Americans do not appreciate good food...

[dragoneggs]

If something tastes good I could not care less where it is from originally especially when referring to something like fresh seafood...I base my tastes on flavor, texture and freshness not because they are from a specific geographic region or temperate zone.

My reply was not referring to regional recipes/dishes etc...it was mostly referring to seafood and the waters it comes from...organ meat is another topic entirely there are many different regional recipes for such...

IMO writing off an entire selection of seafood (fin fish, shellfish etc.) solely because it comes from warmer waters is ludicrous at best and really ignorant at worst...and in the case of the post I was replying to the poster was writing off a huge percentage of the worlds fishery and comparing/rating it to a very tiny market share with minimal products (if Alaska is removed from the equation)...

I will agree that if something tastes good, or bad for that matter, I don't care where it comes from either. I base my tastes based on the same. That said, I would challenge you to do your own comparing of the tastes of like seafoods, from cold and warm waters and be your own judge.

Cold water generally yields seafood that is more oily/fatty that provide more taste and tenderness IMHO. I also understand that foods that folks grew up on regardless of locale, tend to become beloved whether they are 'good' or not.

Cases in point... I like the same fresh water trout I catch in the winter/spring much more than when the lakes/rivers warm up in the summer. They lose flavor and become a bit muddy tasting.

I like the pacific wild caught salmon vs. atlantic (especially farm raised) salmon also from warmer waters.

I like Maine Lobsters far better than Florida (Spiny) lobsters.

Funny why the cold water seafoods generally cost more as well. :confused3:

 

[bunyip]

Cases in point... I like the same fresh water trout I catch in the winter/spring much more than when the lakes/rivers warm up in the summer. They lose flavor and become a bit muddy tasting.

I like the pacific wild caught salmon vs. atlantic (especially farm raised) salmon also from warmer waters.

We fly fish a certain water here for trout and when they are feeding on yabbies (small freshwater cray) the flesh is red and firm, when the mudeyes are on (dragonfly larvae) they are a bit lighter but when they are on worms and insects the flesh is softer and whiter, as for farmed fish, the texture is mush and the colour just an insipid grey, I don't eat fish but SWMBO does and tells me that it tastes like cardboard.
Good to catch when the mudeyes are hatching and to come home with a couple of 5-6lb trout is heaven, along with the fight you just had if you use a light tippet like I do.
It is about a 500km drive from home and in real terms they cost about $200 lb by the time you factor in fuel, meals, accommodation etc.
The location is Lake Eucumbene in NSW and can produce some huge trout both brown and rainbow.

 

[/pine]

I will agree that if something tastes good, or bad for that matter, I don't care where it comes from either. I base my tastes based on the same. That said, I would challenge you to do your own comparing of the tastes of like seafoods, from cold and warm waters and be your own judge.

Cold water generally yields seafood that is more oily/fatty that provide more taste and tenderness IMHO. I also understand that foods that folks grew up on regardless of locale, tend to become beloved whether they are 'good' or not.

Cases in point... I like the same fresh water trout I catch in the winter/spring much more than when the lakes/rivers warm up in the summer. They lose flavor and become a bit muddy tasting.

I like the pacific wild caught salmon vs. atlantic (especially farm raised) salmon also from warmer waters.

I like Maine Lobsters far better than Florida (Spiny) lobsters.

Funny why the cold water seafoods generally cost more as well. :confused3:

I've done plenty of research (eating) LoL...if it's a renown seafood dish I have likely tried it based on it's availability...(i.e., In the US you have to go to CA to legally get abalone)...

Some of my personal preferences are:
Salmon:...you can have it...it always fishy tasting and I've had straight from the stream...I do like it smoked...

Scallops: there is nothing that can compare to the flavor of fresh scallops harvest from the grass beds of the coastal gulf...

Dungeness crab:...Meh!...too sweet for me...would rather pick blue crabs for their superior flavor...BUT the ultimate crab meat is by far the Stone Crab Claw (meat)...I would put it up against any other shellfish (including lobster, Red crab etc.) meat for taste, texture and tenderness It literally has no equal...IMO it is one of the best tasting most satisfying things you can eat on the entire planet...it is that good...and the crab only sacrifices the claws and lives on to generate new...

