Try King Ora salmon from New Zealand or Wild Copper River King from Alaska.
And if you still have a hankering for smoked fish, order some Gaspe Nova smoked salmon (cold smoked) from Russ and Daughters. I’d be interested in your opinion of their gravlax (I think it’s awesome but don’t have your lifetime perspective, I grew up on lox from Waldbaum’s (quite good)..
I don’t think Salmon is overrated at all. Proper salmon has an ideal balance of flavor and texture and it is wine friendly. Healthy too! Better than a lot of anonymous white fish that so many restaurants showcase (and which often is blah without butter and lemon).
What’s overrated? Soft-shell crab. Caviar (love it when good but the price is out of whack for the quality). Swordfish (all but the very very best examples, which can be transcendent).
we bought a pound of gaspe smoked salmon from Russ and Daughters via Goldbelly and it was super delicate paper thin slices and a great treat.
Even though I love it, I always think the same thing when I see this thread pop back up.
Tuna.
Aside from poke, I don’t think it’s ever my first choice. And, as much as I love tuna belly, I think it’s terribly overrated/overpriced unless it’s dry aged.
Baked or grilled?
Tarragon? I haven’t done it but if I were to…
Broiled!
You may not like it. But it stands out for me because of the unique texture. Nothing like it! (Obviously)
That said, it’s not my favorite form of crab and I would have never thought to call it over-rated. because I don’t think it’s fetishized as much as things like caviar, lobster or (these days) uni.
Tempura soft shell crab from the Chesapeake can be really good.
I’ll take all the soft shells nobody else wants. Fried with meunière, fried with jumbo lump on top, grilled, smoked, some restaurants stuff a bit of crab stuffing where the dead men’s fingers were, then fry them up. Marvelous. Soft Shell Sandwich with bacon, lettuce and tomato. Nibble the legs hanging off the sides. If softshells are on the menu, you can bet I’ll order them.
Me too. I really like them. But mainly because the season is so short and they are so rare. I probably prefer other crab. But of course one doesn’t have to choose!
When I lived in NC, we would get soft-shelled crab from the coast and I would sautee simply with maybe a light dusting of flour or cornmeal, and then dive straight into the clear sea flavors and crackling textures. My wife was not a fan, so more for me! (But I don’t buy them in Nyc, because I focus on local seafood and they don’t live near here!)
I actually really like softshell crabs! I even order them. Just think they are overrated compared to many other types of crab. Others obviously disagree. That’s why they’re highly rated!
If I see them on a menu I get them too. My favorite was from a Vietnamese restaurant in Rockville MD with a black pepper sauce.
California halibut (Pacific is great).
Warm water lobster, yuch! It’s tough, chewy and tastes like dirt compared to cold water, North Atlantic which is very good when prepared properly. Fresh, alive and kicking is the only way. Frozen cold water tails are a blah substitute that you find in many surf and turf menu items. They don’t have the flavor or texture of fresh.
This? I can’t shake off the subtle bitterness when think about it. Much prefer jumbo tiger prawn for the meat to shell ratio.
Also I despise any kind of sole and patagonian toothfish. It’s basically a protein sponge for seasoning.
Love sole. Dover, petrale, lemon. Usually with fine herbs and olive oil, no sauce.
Agree on Patagonian toothbrush.
Hate catfish
I’m not a fan of commercially raised catfish which can be muddy tasting and mushy fleshed. But a big wild-caught flathead catfish makes amazing eating, though it’s an impressively ugly fish. Big flatheads feed pretty much 100% on live fish and consequently have firm clean-tasting white flesh. But first you’ve got to catch one.
