Fish

[WanderlustNZ]

Hi everyone,

A good fish meal is hard to beat. However, before I order a fish dish at a restaurant, I always check first what type of fish I will be getting.

The problem I'm going to encounter when I order meals at WDW (and at Universal and on the Disney Fantasy) is that I'm not going to know what many species of Northern Hemisphere fish taste like.

Could someone please tell me what are popular types of white-flesh fish in the USA? I'm particularly keen to try some fish that is fresh and sourced off the coast of Florida (or nearby states).

I'm not a fan of freshwater or meaty fish such as salmon, tuna or trout, so any suggestions for species that I should avoid are also appreciated. I'm not sure if it helps, but my favourite types of fish here in NZ are Snapper and Tarakihi.

Lastly, what type of fish is mahi mahi? I've seen that on a lot of menus.

Thanks heaps in advance

 

[Sweet Melissa]

I feel like I always see the same few fish over and over on the menus in Disney World.

Mahi mahi is a very mild white fish, but it can be kind of steak-like in texture. It and tilapia are both popular menu items here that would probably suit your tastes. Grouper is local to Florida, and one you might like. We do get many varieties of snapper here too. Be sure to ask about the catch of the day at any restaurants that offer one, as snapper could very well appear there.

It sounds like you'll want to avoid all my favorites, as I love the meaty fish. The three that you mentioned wanting to avoid are my three favorites. I also love halibut, which is a white fish but also meaty.

 

[dandave]

Mahi mahi is dolphin fish - not the mammal, the fish pictured on top of the Dolphin resort. Google will provide more details.
Grouper is a very meaty, very large, warm water fish. I usually avoid it in restaurants, because it can harbor ciguatera. I do eat it sometimes, if I know it came from local Florida waters. I think you have red snapper in NZ. It's an excellent fish, IMHO. Flounder is also an excellent salt water flat fish. All three should be available at the Flying Fish on the Boardwalk, which is one of my favorite restaurants anywhere.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

I feel like I always see the same few fish over and over on the menus in Disney World.

Mahi mahi is a very mild white fish, but it can be kind of steak-like in texture. It and tilapia are both popular menu items here that would probably suit your tastes. Grouper is local to Florida, and one you might like. We do get many varieties of snapper here too. Be sure to ask about the catch of the day at any restaurants that offer one, as snapper could very well appear there.

It sounds like you'll want to avoid all my favorites, as I love the meaty fish. The three that you mentioned wanting to avoid are my three favorites. I also love halibut, which is a white fish but also meaty.

Thanks Melissa! I think I will give mahi mahi a go and will also look out for tilapia (which I'd never heard of until right now).

Also, great to hear that I might be able to get snapper.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Mahi mahi is dolphin fish - not the mammal, the fish pictured on top of the Dolphin resort. Google will provide more details.
Grouper is a very meaty, very large, warm water fish. I usually avoid it in restaurants, because it can harbor ciguatera. I do eat it sometimes, if I know it came from local Florida waters. I think you have red snapper in NZ. It's an excellent fish, IMHO. Flounder is also an excellent salt water flat fish. All three should be available at the Flying Fish on the Boardwalk, which is one of my favorite restaurants anywhere.

Thanks Dandave. You are absolutely correct about the red snapper - both in that it's popular here in NZ and that it's delicious. It's actually fairly plentiful here in NZ waters, but unfortunately public demand keeps prices high. Flounder is also very nice.

I don't have an ADR for flying fish, but may have to check it out. I have a bit more flexibility as to where I eat during 3 nights staying on property at Universal. So if you can recommend any good seafood restaurants there I'd love to hear about them.

