Fish?

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Goog grief! - I haven't seen any turbot - or indeed halibut - since before I started school when I'd be taken shopping with my mum, Tuesdays was fish day so we went to the fishmongers. Mother always without fail asking for plaice fillets (plaice were huge, large dinner-plate sized in those days) and me pointing and asking Mrs Porter behind the counter, What's that one? - isn't it ugly!

Sadly - because Pete loves his moules et frites - I don't like them much at all. One or max 2, is enough for me and of course they are always cooked with at least onions and white wine (mariniere) in France if not a la crème, (same but with the crème added at the end) or au curry which are more interesting than plain steamed!
 
Well they ain't extinct yet as my meal this evening shows
 
trophywench said:
Goog grief! - I haven't seen any turbot - or indeed halibut - since before I started school when I'd be taken shopping with my mum
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Vince_UK said:
Well they ain't extinct yet as my meal this evening shows
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I watch Masterchef, and they're always using Turbot and Halibut. I suspect what's caught goes straight to high end restaurants and doesn't make it to the average high street fishmonger ( not that there are many of those left!)
 
Well the choice of fish was absolutely shocking, not much at all! Had to just go for smoked basa, never mind I'll still enjoy it 🙂 x
 
Vince_UK said:
View attachment 5743
Steamed Turbot Hunan Style
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That does not look like any Turbot I have ever caught Vince, Turbot is a flatfish, not a round fish as that appears to be! What species have you eaten? 😱 You also talk of Basa, but you do know it is a member of the catfish family, that lives in freshwater? Basa can be one of several species in fact and is farmed out there in China I am told. 🙂 I am afraid doubts have been raised about the quality and safety of farm grown Chinese Basa ( catfish, ) too.

To answer Kaylz: Hake is a great fish, if fresh and you can avoid the air miles because some of it comes from South Africa. If you can get it fresh, not much beats Mackerel either, but I have never seen it fresh ( enough, ) in any supermarket in the UK. Smoked Mackerel is a staple of my diet though. Trout when very fresh is stupendous too, though my wife will avoid it because the bones put her off.
 
Greymouser said:
To answer Kaylz: Hake is a great fish, if fresh and you can avoid the air miles because some of it comes from South Africa. If you can get it fresh, not much beats Mackerel either, but I have never seen it fresh ( enough, ) in any supermarket in the UK. Smoked Mackerel is a staple of my diet though. Trout when very fresh is stupendous too, though my wife will avoid it because the bones put her off.
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My local Tesco used to sell fresh Hake at the fish counter and I absolutely loved it! Got it at the fish shop once but obviously they aren't open Mondays :( will go there later in the week though 🙂 x
 
Greymouser said:
That does not look like any Turbot I have ever caught Vince, Turbot is a flatfish, not a round fish as that appears to be! What species have you eaten? 😱 You also talk of Basa, but you do know it is a member of the catfish family, that lives in freshwater? Basa can be one of several species in fact and is farmed out there in China I am told. 🙂 I am afraid doubts have been raised about the quality and safety of farm grown Chinese Basa ( catfish, ) too.

To answer Kaylz: Hake is a great fish, if fresh and you can avoid the air miles because some of it comes from South Africa. If you can get it fresh, not much beats Mackerel either, but I have never seen it fresh ( enough, ) in any supermarket in the UK. Smoked Mackerel is a staple of my diet though. Trout when very fresh is stupendous too, though my wife will avoid it because the bones put her off.
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Menu says Turbot haha but then again sometimes the translations are totally wrong. I wouldn't know a Turbot from a Shark it one hit me in the face.

I thought Basa was farmed in VIetman and exported from there not China. Never seen it on any menu in China for the past 15 years or in any supermarkets either.
Shouldn't believe eveyrthing you read in the Press about China Greymouser. Most of it is uninformed and biased. This country is leaving the rest of the World behind on so many fronts is it mind-blowing. Agree still to catch up in other areas but it will do that eventually. They are buying up the Globe and are awash with cash. Better learn Mandarin.
I eat farmed fish here along with Crabs and Prawns also Crayfish. Never had any problems to be honest.
There are however other food quality problems here as indeed there are in most places. Recall the Horsemeat scandal in the UK a couple of years back?
The USA has been having a Basa War with Vietnam for some time who they have accused of dumping. If I remember the packaging on Aldi's Basa states the country of origin as "Vietnam".
Just thought, I used to get Monkfish from the local chippy once upon a time. Haven't seen that for a while either.
 
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Vince_UK said:
Menu says Turbot haha
I thought Basa was farmed in VIetman and exported from there not China. Never seen it on any menu in China for the past 15 years or in any supermarkets either.
Shouldn't believe eveyrthing you read in the Press about China Greymouser. Most of it is uninformed and biased.
The USA has been having a Basa War with Vietnam who they have accused of dumping.
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I never, ever trust just one source for information, but as many as I can find, including, in this case, people who have spent years there, allegedly. You are right about the catfish, even though China it seems is the worlds largest farmer of fish, it seems mostly to be Carp. How can you trust any menu when you are sold Turbot, which clearly is not Turbot? 😉 ( I have never tried it but I am told Carp tastes pretty awful too. )

Edit: Reply to your edit: Unless of course it was something lost in translation...
 
