[Tia Maria]

None of the fish varieties here are very familiar to me. Could someone please enlighten me as to what these fish are like or similar to?

1) Gurnard
2) Lemon Fish
3) Snapper
4) Tarakihi
5) Trevally

(I've chosen ones that are available at Foodtown online)

Also any good fish recipes? :D

Cheers

Tia

[jubjub]

I have only eaten & cooked snapper. I gently fried it in butter and lemon juice, came out quite nice, its a soft white fish kind of cod like in texture, dont remember it being a very strong taste either.

[zardell]

Ooh now.......fish recipes........I would be very interested in that too Tia.

For the first time in my life, I can buy fish so fresh that it's still wriggling and I can honestly say I don't know what to do with it !!!

Recipes for mussels and crayfish would be good too.

Oh and not recipes just for the bbq please.

So, come on all you good cooks out there - share your secrets.

Julie

xx

[Singel]

Oh, yummy ...................... fish is my favourite :raebanana

Ok, here is the recipe (Snapper with lemon and oregano marinade)

12 sprigs mint
12 sprigs oregano
6 cloves garlic, sliced
2 lemons, sliced
Whole snapper, scaled and cleaned
Salt and cracked black pepper
2 Tbs dry white wine
2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 180C. Arrange half of the mint, oregano, garlic and lemon on 2 large sheets of non-stick baking paper. Top with the snapper and the remaining mint, oregano, garlic and lemon. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spoon over the wine and oil. Fold and secure the baking paper to enclose the fish. Place on a baking tray and bake for 30 minutes or until cooked through. Open the paper bags to serve.

[Moorf]

Terakihi is a lovely meaty fish. I usually pan fry.

Lemon fish is actually shark (rig shark I think) and I bought some thinking it would be like sole but it was horrid and mushy and tasteless. I may have cooked it wrong, but others I've told have said it's not nice.

Gurnard tasted exactly the same as red mullet to me... not to my taste.

My fav here so far has actually been Akaroa Blue Cod.

I could do with some fish recipes too, all I seem to do is pan fry or bake it!

[Trigirl]

my favourite way of cooking fish is jamie oliver style - fillet of fish in a foil parcel with herbs (tarragon. dill), a bit of oil and a bit of white wine. maybe some finely sliced onion too. or for a different taste maybe some basil, garlic and cherry tomatoes.

anyway - all you do is wrap each fillet in its own foil envelope with the other ingredients and bake it in a hot oven for 10 mins, then take it out and leave it to stand for a few mins before opening the bag. it comes out part baked, part steamed and with all the flavours of whatever you added.

terakihi, gurnard, salmon etc would all be good like this

[speckythecky]

trevally juelinne

1kg fish fillets
1 onions, medium
1 cup carrots
1 cup celery
1 cup leek
25gm butter
½ cup white wine
1 cup fish stock
1 lemon
½ cup cream
2 egg yolks
salt, pepper

Method :
Dice onions.
Cut carrot, celery and leek into fine julienne.
Cut fish into 2 cm cubes.
Butter a casserole dish, arrange fish over base.
Heat butter in a saucepan and saute onion and vegetables gently without colour for 3 minutes. Add wine, lemon juice and fish stock. bring to the boil.
Combine cream and egg yolks and add to pan. Do not boil any more.
Remove pan from heat, season and pour over fish.
Cover and cook in a moderate oven for 10 minutes.

[Moorf]

What does Trevally look like and what does it taste like?

[speckythecky]

Check out this link,

as it says it can be dry, hence poaching is best way of cooking

http://www.fishnz.co.nz/species.cfm?cat=Saltwater&fish=Trevally

[Rizak]

We've never really been too keen on fish. Funny, since I'm originally from the Maritime provinces.
I suppose it's a change I should really try to make.

I know that fish is supposed to be good for you and the fresher the better.
What are the Mercury levels like down there?

[Trigirl]

advice from NZFSA on mercury in fish (generally low - only worry about some of the bigger, longer living fish if you are pregnant)

http://www.nzfsa.govt.nz/consumers/food-safety-topics/chemicals-in-food/mercury-in-fish/index.htm#P25_5230

[zardell]

:confused:

And, how would I cook/clean etc all those lovely fresh green lipped mussels I keep seeing under water in the supermarkets ??

I've eaten them in restaurants and love them, but haven't a clue how to cook 'em.

Julie

xx

[spudulike]

The fish in NZ is yummy!! Have had all in the original post and find most can be oven baked. Fish such as trevally/lemon fish/blue warehou/monk fish can also be pan fried.

For anyone in Wellington - buy fish from Moore Wilson rather than the supermarket - it is far fresher and they will tell you how to cook it too!!

