List of fish: the good, the bad and everything in between

About (not) consuming fresh raw fish and fresh raw egg yolks
avo
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List of fish: the good, the bad and everything in between

Post by avo »

Suitable fish and seafood to be eaten raw


Individual experiences may vary, depending on freshness, seasonal changes, particular cuts of fish and proper preparation (slicing, temperature). Properly trained Japanese sushi chefs have spent years mastering every aspect of making exceptional sushi, therefore your best bet is to look for a truly Japanese-owned sushi restaurant that has been around for a while. This is a (relatively) easier task in large cities, but sometimes there may be a 'diamond in the rough' in some places that one would least expect, as authentic, traditional establishments tend not to advertise and instead rely on word of mouth and a regular costumer base.

Tuna

Most popular and most commonly found commercial sushi-related fish. Usually not previously frozen, as tuna is not particularly susceptible to harmful parasites. Some farm raised tuna has been treated with carbon monoxide and/or coloring via enhanced feed.

Sushi/Sashimi: Types of cuts

Maguro – typical tuna, generic term.
Akami – most common cut, lean, found along backside.
Toro – fatty cut of tuna, general term. Toro is only found on large sized fish, and is negligible on smaller sized fish. Only a small percentage of the fish is toro, and therefore more expensive than the typical tuna flesh. May also be used to include Salmon belly, Hamachi belly, etc.
Chutoro – partially fatty cut, near the sides of tuna belly and more towards the tail.
Otoro – very fatty cut, from tuna belly. Best cuts located just behind the head and fins. Also from the cheek, but this is rare and found only in the most authentic and high-end places outside of Japan.


Varieties of tuna

Tuna, Bluefin – Excellent *****
• Most expensive tuna. Most bluefin caught are sold for extremely high prices at auctions in Japan.
• Hon-maguro or Kuro-maguro is Japanese for real bluefin tuna.

Tuna, White/Albacore – Excellent *****
• Often Escolar or Black Marlin are served as white tuna.
• Bincho or Shiro Maguro in Japanese.

Tuna, Yellowfin (Ahi) – Great *****
• Ki Hada in Japanese, often served under Maguro

Tuna, Bigeye – Great ****
• Mebachi in Japanese, often served under Maguro

Tuna, Skipjack/Bonito – Great ****
• Aku, Katu or Katsuo in Japanese

Tuna, Blackfin - ?


Salmon and similar fish

Second most popular fish for sushi. Commonly farm-raised and sometimes served fresh without being previously frozen. Sometimes these fish contain added coloring, usually via enhanced feed. There are several eco-friendly, 'organic' farms around the world that raise fish, including salmon, without use of antibiotics, chemicals and poor quality feed.

Farmed Salmon, All – Excellent *****
• Naturally/organically raised salmon is becoming widely available
• Commercially farmed Atlantic salmon is heavily polluted and harmful to environment
• Sake (can be pronounced sha-ke to avoid confusuion) in Japanese

White Salmon - Excellent *****
• Somewhat similar to other salmons, except grey-to-white in color and unique taste. Limited seasonal availability.

Copper River Salmon - Excellent *****
• Considered by some to be the best of all salmon. Very limited seasonal availability.

Wild Salmon, All – Great ****
• Stronger taste, redder and less fatty flesh than farmed salmon

Artic Char - Good ***
• Very similar to salmon but milder taste
• Iwana in Japanese

Steelhead Trout - ?

Ruby Red Trout - ?



Snapper (sub)tropic snappers may contain ciguatera toxin

Yellowtail Snapper – Great ****

Red Snapper – Good ***
• Tai (Japanese for Sea Bream) is usually just snapper in the US.

Hogfish, Hog Snapper – Poor *


White meat fish (very mild flavor)

Tilapia – S, Great ****
• Izumidai – Tilapia (often infested with parasites, requires freezing)

Flatfish (Flounder, Fluke, Sole, Halibut and Turbot) – Good ***
• Mild, white, flaky flesh. Goes well with lemon.
• Hirame or Karei is Japanese for Flatfish

Haddock – Good ***

Cod – Good ***
• Usually frozen (often infested with parasites, requires freezing)
• Madara or Tara in Japanese

Catfish – ?
• Namazu in Japanese



Light meat fish (some flavor)

