. Place fish in large pot of boiling water. Weigh down fish with a brick. Boil hard overnight, replenishing water as needed. Throw away fish. Eat brick..... hehe interesting though because I know one culture where carp is quite the delicacy… not for me but depends where come from I guess
betty boop Posted February 26, 2015 Author Posted February 26, 2015 As @@Luc and a number of others have already said, imported basa is a tasteless and completely lacking in texture. In addition, the manner in which the fish are is nothing short of environmental vandalism - seriously. I urge you to watch What's The Catch with Matthew Evans as well as its UK based older brother, Fish Fight with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. Eye opening and thought provoking (especially Fish Fight as it's a few seasons old now). Please think about what you are eating and the impact that food is having on the planet. If you do, you'll never eat imported basa or vannemai prawns again. As a direct result of watching these shows, I'm now eating a lot more sardines and a lot less salmon, tuna and no basa or vannemai prawns. cat fish quite the delicacy some places too… but its alternatives am after something "not too fishy" but yes looking forward to visiting the local fish market to see whats the go fresh
evil c Posted February 26, 2015 Posted February 26, 2015 Mate, Springvale is good for fresh Aust. Prawns a lot cheaper than where we are or as mentioned Leatherjacket is good value! Will have to try getting Flatties there again, was buying tails at $25 a kilo!! Might have to go visit @@Luc to get a true fresh fish fix (say that 3 times fast after a few sherbets! ) and cooked by the maestro himself as a bonus! 1
Addicted to music Posted February 26, 2015 Posted February 26, 2015 (edited) Funny that you mention this @al When I was in Japan, my collegue in Sydney who went there many times wanted to go to the Tokyo Fish market while I was there. Wasn't looking forward to getting up at 3:00am, take a train to A fish market! So one morning he literally rattles me out of bed, and that included the 2 other Isreali guys, 4 dudes in full piece suits, 2 with video camcorders and off we go to Tokyo fish market. In full suits and a camera you have no idea how out of place we looked. It turns out one of the most interesting times I had for 2 weeks, Tokyo Fish Market is the only fish market that doesn't smell. Yes, I've been to a lot of fish markets, cause my parent use to own a fish and chip shop in Clayton for 17 yrs. and yes I've been to many fish markets when I was a kid. The better 1/2 does all the shopping during the week and she goes to a particular store in Footscray Market thats run by an Aussie. This store is always pack and has a massive queue, but for what it's worth they sell the freshest fish in the area. She gets all sorts, barramundi, snapper, Salman, white bait, leather jacket, pike, sardines, mackerel, flounder etc etc. What ever the catch of the day is. Fresh fish, such as that straight out of the ocean has a different flavour and taste to ones that are frozen or have been there a while. Certain fish do have a strong taste like sardines or mackerel, but it's the way it's cook can really make a difference. We don't buy big or large fish for a couple of a few reason and with Salman when it's fresh we use it for Sushi! Edited February 26, 2015 by pchan 1
betty boop Posted February 26, 2015 Author Posted February 26, 2015 am looking forward to a visit…though won't be at 3 am you are very lucky pchan am thinking by the time I get there probably be a few tails and fins left :lol: @@evil c whats the deal with springvale…do you have to get there pre dawn or any day of the week any time of day any good ?
PorkBun69s Posted February 26, 2015 Posted February 26, 2015 Freshest fish in town goes to Footscray market or so i've been told. Yes, Basa fish fillets sold in Coles/Woolies are basically Mekong catfish..not good quality fish to eat...especially one's farmed in the estuaries in vietnam .. Though..white bait (actual NZ white bait) are awesome made into fritters with beer batter...served hot with a cold beer.. hhmm..enough food talk for now.
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