L

[Trigirl]

Cooking mussels:

Clean them by rinsing under cold running water. If their “beard” is still attached (farmed ones it wont be - wild ones it will) then cut it off. Don’t let them sit in fresh water for any length of time as it will kill them. If you are going to store them then put them in a bowl, cover it with a damp towel and put them in the coldest part of the fridge.

Discard any shells that are broken or ones that dont close when tapped as these are dead. Also one you have cooked them you should discard any that don’t open as these were also dead before cooking.

Basic method of steaming mussels is to add them to a pan with a small amount of boiling liquid (water, wine etc), cover with a lid and steam for 5 mins. Don’t use too much liquid as lots of flavour comes out of the mussels and you don’t want to lose it. Shake the pan gently a couple of times during cooking. When they are cooked they open up so you can peek to see if that’s happened. Serve with the cooking liquid.

For classic moules marienieres you just fry off a bit of onion and garlic in some butter in a big pan, add a splash of wine then cook the mussels as above. Once they are cooked you drain them but keep the liquid, add a bit of double cream to it and reheat it then pour that over the mussels to serve.

[Moorf]

*droooool*

Cooking mussels:

Clean them by rinsing under cold running water. If their “beard” is still attached (farmed ones it wont be - wild ones it will) then cut it off. Don’t let them sit in fresh water for any length of time as it will kill them. If you are going to store them then put them in a bowl, cover it with a damp towel and put them in the coldest part of the fridge.

Discard any shells that are broken or ones that dont close when tapped as these are dead. Also one you have cooked them you should discard any that don’t open as these were also dead before cooking.

Basic method of steaming mussels is to add them to a pan with a small amount of boiling liquid (water, wine etc), cover with a lid and steam for 5 mins. Don’t use too much liquid as lots of flavour comes out of the mussels and you don’t want to lose it. Shake the pan gently a couple of times during cooking. When they are cooked they open up so you can peek to see if that’s happened. Serve with the cooking liquid.

For classic moules marienieres you just fry off a bit of onion and garlic in some butter in a big pan, add a splash of wine then cook the mussels as above. Once they are cooked you drain them but keep the liquid, add a bit of double cream to it and reheat it then pour that over the mussels to serve.

[zardell]

Cooking mussels:

For classic moules marienieres you just fry off a bit of onion and garlic in some butter in a big pan, add a splash of wine then cook the mussels as above. Once they are cooked you drain them but keep the liquid, add a bit of double cream to it and reheat it then pour that over the mussels to serve.



Oh Mandy - thats sounds YUM !!

Guess who's off to the shops...:exit

Thanks a million,

Julie

xx

PS. Been told (again) to spread some 'rep' too.........you'll never get your 4th greenie at this rate !!.......LOL.

[Moorf]

I posted some rep for us both Julie ;)


PS. Been told (again) to spread some 'rep' too.........you'll never get your 4th greenie at this rate !!.......LOL.

[zardell]

I posted some rep for us both Julie ;)



Cheers Helen - we 'fish-chefs....:roll ' must stick together .........:D

Julie

xx

[sarahw]

I second Spudulike - Pacific Catch (in Moore Wilson or on its own in some places like the Paekakariki van or Lambton Quay) does the best fish I've had in the Welly area & I've stopped buying from supermarkets.

My fave way to do any white fish fillets is a very adapted Jamie recipe (nothing like his original one but tastes gorgeous & is a great & easy dinner party meal). Place the fillets in an oven proof dish, not overlapping at all, drizzle with olive oil then sprinkle dried basil on top & finish with finely grated parmesan on the top - cook in a hot (250 degree C) oven for 15-20 mins & serve with home-made chips with rosemary salt or a jacket potato. Yuuuummmm!! My father who hates parmesan cheese couldn't taste the parmesan just thought it was lovely so don't be put off if you think parmesan sounds a bit strong.

By the way - don't ever buy fish on a Sunday or Monday - fishermen don't fish on Sat/Sun so the fish you're buying won't be fresh - this has been tested by moi at the supermarket when buying & Sunday/Monday bought fish always smells - which it shouldn't if its fresh!!

[zardell]

By the way - don't ever buy fish on a Sunday or Monday - fishermen don't fish on Sat/Sun so the fish you're buying won't be fresh - this has been tested by moi at the supermarket when buying & Sunday/Monday bought fish always smells - which it shouldn't if its fresh!!


Thanks for the very good tip.............this thread is getting better and better.

Julie

xx

[Trigirl]

I posted some rep for us both Julie thank you! and thanks for trying julie!!!

and i didn't realise that the place on lambton quay was the same as the one in moore wilsons - fresh fish during the week now much more possible :)

[jen]

I love the fish available here and especially the green-lipped mussels; can't believe how good they are and how cheap compared to back in the States. I'm looking forward to trying out all your recipes!