Escolar (‘White Tuna’) – Great ****
• On the East Coast ‘White Tuna’ is usually Escolar, not actually tuna at all, but rather it is snake mackerel.
• Escolar is perfectly safe if eaten in normal quantities. More than 6oz can cause diarrhea, due to indigestible fatty substances. Escolar is sometimes sold as butterfish, oilfish, and walu.
• Shiro-Mutu (Walu) in Japanese

Scamp Grouper – Great ****

Monkfish (Angler, goosefish or lotte) - Good ***
• Only the tail section (flesh) is eaten in US.
• Known as the 'poor man's lobster'
• Only the liver (Ankimo - Monkfish liver - Japanese Foie Gras) is eaten in Japan.
• Ankoo in Japanese

Black Grouper – Good ***
• Hata, Shiromi or Usuzukuri in Japanese

Red Grouper - Good *** may contain ciguatera toxin

Strawberry Grouper - Good ***
• Also marketed as Coney

Mahi Mahi – Good ***

Chilean Sea Bass – Fair **
• Also goes by the name Patagonian Toothfish
• This fish is highly polluted and often illegally caught

Smelt – Fair **
• Entire fish is edible
• If purchased whole, may contain Masago (smelt roe/eggs)
• Kisu in Japanese

Scorpionfish - Fair **
• Many venomous species belong to the scorpionfish genus. Make sure you know what you are eating!

Shark, Mako - Fair **
• Sticky, soft, pink flesh (like raw chicken). Strong taste.
• Has to be bled properly, otherwise bacteria will convert residue blood into an ammonia-like substance.
• Almost never eaten raw in Japan
• 'Same' in Japanese

Corvina – Poor *

Shad - ?

Tautog, Wrasse - ?

Trout, Rainbow - ?

• Nijimasu or Masu in Japanese


Medium meat fish (flavorful)

Yellowtail Amberjack, Japanese – Excellent *****
• Usually farm raised near Japan, and thus often previously frozen before being shipped.
• Slightly firm, yet melts in mouth like butter due to high fat content and well-marbled flesh (and also because previously frozen).
• Different Japanese names depending on age and size of fish. From largest to smallest: Buri (adult, 40+ inches in length), Warasa, Inada, Hamachi (young, 8-10 inches in length), then Wakanago.

Yellowtail Amberjack, USA - Excellent *****
• Caught as a prized game fish off the Florida coast, also located in the warmer Atlantic waters from the Carolinas down to Brazil.
• Sashimi-grade amberjack is superbly tender and delicately flavored. [I had it tataki-style with a drop of shoyu and chopped scallions. Amazing!]
• Also available farm-raised from Australia.
• Hiramasa in Japanese
• Wild, (sub)tropical amberjack may contain ciguatera toxin

Wahoo - Great ****
• Great, somewhat mild taste, perfectly tender.
• Locally available along Gulf.

Pompano – Great ****
• Thick, rich and full taste. Locally available along Gulf, most often served usuzukuri, super-thinly sliced, drizzled with ponzu sauce.

Cobia - Great ****
• Firm, dry meat. Similar to swordfish but milder in flavor.

Sheepshead - Great ****

Greater Amberjack, Hawaii - Good ***
• The type found in USA is farm raised near Hawaii. [The Japanese Kanpachi is better]
• Thick, rich, very flavorful. Not as well suited to sashimi as its Japanese relative, as it tends to have sharp taste, stringy flesh and sometimes slimy texture.
• Kampachi/Kanpachi in Japanese

Striped Bass – Good ***
• Wild caught striped bass is full of pollutants, only eat farm raised. Most seafood markets and supermarkets only carry farmed, but inquire anyways as a precaution.
• Suzuki in Japanese.

Croaker – Good ***
• Ishimochi in Japanese

Rose Fish, Ocean Perch – S, Good ***

Pike, Northern - Fair **
• Kamasu (?) in Japanese (needs confirmation)

Mullet - Fair **
• Small fish have little to no taste. I will try a large fish soon.
• Bora in Japanese

King Klip – Fair **

Crevalle Jack - Poor *
• Almost never eaten, usually thrown back when caught
• Deep red flesh has an unappetizing taste, very firm texture and is loaded with long, worm-like parasites.
• Known locally as 'Yellowtail Jack' not to be confused with other yellowtail.

Carp – ?
• Koi in Japanese

Drum - ?

Nile Perch - ?

Sand Perch - ?



