Most overrated Seafoods

[Zachgoldstein]

130F for about an hour or so. Take the meat out of the shell and vac seal with butter and whatever other flavors you like

[Rob_Isaacs]

@HenryH

In that case, it’s lobster to me. I believe it’s so expensive because it’s hard to keep alive during transportation and the quality deteriorates very quickly after death.

I agree and it has a perception of luxury. I worked on a commercial fishing boat out of Cape May NJ one summer. There was a bar/restaurant by the docks that was very much for the people that worked at the docks. They had a home oven to cook on, not doing anything but basic. They made a lobster sandwich that was white bread, mayo, yellow american cheese and lobster. Best lobster I ever had, think the sandwich was 4 or 5 dollars. Never be able to find that today.

[jordan_whitehead]

@Robert_M_yers

• shrimp in general. I like them enough to slug them down with Abita in New Orleans. But other than that…eh

Butter and Old Bay in Baltimore

Pass on the Natty Bohs

[Vince_T]

A big John McPhee fan as well, but haven’t read this one. Will have to find a copy!

[M1a_U]

@Terry_H_a_r_r_i_s

John McPhee’s book Uncommon Carriers

That is a thoroughly entertaining read! I’m a McPhee fan too.
And I’m with McPhee–I like smaller lobsters.
I love seafood in general, including shellfish. But I have always lived (in three states) a stone’s throw from the ocean and with local commercial fisheries that provide easy access to pristinely fresh seafood. I suspect that at least some who say they don’t like seafood or even a particular type of seafood might change their mind if they can have the really fresh stuff.

[jordan_whitehead]

@Eric_Ifune

Goose necked barnacles. Percebes in Portuguese. They’re decent, but wildly expensive and difficult to eat.

Had them for the 1st and last time in San Sebastián. People next to me at the Gambara counter offered me a few. Seriously meh

[jordan_whitehead]

@lsupp

mussels. They lack texture,

green lipped are far superior to the black ones

[Anton_D]

@J_a_y_H_a_c_k

@Alex_N

There’s a restaurant in Berkeley called Great China that serves a dish called Double Skin. It’s finished tableside and I thought the sea cucumber didn’t have much flavor but added interesting texture. Definitely one of the more (delicious) interesting dishes I’ve ever had.

From their menu online. There are some YT vids as well.
兩張皮 DOUBLE SKIN
mung bean noodles, carrots, cucumber, egg crepe, calamari, shrimp,
sea cucumber, onions, wood ear mushroom, pork
Small $28.95 Medium $38.95 Large $48.95

Sea cucumber definitely has “interesting” texture. Interesting as in a cross between vulcanized rubber automobile tire and what come out of your nose when you have bad hay fever. When you add that to didn’t have much flavor and you understand why it is the worst.

Maybe if you paired it with Okra.

[Anton_D]

@Zachgoldstein

130F for about an hour or so. Take the meat out of the shell and vac seal with butter and whatever other flavors you like

I love that target!

Caveats:

Both shrimp and lobster heads-thorax (hepatopancreas) contain an enzyme that breaks down the muscle meat. For sous vide, I wash/rinse shrimp and lobster meat before a slow cook to prevent any possible development of mealy-ness from any of those head proteins from being around the meat too long.

[Chris_S_p_i_k_e_s]

@jordan_whitehead

@Eric_Ifune

Goose necked barnacles. Percebes in Portuguese. They’re decent, but wildly expensive and difficult to eat.

Had them for the 1st and last time in San Sebastián. People next to me at the Gambara counter offered me a few. Seriously meh

One person’s meh is another person’s love. I love them! But, only fresh near the source - like San Sebastian, where we’ve had them many times. We’ve also had them in Barcelona and Madrid, and while still good, they didn’t match all the ones we’ve had in San Sebastian.

I find them easy to eat if cooked right. Just a little snap open at the shell edge then twist to pop the meat out. But, to each there own. We all like what we like and nothing is universal.

[jordan_whitehead]

Kinda like wine

[Eric_Ifune]

I’ve had them many times in Spain and Portugal. I’ve just always found them bland relative to other shellfish.

[Robert_M_yers]

That certainly makes sense, I will check it out, thanks for the tip.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen King Crab advertised as live although obviously it’s out there.

It usually not something I look to order a meal out of except when I spent a time in Alaska…because well Alaska. That said it was probably frozen as well since it was spring/summer.

The only place I can think that maybe had live where Ive ordered was R & G lounge, but I can’t remember if that was King.

I will look for a fresh next time I’m in Japan or on the coast!

[KhaN]

Lobster and king crab are overrated as hell because their shell to meat ratio is off. For the same price you can get giant river prawn, giant tiger shrimp or mud crab in Phuket or Bangkok. Best seafood imo are abalone and geoduck in Jagalchi seafood market in Busan if you’re into mollusk and bivalves.

[Robert_M_yers]

@KhaN

and king crab are overrated as hell because their shell to meat ratio is off.

I take it you are out on Snow then?

[Rob_Isaacs]

@Anton_D

Caveats:

Both shrimp and lobster heads-thorax (hepatopancreas) contain an enzyme that breaks down the muscle meat.

This is what happened to me, got mealy/mushy. Same thing can happen with wild game, wonder how close the enzymes are?

[Sarah_Kirschbaum]

@Eric_Ifune

I’ve had them many times in Spain and Portugal. I’ve just always found them bland relative to other shellfish.

They are bland. Flavor of the meat isn’t the point. It’s about tasting like the purity of the sea and about texture. That is why the best seafood restaurants in Galicia and San Sebastian do nothing to them, maybe a bay leaf in the boiling liquid, but maybe not even that. These are things the western palate often doesn’t appreciate. But share percebes with a Japanese person for the first time, and they tend to go into fits of rapture. One couple we gave some to stopped dead and said, in semi-awe “this is Japanese!”

[J_a_y_H_a_c_k]

@Anton_D

@J_a_y_H_a_c_k

Sea cucumber definitely has “interesting” texture. Interesting as in a cross between vulcanized rubber automobile tire and what come out of your nose when you have bad hay fever. When you add that to didn’t have much flavor and you understand why it is the worst.

Maybe if you paired it with Okra.

The difference is that fried Okra can be good. Fried sea cucumber is still inedible.

[Adam_Frisch]

Salmon. Grew up on it, today I can barely eat it. So very little of it is good - all sloppy farmed pink sludge stuff (I do reserve an exception for warm smoked salmon - that stuff is good).

Love all seafood, but I’m also not a huge fan of uni. Love oysters, shrimp, mussels etc.

All time favorite whitefish? There can be only one - halibut.

If you have the time to cook a whole day and happen to have access to pike (a fish most people throw back), make quenelles de brochet. Heavenly richness. Naturally pair with Riesling.

[Robert_M_yers]

Chargrilled Oysters are superior to raw (of course unless we are on the boat shucking them)

Texture improves immensely.