This is a recipe for steamed mussels with a fresh tomato/parmesan topping - you don't have to finish them in the oven, I just liked the way it made the cheese brown on top:

2-3 diced tomatoes
1/2 red onion finely chopped
handfull of chopped fresh basil
1 T capers (optional)
cracked pepper

Saute the onion in a splash of olive oil until soft. Add the other ingredients and cook lightly through. Steam the mussels open in water or white wine then take off the top shell of each mussel. Place the mussels in their half-shells into a baking dish and fill the shells with the tomato mixture. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and put under the broiler just enough for the cheese to brown/melt (not too long or the mussels will overcook and be rubbery).

[Trigirl]

cool recipe jen (added to list of new recipes to try :)) but can i just ask - what is a broiler? i'm hoping thats what we would call a grill but just wanted to check

edited to add: ignore me - i looked it up on wikipedia and it is a grill. now i can relook at all those american recipes that said "put it in the broiler" which i ignored because i thought i haven't got one of those!

[Moorf]

Don't forget to keep aside an intact mussel shell to use as tweezers to eat the others ;)

[Tia Maria]

Wow thanks guys!

I got some gurnard today, essentially because when you but it on-line it comes skinned and boned. Its sticker says:

Caught: All around NZ coast line

Characteristics: Flesh firm and pink, ideal substitute for Blue Cod

Cooking: Good for pan frying, grilled or steamed

Oil Content: Low fat content

I quite like SarahW recipe as it seems simple enough for a complete novice like me. :laugh

Cheers

Tia

[jen]

edited to add: ignore me - i looked it up on wikipedia and it is a grill. now i can relook at all those american recipes that said "put it in the broiler" which i ignored because i thought i haven't got one of those!

When we moved into the apartment I saw the oven dial had a "grill" setting and looked all over it inside and in the storage drawer for some kind of a metal attachment that would fit inside - now all is explained :laugh

Jen

[sarahw]

Don't forget to keep aside an intact mussel shell to use as tweezers to eat the others ;)

That's a great suggestion Moorf!! I'm afraid I eat my mussels the French way - just pick up the shell with the sauce in it & eat straight from the shell!! Makes for messy fingers though so I like your suggestion!!

[negirl]

Ooh keep them coming guys they all sound lovely, I think we are going to be having mussels tomorrow. The only fish we've been dissapointed in over here is the salmon, I really think it's awful compared to the UK & especially the salmon in the States. I've bought it a couple of times but it's got a mushy texture & is really greasy, so can't do the blackened salmon anymore. My SIL once brought us fresh salmon they'd caught in Alaska & it was to die for.

[Rizak]

I do love seafood, even if not a fan of fish. Cleaning mussels is described properly above. I like to stand them up in a paella with lots of shrimp, but always have to remind myself to stand them up in the pan just long enough for them to cook. I always want to put them in with the other ingredients.

[wanderingoregonian]

Not sure if this is a recipe per se, but a friend from Hawaii taught me this..

I take my large steamer, put some water in the bottom and then a plate on the top bit. The plate sits on the bit with holes. I place clean fish on the plate and add whatever seasonings make sense on top of the fish (garlic, lemon juice, chilli garlic sauce, black bean garlic sauce, lemon juic, ginger ... not nec all those together mind you). I put the top on and let it steam for a bit, and then serve the fish directly on the plate, preventing the fish from falling apart between the kitchen and table.

I've attached a photo in case that helps the equipment side make more sense. Another friend, who hates fish, likes this enough that when I got married she hired a potter to custom make a few plates to fit into my steamer. Mine has two levels so I can steam the fish on one and some veggies on the other!

[Timbo]

catch your own. That way, you know it is fresh!
I go out quite frequently here and snorkel for the mussels. They are HUGE, and taste just great. Usually, I simply steam them open and scoop them from the shell, but will occasionally bbq them. This simply entails placing the mussels on a pe-heated bbq hotplate, and sraying them with a drop or two of Speights/Macs etc etc.
Leave until the shells pop open, and eat hot.
I have tried almost all of the NZ sea fish since arriving here, and by far my favorite so far is Hapuka. This is a deep water species which comes in close in Autumn/Winter, making it easily catchable. Yum Yum!!

[KerryS]

I've just found that there's a class on next week at the Auckland Seafood School on seafood basics, which may interest some people.
I've been to a couple of classes there before and they're very good.
I'm going to the filleting one in a couple of weeks - thought it was about time I learnt how to do it properly without risk to my digits...

[sarahw]

Ooh I saw them advertised before & they sound good, but too far away for me down here. Let me know how you get on & I'd love to know of any courses in Welly on fish - cooking/filleting etc.

[gil]

Funnily enough, I've been looking into this for a team building exercise! http://www.afm.co.nz/seafood_school/index.cfm
Client didn't do this (we're making a movie instead!) but I might!

Gil