Quote:
Originally Posted by mephisto
I think I could get down to medium but not medium rare. I might have to stick to high end burgers if I want a nice piece of meat. :P
What is the taste difference between salmon and sea bass? I want to venture out to different fish other than salmon and sea bass seems like a natural extension. Who makes the best sea bass dish in Vegas?
First burnt meat and now this? FOOD VIRGIN - we have a FOOD VIRGIN right here!!! But it is a VERY good idea to try and expand your food horizons.
FYI - fishyak used to fish from an ocean kayak. I've caught, cleaned, cooked and eaten all kinds of fish. I proudly admit to fish snobbery.
IMO,...
1) There is a flavor difference between wild and farm raised salmon. There are 5 (?) major salmon species and they each have a different texture and flavor. Kings and Coho's have the best rep., but IMO the real issue is freshness and oil content. I can tell the quality by looking at the fish pre-cooked. You will have to rely on the honesty and training of your servers. Is that special truly special, or some old thing they got a deal on? As a tourist to LV this is why I am not a real fan of fish in a desert.
2) If a fish is called "sea bass" the one thing it isn't is a bass! The Chilean Sea Bass is the perfect example. Patagonian Toothfish it is. As a slow growth species, it no longer comes from Patagonia. For the surivival of the species, we need to leave it alone. Last year, I dined at Todd's Unique Dining and was amazed to be offered fresh California White Sea Bass as a special, which is actually a member of the croaker family. White Sea Bass feed on squid and have a slight shellfish flavor. Awesome. WSB is another species we also fished to extinction but is now making a SLOW managed comeback off the CA coast. But I had to trust a server who had never seen the whole fish and the restaurant said I could not visit the kitchen and they could not send out a piece uncooked for me to confirm the species. It did turn out to be the real deal and was delicious.
3) As with quality beef, fish is best served slighty undercooked. Carryover, the ongoing cooking that occurs after a fish leaves the pan until it is placed in front of you at the table is an important consideration. Here is where waitstaff make all the difference. The more they know about the product and its prep., the more likely they are to get a yes from me.
4) If you see these GO FOR IT... a) Santa Barbara Spot Prawns are trapped not trawled and delicious. b) Sand dabs Veronique. Sand dabs are EVERYWHERE off the CA coast and can be had fresh and tasty. Veronique is a butter, white wine and green grape sauce that is old school but tasty with that species.
We need to lay off Atlantic Swordfish and Bluefin Tuna. Serious population depletions.
Do you know where fishing has greatly improved? Off Somalia! The pirates have scared off all the trawlers and the fishing is rebounding nicely (per WSJ).
Get educated about fish - LOTS of variety to eat and choose from.
And then just go nuts and order that dozen oysters on the 1/2 shell with that vodka martini lemon twist to go with it!
Enjoy!