Fish for a non-fish eater?

[JDUCKY]

A good first experience would be the Grouper at Citrico's.

mmmm mmmm mmmm....

 

[Leota]

I think it's great that you are broadening your horizons. My New Years resolution a couple years ago was to broaden my horizons with a couple food hangups I had. Number one on the list was Goat Cheese. I started out with an herb crusted chevre & ate a little every day until my taste buds got used to it. Now I like it. It was just a matter of getting used to something that I wasn't used to.
I did the same thing with fish too, years earlier, just because I had only been exposed to a few kinds of fish & my Mother was also not the best cook. As I tried things, I grew to like them more & more. Tuna was the first fish I fell in love with. It grew from there. I still don't like salmon unless it's raw in sushi/sashimi or rare on a cedar plank. Salmon is a distinctly strong fish if cooked well done.
Now I eat fish every chance I get.

Good Luck & Enjoy!

 

[wezee]

If you live anywhere near the great lakes yellow perch and walleye are both real good.

 

[badblackpug]

I think it's great that the OP is trying to open up to new things. I think a lot of people get themselves into a rut and refuse to try things just because they have never had them. I usually find it odd when people rule out a whole category of food, such as "I don't like fish" or "I don't like vegetables." I think a lot may have to do with past experiences. Maybe one time you had something that you didn't like, maybe it was that particular type of fish (I eat fish at least 4 times a week, and I hate tuna, in any manner) or the way it was prepared. (I sympathize with you folks whose mom's were terrible cooks, mine too!) and it stuck in your head that you don't like fish (or whatever) I have also met people who have said "I don't like X" because they were told from childhood that they don't like it. Maybe they refused it as a baby and their parents wrote it off as "Billy doesn't like X" Also remember that our taste buds change as we age. Things we may not have necessarily liked as children we may like as adults because of this change. My father, who was always a man that ate almost everything, told us about how there were a lot of things that he didn't like as a kid, but when he went into the Air Force and was faced with the prospect of "eat it or go hungry" he found out there were a lot of things he previously disliked (or thought he did) that he liked, now. He always said he wasn't sure if it was his mother's cooking, or a change in tastes, but it turned out to be a good thing, as there were a lot of things that he would have missed out on.

Again, OP, I commend you for trying to broaden your horizons!

 

[NJRRK]

This thread has has just made me very jealous.

I have a very different issue with fish - I love whitefish (sole is my favourite). But I am HIGHLY allergic and can't eat "fin fish."

I have to live with shellfish (which I like, but it's not the same).

To the OP I hope you like what you try and if you don't life will go on there is plenty to eat in DW other than fish.

 

[lelei]

Thanks for all the great suggestions! I plan on going out to lunch this weekend with my sister who is a big fish eater and will be trying it!

I know fish is pretty healthy, and I've gotten over some other hang ups lately, so I am hoping I'm able to put this one to rest as well!

I really appreciate all the nice posts!

 

[gillep]

I think it is wonderful that you want to try new things for both yourself and your DD.

I am not a fish lover but my DH is, I always try some of his and although I now like some there are still a lot of different types of fish that I do not like. I would also suggest Tilapia as a first fish I find it to be very light and tastes like whatever sauce or seasoning is on it I usually get mine grilled with salt and pepper and then drizzle some fresh lemon on top yummy!!! Two that I still don't like are tuna and salmon (DH's favorites) I try them everytime he gets them and I just don't like the flavor of the tuna and the salmon I always find too oily whether it is cooked or in sushi I just don't like them.

Have fun trying new things however if you find that you still don't love fish there is still tons of food that you can choose from that will be awesome. When we went to citricos DH got I think the grouper and I had the veal shank and even my fish loving husband wanted to abandon his fishy meal for mine because it was spectacular!!!!!

 

[tallulah77]

my husband has decided that on our next visit he would like to try mahi mahi. We aren't huge fish eaters but he wants to try some new stuff. Can anyone recommend a really good mahi-mahi dish at 'the World' to start him off?

 

[MickeyNicki]

I was exactly like you until 10 years or so ago and now I cannot believe that I waited so long to love fish!

Talapia, the fried variety from England, is fantastic

Red Snapper from Flying Fish, to die for

Grouper, amazing, I can eat it any way from anywhere.

Do you like Shrimp, crab, lobster? SOOOO good but it took me a while to get used to the texture

I have tried salmon (too fishy), tuna and swordfish (way to fishy and stong for me) so I will stick to the white fish type

 

[tami82]

Im not a big fish fan either but do eat on occassion and have a few i do like. I did eat a few different places at WDW the salmon and its usually very mild. Its a good choice when you are at a buffet and want to eat something that isnt bad for you. But of course i will also throw some other not so good things onto my plate

 

[Uncleromulus]

I agree with Bicker. Aim first for a meaty, steak-like fish--Swordfish or a nice Tuna steak. Grouper would aslo fit into that category.

