Go Fish!

So many people say they don’t like it. What I have discovered is that many people haven’t had the opportunity to eat fresh fish that was properly prepared. Their exposure to it consists of canned tuna or maybe a fried fish sandwich from a fast-food joint.

Being raised Catholic, we ate fish every Friday—mostly canned tuna or salmon, Mrs. Paul’s fish sticks, and occasionally a broiled white fish seasoned with salt, pepper, paprika, and a little butter. Back then, the supermarkets simply did not have fish departments. If you wanted to buy fresh fish you went to a store where the fish was brought in fresh every day, usually from the Fulton Fish Market in New York City. It was delicious, but out of our weekly budget.

We forget how spoiled we are now.  Every supermarket carries many varieties of fresh fish or at least fish that was previously frozen—more on that later.

Types of Fish

First let’s clear up some terminology. Seafood refers to all the things we eat that live in the water, both fresh and salt. Shellfish are mollusks (like clams) and crustaceans (like lobster). To be considered a fish, you must have a spine, a hard skull, gills and fins.

Fish are the most diverse group of vertebrates on the planet. There are somewhere between 25 and 35 varieties (20,000 of which are edible) but only 500 are generally consumed by humans, and less than 20 varieties typically find their way to your local supermarket.

Freshwater fish live in water that is less salty than their body fluids and so they evolved to retain salt and excrete excess water, a process called osmoregulation. Saltwater fish do exactly the opposite. Some people say that saltwater fish have a slightly more briny or salty taste than freshwater, but I have never been able to detect much of a difference. And, although freshwater fish tend to have slightly higher levels of calcium, the health benefits of the two are very similar. Fish are a fabulous source of protein and are often referred to as brain food. They can help to reduce inflammation, lower your risk of Alzheimer’s, heart disease, and stroke, and lower your blood pressure, especially oily fish that are high in omega 3 fatty acids.

Fish nomenclature can be confusing. For example, Chilean sea bass is not a bass—it is Patagonian toothfish; mahi-mahi (dolphin fish) is not in any way related to dolphins, which are mammals; Arctic char is a type of trout; lemon sole is not sole, it’s flounder. And did you know that imitation crab is really Alaskan pollock? And then there is orange roughy (originally known as slimehead fish but renamed in the 1970s for obvious reasons) whose flesh is not orange like salmon, but white.

There are about 16 fish we commonly find at the market and a few more that you may not recognize but occasionally appear on restaurant menus like barramundi (Asian sea bass), cobia, branzino (European sea bass), opah, and turbot. Thin, flaky fish—like flounder, red snapper, sole, tilapia, and trout—are great introductions for non-fish eaters. Thicker, firmer varieties like bass, catfish, cod, haddock, halibut, mahi-mahi, monkfish, orange roughy, salmon, swordfish, and tuna vary from mild to full flavor.

Buying, storing

Fish must be fresh when you buy it and you should always buy it from a reputable purveyor—the busier the fish market is, the better. Look for fish that is firm, plump and moist, not soft or squishy. Fish should not smell like fish! If it does, it isn’t fresh. Don’t buy it. As fish ages it releases a chemical called trimethylamine which is what people associate with that fishy smell. In addition, if you detect even a hint of ammonia, throw it out immediately—don’t eat it.

My father used to say, “Company is like fish, after three days it stinks!” He was right, of course, about company and fish. Unlike other types of protein, fish has a much shorter shelf life, so try to eat it the day you bring it home or freeze it. It will last one to two days in the fridge (leaner fish, like cod, may last a day or two longer), and about three months in the freezer. Although you can keep fish frozen for up to eight months, it will suffer a loss of quality and flavor.

There is nothing wrong with buying frozen fish. In fact, fish that has been flash frozen onboard the boat on which it was caught may actually taste fresher than fish that was never frozen because it can take a few days to get to you. Just make sure to ask how long it has been in the case after it was thawed. And yes, you can refreeze it provided it was thawed the first time under refrigeration. But if you are lucky enough to live near a port, there is still nothing better than truly fresh fish as far as taste and texture are concerned.

Cooking

No matter how good your fish monger is, he or she occasionally misses a few bones when they are fileting it. Always double check it before you cook it. And for those of you who don’t love salmon, try removing the strong flavored dark meat from the underside of the fish.

Fish can be eaten raw (sushi or tartare), cured in acid (ceviche), pickled, smoked, baked, fried, poached, or pan seared. Due to its lack of collagen, it tends to stick to surfaces during cooking which is why it can be difficult to grill.  It is delicate and therefore cooks much faster than other types of protein, making it good for quick weekday meals.

In Cape May

Given that Cape May (including the Wildwood ports) is the second largest fishing port on the East Coast, it is no surprise that we have an abundance of places where you can purchase fresh fish. The Lobster House Fish Market is the largest, but there are also H &H Seafood Market in Cape May, Central Park Farm and Dockside Dave’s in West Cape May; even the North Cape May Acme usually has a good selection.

Our restaurants offer anything and everything you can imagine when it comes to fish, including caviar at the Ebbitt Room, the Washington Inn, and Peter Shields. A Ca Mia, Harry’s, Mayer’s, and the Fish House all make smoked fish dips you can share. Maison Bleue prepares a French delicacy called rillettes that combines both poached and smoked salmon that is to die for. You can sample tuna as tartare at Elaine’s, Grana, Hemingway’s, and Union Park, or cooked as an appetizer at Bella Vita, 410 Bank Street, the Pier House, Port, and Vintage.

If you like raw fish, try the poke at Harpoon’s, Taco Caballito, or Big Wave Burrito. And if it’s sushi you love, it doesn’t get any better than Port and Yozu.

Every type of fish we have already discussed is available on a menu somewhere in Cape May except orange roughy and tilapia. And you can have it prepared in a myriad of ways—from simply grilled to topped with a delightful mustard sauce at Andrea’s to Asian preparations at Lucky Bones, Yozu, the Mad Batter, Oyster Bay, the Pier House, and Tisha’s. Primal offers three different kinds of fish with your choice of shallot cream, basil aioli, or tomato agrodolce. One of my personal favorites is the grouper at Oyster Bay. It’s a ten-ounce filet with a smoked andouille crust finished with lemon chive beurre blanc sauce. It is the best I have ever tasted and it’s fabulous every time.

Salmon is by far the most ordered fish entrée in the country. Of the approximately 50 different Cape May establishments we surveyed, 33 of them offer a salmon entrée, and that’s not counting the ones who serve it as an addition to a salad or as a sandwich! For something out of the ordinary, you will find branzino at Bryne, Grana, Iccara, and Panico’s; barramundi at Vintage; cobia at Ocean 7, catfish creole at 410 Bank Street, and blackened redfish at the Lobster House.

If you’re looking for something a little more casual, many of our eateries prepare fish ‘n chips and fish tacos, but Taco Caballito takes it to a whole new level. They have four different types: tuna, Cape May sea bass, cod, or blackened mahi-mahi, and each one is served with its own fresh accompaniments and specialty sauces that include avocado, mango, pineapple and cabbage slaw.

Bon appetit.