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Greymouser said:
I never, ever trust just one source for information, but as many as I can find, including, in this case, people who have spent years there, allegedly. You are right about the catfish, even though China it seems is the worlds largest farmer of fish, it seems mostly to be Carp. How can you trust any menu when you are sold Turbot, which clearly is not Turbot? 😉 ( I have never tried it but I am told Carp tastes pretty awful too. )

Edit: Reply to your edit: Unless of course it was something lost in translation...
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Spent 15 years here Greymouser, Think I do have some idea what I am talking about don't you?. Have invested here and run a Chinese company.
The menus here can be quite funny when the translations go wrong. That's life shouldn't take it to seriously. You have to learn to trust things even with a pinch of salt sometimes.
Really doesn't matter to me if it was Turbot or not It was delicious lol.
The only thing I will not here is the street food an dthat is a totally different story. Most Expats here live in their own little cocoon trying to replicate what they have back home and really have no idea what China is really like.
Anyway this is way off topic.
 
Tesco used to sell Vietnamese River Cobbler, until they realised the apparent nationality was putting people off it - so it became Basa! LOL

All catfish are as ugly as sin, but I wouldn't want to eat one any bigger than those Basa. They are omnivores but become predatory for relatively large fish as well as little ones (and anything else) when they get bigger - they often have a go at 25 or 30lb carp in the same water. You net what was a 'fully scaled' mirror or a common, and they can look like bits of them have been sandpapered and lost scale or they are broken off. Carp - I cannot imagine anyone would want to consume the sort my husband catches - 30 lbs is a tiddler. They'd be as tough as old nick and we imagine (cos we do discuss it) unpleasantly strong tasting. All carp are bottom feeders, fond of bloodworm in the bottom of lakes and other disgusting things. YuKKK! They all go straight back after weighing and the compulsory photo bearing it aloft anyway!
 
I don't want to start an argument here Vince, as you say way off topic, but my two of my sources were human, one was even Chinese born! 😉

I was told Carp tastes very soil like, though I think Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, did prepare and do blind a tasting which turned out well, though I think it took a long time to get ready for the table. though there is not much he wouldn't try to eat to be honest! I was also told by a Polish man that I was stupid to avoid Carp as it was delicious! Each to their own eh? It used to be very popular over in the UK too, I believe it was farmed by Monks. I have even seen it for sale on Bolton fish market, years ago along with other river fish, such as Roach!
 
Greymouser said:
I don't want to start an argument here Vince, as you say way off topic, but my two of my sources were human, one was even Chinese born! 😉

I was told Carp tastes very soil like, though I think Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, did prepare and do blind a tasting which turned out well, though I think it took a long time to get ready for the table. though there is not much he wouldn't try to eat to be honest! I was also told by a Polish man that I was stupid to avoid Carp as it was delicious! Each to their own eh? It used to be very popular over in the UK too, I believe it was farmed by Monks. I have even seen it for sale on Bolton fish market, years ago along with other river fish, such as Roach!
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Yes Greymouser, each to their own I guess is right.
The Poles have their own tastes I guess. I have a Chinese associate currently living and working in Warsaw and he is having a terrible time with food.
One of the not so nice experiences I have had here is the fish being served, slashed on a bed of ice with the head raise so you can pick the meat off slowly and the fish was still alive its mouth gaping. I threw a wobbler and told them to take it away and never do anything like that again. That was in civilised Shanghai by the way .
 
Hi,
New to the forum,but would like to add my bit about fish.
Basa is the marketing name for Vietnamese river cobbler,which is farmed in one of the most heavily polluted rivers in the world,usually farmed below chicken rearing sheds with wire mesh floors,chicken waste is consumed by the fish and those large grey prawns you also see in supermarkets.
Many supermarket fish has passed through about 5 parties before it reaches them,and there fish displays are usually not the freshest of fish,find a good independent fishmonger who’s sells uk caught fish from a sustainable fishery or msc approved.
Farmed salmon I was told this summer is being fed omega3 as the food they are feeding them is void of it.
Commercial fisherman of 37 years and still going to sea every week
 
Jkm6364 said:
find a good independent fishmonger who’s sells uk caught fish from a sustainable fishery or msc approved
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Not that easy unfortunately as the fish shop in my town closed down last month so I don't really have much options x
 
Jkm6364 said:
Quite a few online retailers doing fishboxes,
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Its not me that pays for it and the person that does isn't comfortable with having their details online etc, and I'd rather not have to sit in and wait on fish being delivered when I can get it at the shop to be honest x
 
I went to Cyprus to work for a Sri Lankan who asked me what I wanted for dinner. I said fish. She cooked a Sri Lankan curry with "Night Perch". A fresh water fish from Tanzania (had travelled). I looked it up, they farm them & I don't like Trout & I prefer sea fish. Was nice 🙂
 
HOBIE said:
I went to Cyprus to work for a Sri Lankan who asked me what I wanted for dinner. I said fish. She cooked a Sri Lankan curry with "Night Perch". A fresh water fish from Tanzania (had travelled). I looked it up, they farm them & I don't like Trout & I prefer sea fish. Was nice 🙂
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@HOBIE
Love fish Curry. Used to have a Bengali friend in South Shields Hobie who had a restaurant on Ocean Road, forgotten the name but was next to the "Mariner" pub at the end. Invited me to eat with the staff one evening and said it was fish curry. At the time I was not a great lover of curries. Anyway, this curry was for their staff and not the paying public who have totally different tastes to authentic curries. Hobie, it was delicious. Not burning, hot spicy as most Sand Dancers like it after 14 pints of Brown or so, but wonderfully full of flavours with a slight bite. I shall never forget that and that was in the late 1970"s post 1976. Started me on my journey of loving curries, authentic ones.
 
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