Dumb question...soaking hogfish

[biggsy]

I am trying a hogfish recipe that I like for a group of people who dont usually eat fish. I am trying to kill what little fish taste there is with a hogfish by soaking it in milk overnight.

good idea? bad idea? will this ruin the fish? This is more of an experiment and I am hoping I dont ruin the fish.

thanks!

biggsy

[ROCK BOTTOM]

The only way to make a fish taste like chicken is to serve them chicken. Actually, just make sure the fish is fresh and that you have removed all of the red, fatty tissue from the outside of the filet. You should remove this red nerve laden tissue from all of your filets because this is where the Mercury and other toxins build up.

Zz

[biggsy]

I removed all the red and I am going to give this a shot. You have a point. If they dont like the way this is prepared, they will NEVER like fish. Hog is pretty mild, so I am giving it a whirl and they are willing participants. If they dont like it, that's more hog for me.

Thanks for the post RB!

[junior]

Biggsy, I have never eaten any fish quite so light as hogfish. Even the fifteen to twenty pounders that I have eaten have tasted very light and non-fishy. My wife has recently stopped eating most fish as a result of being pregnant. She just can't stomach it right now. But, the only way she can eat it is if it is a hogfish, she never sees me clean it:D and she cooks it with chicken flavored shake and bake. I thought she was crazy when she first made it, but that is some damn fine tasting fish prepared this way. It's got just a hint of cheese in it with a nice crunchy coating. Try it out. If they don't like this, they will definately never like any fish.

[biggsy]

I see what you are stepping in Junior. My Dad prepared hogfish last week for my girlfriend and I. He made it with a lemon pepper flavoring. I think the fish was overcooked just a tad. Hogfish is excellent prepared anyway until you overcook it, but I think that goes for most fish.

Here is what I did last night. I was aiming to get the two of them (my gf and my gf's mother's bf...follow me :) ) to say they liked fish.

I soaked the filets in milk overnight. I used the thinner filets you find on the 14"-18" hogs for the pan frying version. The smaller ones work better. I used the thicker filets off of the 5-6 # hogs to make a boiled version.

I heated up an equal mixture of vegetable and olive oil, garlic salt, fresh ground pepper and fresh squee=zed lemon juice. I breaded the think filets and cooked each side 1-2 minutes, until the breading was cooked. The last 30-45 seconds of the final side i add white white and let that soak into the fish. I squeeze lemon as i am cooking it for more flavor. It's my favorite hogfish dish and I try and make it the day or the day after i get back from getting some hogs.

I tried another recipe and modified it a little. I heated up water with old bay and a little garlic salt and pepper to a boil. Just enough water to cover your filets. Once the water is brought to a boil, drop the temperature so it is simmering. I cut the larger filets in quarters. Drop in the water and simmer for 8-10 minutes. Serve with butter. It is supposed to be like lobster. It turned out just okay...not great.

The two of them loved the pan fried version and liked the lobster version. There was not a drop of fish left :D

Hogfish wins again! I think the milk knocked what little fish taste there is out of the hog and made the texture even softer.

Junior, I am going to give your recipe a try, it sounds good.

[RichT]

Bigsy,
Everybody that Ive ever known who said they did not like fish, probably has never had Truly "fresh" fish.
And Im not talking about most of that crap at Publix or even a fish market.
Most of that stuff IS NOT FRESH.
Most commercial boats are out for weeks at a time.
Like Rock said, just cut out any red meat from the fillet to remove the stronger tasting meat.
Like everyone else has already said, if they dont like "fresh" Hogfish, they will never like any fish in the ocean.

My sister in law used to absolutely despise fish.
She hated everything about it from the smell to the texture to the taste.
One night when she was over I decided I would make some baked hogfish, much like juniors recipe.
As I was preparing it, she asked what I was making.
I said fish. She said you cant be making fish because I dont smell it. I informed her that "fresh" fish has very little if any "smell".
Long story short, she tried it, she loved it and now she wants fish from me all the time.

[kmoose]

Soaking just about any edible fish in equal parts lemon/lime juice and tobassco sauce will effectively remove any noticable fishey taste if combined with above methods of removing red and fattey tissue from the fillet. And no the you will not even notice the hot sauce onced fried........Damn, I'm hungry for some fish now!

[biggsy]

Damn Kenny, that sounds great! I am going to give that one a try next time I cook up some hog! :)

[kmoose]

The amazing thing is that there is no taste left from the marinade. You can even rinse the fillets if concerned. this recipe is one that was used since I was a boy by some good friends of mine that brought it from the Bahamian locals. You will notice that the concoction accually "cooks" the meat to some degree. And many eat the fish diced up in this recipe without cooking at all.

[frogman]

Cut up pieces of mild fish (grouper, cobia, hogs) raw and soaked in lime juice overnight and with some cilantro, celery, pimientos, onions, olive oil, salt, pepper is called ceviche and it is awesome as a dip.
Hogfish has NO red meat and it is the mildest and best fish out there. Just marinate in lime and garlic and fry the fillet on butter. Don't overcook. Mmmmmm...