Darker meat fish (very flavorful)

Mackerel; King, Spanish or Horse – Excellent *****
• Fresh mackerel is absolutely delicious. However, they rapidly degrade, and will taste fishy (/fishier) the following day. Buy whole, fresh-caught mackerel and consume that day.
• Saba, Sawara or Aji, respectively, in Japanese
• Mackerel in sushi bars typically is Shimesaba, cured/pickled/cooked mackerel, so inquire beforehand. (occasionally contaminated with parasites, which requires freezing)
• Outside of Japan, Horse mackerel (Aji) is typically found in high-end, authentic sushi places.

Bluefish – Good ***
• Like mackerel, bluefish deteriorates quickly, and should only be eaten if very fresh (caught and eaten same day or next day).
• Mutsu in Japanese

Spadefish / 'Angelfish' - Good ***
• Little actual meat, 1 average fish = less than 100g edible flesh
• Gray-green flesh is slightly intimidating

Swordfish – Good ***
• Kakiji in Japanese

Marlin, Blue - Good ***
• Looks and tastes similar to yellowfin tuna, but packs a gamey, flavorful punch.
• Mekakiji in Japanese


Seafood, Other

Molluscan shellfish caught in shallow water may be contaminated with the hepatitis A virus.

Kazunoko / Komochi (herring roe), Tobiko (flying fish roe), Ikura (salmon roe), Mentaiko (cod roe) and Masago (smelt roe) are all types of roe (fish eggs). While fresh, unadulterated roe is fine to eat, most roe commercially available has been treated with brine/salt, food dye, preservatives, taste enhancers and flavorings, as well as numerous freezing, thawing and even cooking procedures, and therefore not recommended.


Scallop – Excellent *****
• Dense, mild and tender with some firmness. Should be noticably tan or brownish. Pearl white, sweet and sticky scallops, although tasty, indicate low quality and use of chemicals.
• “Dry-packed” or “dayboat” means without additives. “Wet-packed” means treated with sodium tripolyphosphate, which causes scallops to retain extra water (increasing weight and therefore profit), and then frozen for 2 days.
• Hotateigai, Namahotate or Kaibashira in Japanese

Sea Urchin (Uni) – Excellent *****
• Uni is not roe, rather it is the organs that produce roe (gonads).
• Usually fresh, sometimes previously frozen. Inquire to be certain.
• The brighter the yellow or orange color, the better quality (tastes sweeter, thicker and richer).

[Recently had some with a drizzle of sesame-ginger dressing. Perfect!]

Shrimp is often 'dipped' or 'sprayed' several times throughout the shipping/handling process with salt solutions, MSG, citric acid or sodium citrate, polyphosphate, sulphite and even dye colorants. Please know your supplier. For most of you, it is recommended that you buy shrimp block-frozen, it is usually highest in quality and freshness (frozen on boat). This also allows you to decipher codes on the label to discover what additives have been used. Google: 'shrimp additives'

Sweet Shrimp (Greenland prawn) – Great ****
• Raw spot prawns/sweet shrimp
• Should be mostly white with red patches, mildly sweet and firm yet tender. Sweet and sticky (like bad scallops) indicates poor quality and use of chemical treatments.
• Usually previously frozen
• Amaebi in Japanese

Pink Shrimp - Good ***
• Raw, ordinary, unpeeled shrimp
• Tastes similar to amaebi, less colorful.
• Usually previously frozen
• Organically farmed shrimp is now available

Conch/Conk – Great ****
• White or off-white, slightly sweet, dry yet tender. Poor quality is pale yellow/brown, fishy and tough.
• Related to escargot, scungilli, and whelk.
• Makigai in Japanese

Salt Water Eel - Good ***
• AKA American Atlantic, Conger or common eel
• Tastes like white flesh fish. Soft and slightly sweet. Many bones.
• Buy live (or freshly killed), smaller sized eels. Bigger sizes have tougher flesh.
• Anago in Japanese. Almost always broiled/smoked and sauced when ordered in a sushi restaurant. Rarely raw.

Squid – Fair **
• Chewy, bland taste
• Ika in Japanese

Octopus - ?
• Usually parboiled
• Tako in Japanese


Misc

Whale - ?
• Kujira

Horse - ?
• Basashi

Marbled Beef - ?
• Wagyu/Matsusaka/Kobe



Many more still to come!
Last edited by avo on Fri 24 Aug 2007 03:22, edited 21 times in total.
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Oscar
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Post by Oscar »

Great list! :D

I can add that organic farmed salmon tastes much better than non-organic. The flesh is firmer, richer in taste, and seems to be more satisfying. It also seems to smell less 'fishy', even after a day.