Oysters:...before the hurricanes, oil spill and algae blooms wiped out most of the beds...Apalachicola Bay oysters were known around the world as some of the best there was...much preferred over northern varieties...

The reason northern water products cost more is two fold...one reason is over fishing (not just a northern problem) the main reason is northern commercial ports are controlled by unions rather than local fish coops...every time a fish is touched by a handler/vendor/wholesaler/retailer/grocer etc... from the time it leaves the boat until it is served on a plate somebody get paid...

 

[/pine]

We fly fish a certain water here for trout and when they are feeding on yabbies (small freshwater cray) the flesh is red and firm, when the mudeyes are on (dragonfly larvae) they are a bit lighter but when they are on worms and insects the flesh is softer and whiter, as for farmed fish, the texture is mush and the colour just an insipid grey, I don't eat fish but SWMBO does and tells me that it tastes like cardboard.
Good to catch when the mudeyes are hatching and to come home with a couple of 5-6lb trout is heaven, along with the fight you just had if you use a light tippet like I do.
It is about a 500km drive from home and in real terms they cost about $200 lb by the time you factor in fuel, meals, accommodation etc.
The location is Lake Eucumbene in NSW and can produce some huge trout both brown and rainbow.

The technology of fish farming has come a long way...these days they can change the color, taste and texture of pond raised trout (rainbow) to whatever they want simply by changing what they feed them...

FWIW...I live on a mountain trout stream (actually a river) I have an endless supply of brook, brown, rainbow and mountain trout...from fingerlings up to 30+ inches...

 

[dragoneggs]

We could have a real argument over crab! What is your opinion on King crab?

On scallops, I will admit I don't know anything on locale and differences.

Believe me, I have a running argument with my gulf coast located long time buddies over oysters at Drago's, gulf prawns, blue crabs vs. what I catch in my backyard. :drink:

 

[/pine]

We could have a real argument over crab! What is your opinion on King crab?

On scallops, I will admit I don't know anything on locale and differences.

Believe me, I have a running argument with my gulf coast located long time buddies over oysters at Drago's, gulf prawns, blue crabs vs. what I catch in my backyard. :drink:

I think Red (king), Opilio (snow) and Bairdi crabs are great eating I love them all...but IMO Blue crabs have a delicate taste and texture that sets it apart from larger species...one of the things I think that deters people away from blue crabs is the amount of work involved in picking the meat...

If you have friends anywhere in FL or near the gulf coast and they have never mentioned "Stone Crab Claws" they are hiding them from you IMO...like I said, there is nothing that even comes close and I mean any kind of crab from anywhere on the planet...The claw meat is simply that pleasing to the palate...

Prawns...regardless of where they are from they do not have as much flavor as other smaller varieties of shrimp like large gulf pinks or whites etc...

 

[atsah]

mountain trout

That's a new one on me..

Ether way I would eat a cat fish before I ate a trout, trout is survival food to me along with Salmon..

 

[oosik]

I lived in Alaska for 22 years. I got my fair share of King & Dungeness crab. Then I went on a business trip to Houston. Down to Galveston. The gulf coast Blue crabs are a real delicacy. I almost made myself sick - eating so many Blue crabs.

 

[tallyho8]

Maybe it is a regional thing compared to where you grew up. I was born and raised in Southern Louisiana and my favorite crabs by far is blue crabs. Even farm raised catfish can be fried up into a match made in heaven. Speckled trout fried the right way are a God's food. There is absolutely no comparison between Yankee lobsters and Louisiana crawfish. The crawfish are moister, tenderer, and have much more flavor than their larger cousins, the lobster. Louisiana oysters are heavenly, raw, fried or charbroiled. Our shrimp can not be beat when gotten fresh from a local trawler instead of from a commercial fishing boat.

But, one of my favorite seafoods is when they fly in a fresh, never frozen, wild caught, sockeye salmon that I cook a filet with the skin on, over my charcoal grill, with my favorite seasonings on, I have to savor each bite for at least 30 seconds before I can dare to swallow it, to be never tasted again. Pure Heaven! And I love Halibut but $$$$$.

 

[goeduck]

Ether way I would eat a cat fish before I ate a trout, trout is survival food to me along with Salmon..

Oh man, that must be a regional thing.