New to fish...need some ideas please!

Fish fingers have pretty much been the only fish I will eat. I am trying to broaden my cooking repertoire and also am trying to eat healthier and I know fish is great for you.

I need and would appreciate suggestions on what kind of fish to buy and how to prepare it as this is a new area cooking-wise for me. I prefer fish that doesn't have a strong "fish" taste or smell to it if such an animal exists. I have heard tilapia or orange ruffy (spelled right?) is a good start.

Open to all spice suggestions also - looooove garlic, rosemary, lemon. 

Thanks in advance!

I tried monkfish for the first time the other day, and think it might be a good choice for you, cos its not overly fishy smelling or tasting, and has a very dense, meat-y texture.  I'd recommend a butter & lemon sauce for this one... but it could probably take just about anything... maybe even some pesto or cajun rub?

Don't often see Orange Roughy in the UK, and if you do it will have been frozen at some stage. But it is very nice! Tilapia is good too, also red snapper (again these are likely to have been frozen at some stage), they are both firm fleshed fish that take well to marinades & grilling or barbecuing. Is there a fishmonger where you live, or a supermarketwith a fresh fish counter? If so I'd pop along there and see what they have in the way of local catches. We had some local halibut a couple of weeks ago, it was so tasty. For a more "fishy" taste, try fresh (not smoked) mackeral, coat in breadcrumbs and season with lemon salt, shallow fry .... mmmmmm!

I was never really into seafood and neither was my daughter but now we will both eat talapia.  It's a white fish without that yucky fishy taste.  I just put butter, lemon and garlic on it and bake it for 30 minutes.  It's sooo good.  I don't know if they have any Trader Joe's where you are but they also sell a battered talapia that is really good.

Here's a tasty way to cook fish...  Choose a nice peice of white fish fillet, (cod is great as it's good for you and easy to get in UK).  Get a peice of aluminum foil and place the fish in the center, brush with olive oil and dust with a bit of sea salt..set aside.  Then make a pico de gallo sauce, (chunky salsa) here's how:  Chop a large tomatoe, red or white onion chop fairly fine, fresh corriander (we call it cilantro in US) and jalapeno (add depending on how spicy you want it).  Chop the onion fairly fine, throw it in a bowl and add lemon juice to taste, then chop up everything else and mix it with the onion and lemon juice.  Add salt and pepper to taste, then spoon it over the cod.  Fold the foil like a packet, place on a cookie sheet in the oven and bake on gas mark 5-ish for about 10 minutes.  Should be cooked to about Med-well, not all the way through cuz then it starts to get dry. 

We first did this at a BBQ in Dana Point, CA with some fresh caught dorado.  It was yum!!!!  Simple, tasty, and healthy! 

Roni

I'm the same with fish, I don't like it to taste too fishy!

I like white fish, such as Hake, or salmon steaks, or non-smoked mackeral, and grilling them on the George Foreman always works for me.  I usually make a seperate lemon, garlic and dill sauce, and I usually avoid cod as we have a global shortage an it's endangered.

For Mother's Day I made my own puff pastry (took hours!) and wrapped browned salmon steaks with white sauce for salmon en croute.

The thing with good fish is that you don't need to mess with it too much for it to tast good.

Vicky

Ok, this is great! 

This weekend I'm going to try preparing fish for the first time. I'm thinking the foil method Roni suggested - baking is pretty easy and I'm thinking a easy marinade but not sure what kind yet.

If all goes well I might be more adventurous and try the grilling and pan frying methods mentioned.

Fingers crossed and 'll report back on how it goes.

I cooked this the other night-very yummy!! http://chroniclesofsquidgyboo.blogspot.com/2007/04/easy-peasy-roasted-cod.html
It's from a Jamie Oliver cookbook.  I also make his salmon wrapped in proscuitto.  Both are easy and sooo yummy.  I like the salmon the best because of the saltyness of the proscuitto and it gets a bit crunchy.  With a side salad it's the best.

If I remember rightly, any fish fillet can be soaked in milk to take away the fishyness.  May need to look that one up.

We really enjoy smoked salmon because to me, anything smoked just has that yummy woody flavor.  That's 10 minutes in the oven to get it warm. I serve with rice and grilled bell peppers to cut the fishy taste.

Also, seabass is a gorgeous, non fishy tasting fish.  Just a little bit of garlic salt, pop in the oven for about 15-20 minutes on Gas mark 5 and you're done.  I bake it on baking parchment so it doesn't stick to the pan.  That's really good with garlic mashed potatoes.

~BEG