Conch is called Makigai and Yellowtail is called Hamachi in Japanese.
avo
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Post by avo »

Thanks guys!

Avalon, yes it is strange to think about, but as long as it keeps on tasting good I have no issue with it. 8)
Oscar, if you could get me editing privileges for this thread I could keep the list updated with new and more accurate information.

I know about Hamachi, I wonder why I left it out? I have it in my original version, so I lost something somewhere...

And for the life of me I could not figure out how to say conch in Japanese, thanks!

RRM, do you have any input on the Other Seafood category? I didn't include clams or oysters, but do you know if any that I listed should be avoided for any reason? Thanks.
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Post by RRM »

avo wrote:Oscar, if you could get me editing privileges for this thread I could keep the list updated with new and more accurate information.
Done; you are now a moderator of the animal food forum.
RRM, do you have any input on the Other Seafood category? I didn't include clams or oysters, but do you know if any that I listed should be avoided for any reason? Thanks.
Not right now.
You could add a warning for cod; some cod are really infested with parasites.
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Post by dionysus »

Anyone tried Haddock or Cod? If so, can you give me a run down on texture and taste :)

I can't get Mackerel :(

I had Monkfish the other day. Very nice. Kind of buttery taste.
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avo
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Post by avo »

Cod and haddock are neither soft nor chewy, somewhere in between. Some cod will be a little watery, due to being frozen. They are mild in taste, similar to the other white fish listed. They do have a slight different and distinctive taste, but it is hard to describe. Try it yourself and let us know what you think.

Also, any person who wishes to give input on the ratings of any type of fish, feel free. I can adjust the ratings to reflect an average among us.
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Post by RRM »

Regarding frozen fish, Frost posted this in another thread:
Frost wrote:www.theglobeandmail.com...2

good article on how much fish is actually frozen
avo
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Post by avo »

That paragraph on most fish being frozen applies generally to most landlocked cities and most sushi bars. Most cities that do not have the demand or immediate access to fresh fish must settle for frozen. Sushi bars buy frozen for several reasons, but some prefer fresh and will advertise that it is never frozen (usually tuna, uni and other expensive items that are purchased in smaller quantities). You can get fresh fish in NYC, Tampa, etc. I can get fresh sashimi in about 2-3 places that I know of around here.

It is also good to know what frozen fish tastes like so one can compare and decide for oneself. Fresh tuna is distinctly different from frozen. I have caught mackerel personally, and the taste compared to purchased mackerel at my favorite fish market is equally fresh in taste and texture. I am positive that it has never been frozen, and the owner confirms this.
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Post by Frost »

the city the guy who helped write the article was from is vancouver, BC. thats pretty close to the west coast.
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Post by Frost »

sorry for double post, but i do agree that you can find fresh fish locations in some cities. unfortunately for most people in the continental US and canada, most fish has been frozen, if not all.
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Post by Seth »

Figure this may be helpful to someone:

If there is not a fish market that sells fresh fish, one can look into a Japanese one, if available. In my area, there are no fish markets; the ones that do carry it usually have the flash frozen variety. I came across a Japanese market not too far that sells fresh fish, so that is where I end up going.
avo
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Post by avo »

You are also many times more likely to find a place that sells fresh fish if your city has direct access to a large body of water/ocean.

IE if you can drive down to the city pier and watch fish boats come in during early morning, you probably can find several places to buy fresh fish. On the other hand, if you need to drive 2+ hours out of the city to get to the coast, chances are slim. Not impossible, just slim.
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Post by Frost »

yes, finding unfrozen fish is near impossible for some people.
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Post by Frost »

if im craving fish really badly though, i like to go on a two hour drive to kingston and go fishing there for like a sunday or saturday. good times and damn fresh fish. only trick is preparing it. so i usually take it to a sashimi restaurant by my house and they do it for a fee which i have no problem paying. they give me amazing tasting sashimi and i give them money.
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Post by avo »

Never thought of that. Great idea!

I'll keep that in mind next time I catch myself some blackfin (local to the Gulf) tuna.
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