 

[dandave]

You're welcome! I haven't been to Universal in a while, but Mythos was the only restaurant there that impressed me at all. I looked at their current menu here, http://www.opentable.com/rest_profile_menu.aspx?rid=56233&tab=1, and all I see offered is mahi mahi and salmon, unfortunately. Those fish tacos are probably using tilapia. Tilapia is normally farm raised, and I avoid farm raised fish due to the antibiotics they are fed as a matter of course. That's just a personal choice.
I do hope you make it to Flying Fish, if you get a chance. It doesn't require theme park admission, as it is on the Boardwalk.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

You're welcome! I haven't been to Universal in a while, but Mythos was the only restaurant there that impressed me at all. I looked at their current menu here, http://www.opentable.com/rest_profile_menu.aspx?rid=56233&tab=1, and all I see offered is mahi mahi and salmon, unfortunately. Those fish tacos are probably using tilapia. Tilapia is normally farm raised, and I avoid farm raised fish due to the antibiotics they are fed as a matter of course. That's just a personal choice.
I do hope you make it to Flying Fish, if you get a chance. It doesn't require theme park admission, as it is on the Boardwalk.

Thanks again Dandave. I'm staying at the Boardwalk for 5 nights as part of a split stay with AKV and I just looked at the Flying Fish menu and agree that it does look really good. The only problem is that I don't think we'd get value out of a signature restaurant with my 5 year old son in tow. I planned on eating a couple of dinners at the F&W festival. So hopefully there are a few fish options on offer there that I could try. Otherwise I might just give mahi mahi a go at one of the many places that it's offered. If nothing else I'll get to say I tried something new which is all part of the fun of traveling.

 

[dandave]

Flying Fish is super kid friendly and quite casual, but I absolutely can relate. (I am Mom to Dan and Dave. ) You'll find some great seafood at the festival, no doubt! I love the F&W Festival! Enjoy your trip!!

 

[jennylyn_b]

Thanks again Dandave. I'm staying at the Boardwalk for 5 nights as part of a split stay with AKV and I just looked at the Flying Fish menu and agree that it does look really good. The only problem is that I don't think we'd get value out of a signature restaurant with my 5 year old son in tow. I planned on eating a couple of dinners at the F&W festival. So hopefully there are a few fish options on offer there that I could try. Otherwise I might just give mahi mahi a go at one of the many places that it's offered. If nothing else I'll get to say I tried something new which is all part of the fun of traveling.

Don't let your DS stop you. We just went to Flying fish three weeks ago with our dd who is 2.5. She was behaved and liked the food. We all had a great time and the food was so yum. They have snapper there and it's great!

 

[Eureka]

I love tilapia, halibut, flounder. Had a fantastic lemon halibut dish with house-made fettucini at California Grill.

 

[vanillarum]

Chilean Sea Bass would be another great idea. Good luck and have fun.

 

[ttintagel]

If you get generic, anonymous fried fish in the US, it's likely to be haddock or cod.

 

[vanillarum]

Generic fish is very seldom haddock. You are most likely to get pollock, or less likely, cod.

 

[jwfla422]

Mahi is very popular here in Florida and I have it fairly often, especially when we go out. I recently had it at PTCafe. Another white fish I had was the grouper at The Wave. Both are not always available in WDW at these restaurants. They were both the special and the fish of the day.

Both were very tender and fresh.

Prime Time Cafe Mahi (Blue Plate Special)...

Click here for full review of Our Prime Time Cafe Experience.

The Wave's Sustainable Fish of the Day, Sauteed Grouper...

Click here for full review of our Wave Dinner Experience

Even had a Cajun Mahi sandwich at the Riverside Mill Food Court. It was a touch dry but it was still good.

WDW restaurants are a great place to "taste" fish (or other things) that you haven't had before because if you don't like it, there's usually never a problem getting something else instead.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Lot's of great advice. Thanks so much everyone!

That fish at the Prime Time Cafe looks delicious. I have an ADR there for the fabulous-looking theming and ambience, but I was a bit concerned about the fairly heavy menu choices. I'll be quite happy if an option like this mahi mahi is available while I'm there. Will keep an eye out.

Also, interesting to know what the standard fried fish options usually are. Thanks for sharing.

 

[honeybunches]

I had the same sustainable fish meal at the Wave except mine was striped sea bass. Delicious.