Victor Sack wrote:

> Phred > wrote:
>
> > The point being that you wouldn't mince a good steak

....ah but...'fancy' sausages are made from "Noble" cuts of meat, often
with wines and brandies.

> and, yes, you can
> > make a palatable presentation by mincing and seasoning lower quality
>
> > cuts.
>
> But they are not necessarily of lower quality, just different and
> requiring different methods of preparation. That's the whole point.
>
> > Exactly! But my point was that, where you have access to superb
> fish
> > for eating "as is" direct from the sea, why bother at all with
> lesser
> > species?
>
> Again, the species are not necessarily any "lesser", they just require
>
> different methods of cooking. You seem to be comparing apples and
> oranges.
>
> Methinks you are mostly talking about your personal preferences...
> nothing wrong with this. Yet, you seem to be restricting yourself
> unnecessarily - there is a whole world of cooking that is not limited
> to
> quickly frying or otherwise cooking supposedly "noble" whole cuts and
> pieces. Also consider, for example, foie gras. It can be pan fried
> whole, or it can be made into a pté. Which is better? Some people
> prefer the one, some the other, some like both equally well. And a
> minority, most of it located outside of Europe, it seems, will just
> recoil in horror, never even having tried either preparation, just
> because it is "liver". :-)
>
> > I do poach haddock occasionally and I made fish soup once, but
> > probably won't bother again. ;-)

Not really caring for sea food in general and being a bit paranoid about
it i nevertheless live in a "Bay Area" and once a year indulge in the
crab harvest and i do like me crab cakes made with potatoes. And
occasionally pick up the frozen pound or two of fish to make into
various pates. Fish is good with pistachios.

>
>
> What kind of fish soup? Given a choice, personally I can't even
> imagine
> preferring any kind of hot fish preparation to a really good
> bouillabaisse or bourride. But that's just me.

Good is good no matter its origins, Briallint - Savarin (sp?) and his
'Physiology of Taste" merely demonstrate the proposition that 'honesty'
has more to do with 'good taste' than flavour per se. One mans milk is
another mans execrable abomination & etc.

>
>
> > I'm not familiar with smoked eel or your Matjes. :-)
>
> Oh, what a crying shame and a great pity! :-(( If you ever visit a
> place where these fish are available and are of good quality, you owe
> it
> to yourself to try them at least once. Chances are, you won't regret
> it. I'd bet there are some places in Australia where they *are*
> available.

Rattler (western American poisonous snake) is good once you actually
have killed them. I have heard the diamondbacks are the best but have
never actually eaten one. Thing is, they are often big, large snakes,
lots of flesh.

>
>
> > But, while I'm
> > partial to a bit of smoked haddock occasionally, I'm not really into
>
> > the "preserved" fish products in general.

For a hint of the sea in a dish, a subtle flavouring ingredient, many
forms of preserved animal flesh is used. Various cans of tuna have been
made into casserole so many times it has apotheosized itself into a
'comfort food' with brie and garlic bread crumbs, and flakes of roasted
halibut if your getting really fancy.

> My "smoked mackeral" is not
> > made for preservation, but for immediate consumption -- pretty much
> > like a slow bake with smoke flavour. (Though it's not really all
> that
> > slow in time as the fish is usually done in finger-eating pieces;
> it's
> > just "slow" in temperature.)

most sea food benefits from quick cooking.

>
>
> For such fish as eel or matjes (virginal young Dutch herring), smoking
>
> or curing with a view of preserving them for any period of time is not
>
> really a major consideration nowadays, I think, any such result is
> just
> a side benefit. Those who buy and eat such fish do it entirely out of
>
> preference, not of convenience, usually. Matjes is really a seasonal
> delicacy, most of it produced and eaten in the spring.

Im fond of the French and Italian usage of ground fish for various
fillings and as sausages or 'cakes' on their own. On a whim i once
rubbed the inside of a chicken with a spicy Chinese mustard and then
lightly packed it full of fresh shrimp, de veined & shelled. Basted it
with a chenin blanc and butter and i probly rubbed the outside of it
with butter and garlic but anyway after the bird were done i removed the
shrimp and served it on the side with lemon and a bit of chopped
parsley....mmmmm....im going to do a homer simpson and start drooling if
i am not careful but chicken and shrimp is probly my favourite.
---
JL

>
>
> Victor