Expanding my pallet (seafood)....my New Years resolution - Page 2

RPMcMurphy · #16 06-10-2008, 02:39 PM

Went to a wedding with the most AWESOME cocktail hour i've ever seen in my life...and I HAATE weddings.

it was at Seasons in montvale(ish) NJ......

had some stuffed clams, calamari, and some sushi....................

yep....sushi. now...nothing crazy just tuna, which i've had seared already, but hey, I can say I ate sushi!

getting closer......

RPMcMurphy · #17 06-10-2008, 02:40 PM

oh yeah, they had a caviar vodka shot big ice luge thing too, but I was eating my way around the room, and didn't make it to there unfortunately....

Quinn01 · #18 06-10-2008, 02:46 PM

I would tell you to start with something a little less.....fishey. There are many choices out there that you can start with and work your way up to expanding your pallet.

Try things like salmon (which many people say is fishey tasting but I dont think so) maybe things like trout (I know I know its not seafood! But still start with fresh water fish and things and work your way up the chain!

Also try different cooking tecniques like grilling or smoking rather then the oh so common saute or poach.

Thats my .02.

RPMcMurphy · #19 06-12-2008, 02:07 PM

Well I think I "officially" satisfied my new years resolution today, I ordered a seafood meal, and ate it.....

for lunch we went out to a decent local place....I ordered a seared ahi tuna steak sandwich.....ate 3/4 of it, but it was huge and the goat cheese marinara, and kobe "sliders" as starters didn't help....

sushi by December.

RSteve · #20 06-12-2008, 04:27 PM

RSteve, scratching his head, writes, "If you don't like seafood, why eat it.? When I was cooking in the army in SE Asia, at least once per week, we received beautiful center cut pork loins. We prepared them in innumerable ways, irrespective of the directives of the TM-10. After a few weeks, I couldn't bear to eat another bite of pork loin and haven't in 40 years. I don't like it. I don't eat it.

RPMcMurphy · #21 06-12-2008, 04:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RSteve

RSteve, scratching his head, writes, "If you don't like seafood, why eat it.? When I was cooking in the army in SE Asia, at least once per week, we received beautiful center cut pork loins. We prepared them in innumerable ways, irrespective of the directives of the TM-10. After a few weeks, I couldn't bear to eat another bite of pork loin and haven't in 40 years. I don't like it. I don't eat it.

because I can't live in cheeseburgers!

not that I don't "like" seafood....I was just never brought up on it....so it became a mental thing. I'm not going to let some silly mental block deprive me from an entire food group. If I thought to that mind set, I'd never go to work, wear clothes, or eat green vegetables either. haha.

it's a mental thing....

boar_d_laze · #22 06-12-2008, 07:20 PM

Quote:

[...]I'd never go to work, wear clothes, or eat green vegetables either.

Okay, I understand why you want to eat seafood and green vegetables. But work and clothes? Or, "?!" as we say in chess.

BDL

RPMcMurphy · #23 06-12-2008, 09:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by boar_d_laze

Okay, I understand why you want to eat seafood and green vegetables. But work and clothes? Or, "?!" as we say in chess.

BDL

all things I don't like doing, but it's usually a "good idea"

haha.

Do you play chess online? It's one of my other hobbies...I'm not very good, a little above a 1200 rating a little better OTB, I play at red hot pawns site.

boar_d_laze · #24 06-13-2008, 08:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RPMcMurphy

all things I don't like doing, but it's usually a "good idea"

haha.

Do you play chess online? It's one of my other hobbies...I'm not very good, a little above a 1200 rating a little better OTB, I play at red hot pawns site.

I don't play online, no. Decades ago I was in the mid 1300s which means we're probably pretty well matched.

BDL

RPMcMurphy · #25 06-19-2008, 10:54 AM

Went out with a work function last night to Witherspoon Grill in Princeton (not a bad place) and prior to my medium rare dry aged.....we ordered 2 seafood towers.....

raw oysters....done

raw clams.....also done

mussels.....done.....

check out the picture....

Choose Life.

Mapiva · #26 06-19-2008, 11:15 AM

I completely understand wanting to get over mental or palate blocks. I've always disliked sage but I don't avoid eating or cooking with it. I'm just waiting for the day that it will not seem like a strange flavor to me.

I used to think the same thing about rosemary but since I became a fan of jamie Oliver's I certainly couldn't omit it. He puts it in EVERYTHING. I like it now.

I've never been a huge fan of fish, but I always did like seafood. Grilled octopus is wonderful, as are squid. I remember a time when sushi was a horrible thought to me. I admit it took a while to get adjusted to the smell of a sushi joint, the texture of raw fish, and the weird flavor of seaweed.

Growing up in Virginia with a predominantly southern greek palate was not very helpful when I moved to NY. Everyone wanted to go out for Thai or sushi, or Indian food and somehow I had to adjust. It takes time but you can certainly learn to appreciate all kinds of food. Still working on the curry.

teamfat · #27 06-19-2008, 11:18 PM

The bacon wrapped scallops looked good, but I offer this suggestion. I don't know if they were done on a grill, or pan fried or whatever, but it looks like they were cooked like vertical cylinders, with the scallops getting the direct heat and the bacon going along for the ride. When I do them I try to keep the bacon between the heat and scallops, rolling them along until the bacon is nice and crisp and the scallops are cooked somewhat indirectly. But if you don't like scallops, technique won't really matter.

mjb.

RPMcMurphy · #28 06-20-2008, 07:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by teamfat

The bacon wrapped scallops looked good, but I offer this suggestion. I don't know if they were done on a grill, or pan fried or whatever, but it looks like they were cooked like vertical cylinders, with the scallops getting the direct heat and the bacon going along for the ride. When I do them I try to keep the bacon between the heat and scallops, rolling them along until the bacon is nice and crisp and the scallops are cooked somewhat indirectly. But if you don't like scallops, technique won't really matter.

mjb.

I put the bacon on a baking sheet in 350 for a "little" bit before wrapping.

RPMcMurphy · #29 06-21-2008, 04:36 PM

girlfriend dragged me to Bonefish Grill last night....I actually like the place, but hate the crowds, so the deal was if there was a wait, no-go...well we got a table outside.....and I actually wanted to order the calamari over any other app,

she ordered mussels - best mussels I've ate so far....

I egged her on to try the pistacio encrusted rainbow trout....(i chickened out and got a filet mignon)

but I ate half of her trout......was pretty good! (for fish

) i hate to say it but it tasted like chicken.

teamfat · #30 06-21-2008, 10:53 PM

Most likely the trout you had was farm raised, and had a white or lightly pink hued flesh. In general trout is a more lightly flavored fish, farmed trout especially so. Now, if you've hiked a few miles into Wyoming's Wind River mountains and caught a few wild trout from the crystal cold streams, fish with deeply colored flesh, and are cooking them over the hot embers raked to the side of the fire, now THAT is completely different!

Been a few years since I've done that, drat.

mjb.