 

[Golf4food]

my husband has decided that on our next visit he would like to try mahi mahi. We aren't huge fish eaters but he wants to try some new stuff. Can anyone recommend a really good mahi-mahi dish at 'the World' to start him off?

I've had mahi on special (non-regular menu) a few places but also the Mahi de la Veracruzana at the San Angel Inn and thought it was good. It has tomato and capers and such in it so the flavor of those items come out quite strongly against the mild mahi - doens't taste at all fishy (not fishy enough for someone that likes fish, truly, but for someone looking for fish that won't taste like it, I can say that one would probably fit the bill).

 

[drenalin'junkie]

I am a professional spearfisherman and have access through wholesalers we sell to to every species imagineable that I don't harvest personally.

I often hear your predicament,here's my2cents.Local fresh non-farmed fish will have better flavor and texture.

White meat fishes including in order hogfish,triggerfish,snapper,grouper,hake,pollock,cod are the best for not tasting fishy.

Red meat fishes are generally fishy,tuna can be the exception but it is generally served rare,kinda icky to some.

Swordfish and cobia are more porklike in texture as mentioned earlier and can be subbed in recipes you'd normally see pork in.

Avoid "mystery fish" where fry coatings and sauces can hide sub-par fish or spoilt goods.If you can't see what it is it's 50 to 75% likely it's not as advertised.Tilapia and basa are garbage fish foisted off on unknowing consumers by a slick ad campaign and the fact they have no taste of thier own.

 

[branv]

It may sound weird to hear this since I don't really know you, but I'm so proud of you! I've always been very confused by people never examining/ reexamining the opinions they hold, and that definitely includes food. Life is just too short to be closed off to growth. Besides, like a PP said, taste buds change. When I met DH he hated, and I mean LOATHED a large variety of things that now he adores. Like with some people on here, I suspect the problem stemmed from lack of exposure to different foods, parental prejudices against "strange" food...seriously, they found Caesar salad suspect until a few years ago. Add to that, not a single member of his family can cook worth a darn. *oooh, Thanksgiving. shudder* As for me, I hated, loathed, despised blue cheese until last year...age 35! Knew I didn't care for it, but took an opportunity to sample a really high quality Stilton. Blew my socks off. I think previous to that my only experiences with blues had been really low end crumbles. Now I consider that Stilton my gateway drug to the world blue cheeses, yum, yum yum.

Personally, I agree with starting out with a mild fish. Even if it's a fairly tasteless fish that gets all its flavor with the topping, it may help you break through mentally You can be more adventurous later. Just remember -- where ever you try it first, if you don't like what you have, don't assume that means you really don't like it. Too many places don't cook fish well. I might even suggest you find a very simple recipe and try it out yourself at home. That way you can be certain you're buying a good fish. If you do that, one thing I know that makes a big difference for us is to be sure to only buy fish that's labeled "fresh." I know some people will claim they can't tell the difference between fresh and previously frozen, but the mouth feel to us is very different (less mushy).

If it makes you feel better, I like fish but can't bring myself around to salmon. I hate that I just don't seem to like it b/c it's so good for you, everyone else I know loves it, and I like to make it for DH b/c he loves it (I also found a wonderful recipe for it that I hate to let go to waste). So I keep trying it out but it just won't take. Ah well, there's more than one fish in the sea

Please let us know how your first taste test goes.

 

[ga9497]

Another approach is to aim for something like swordfish... it has the texture of a pork chop (though, of course, no where near as "hard").

For a person trying to try fish I totally agree with this, it HAS to be FRESH, frozen swordfish has a whole other flavor and texture.

Tuna, fresh not canned, is also another good option as far as texture goes

 

[lelei]

Aww, thanks for the sweet words!

I've been working on expanding my horizons for awhile now, when I was younger I had a very, very limited list of foods I would eat. You wouldn't believe how many years it took me to have the courage to try something like cream cheese, or to order a steak anything less than well done! (I now order steaks medium, and love it- it tastes soo much better!)

I really want my daughter to see me eating different things because she has the same pickyness. She is 10 yrs old, and I just got her to try oatmeal for the first time yesterday morning! It was peaches n cream but she still spit it out and claimed it tasted horrible.

I plan on trying fish this weekend, and will let you all know how it goes! Thanks so much for being so nice, warm, and supportive! It's also nice to know that I was not the only one tramatized by bad cooking when young!

 

[JenniferK]

I am not a fan of fish. I will tolerate the mild white fishes such as tilapia, cod, orange roughy, sole. But I would not order them if I was at a restaurant. The one exception is grouper. I don't need to tolerate it - I actually like and enjoy it and order it at restaurants. I don't see it offered very often as I live in the midwest. When I am in Florida it is a must-have as it is so nice and fresh there.