Skip to content
buying seafood logo

Buying Seafood

Reviews of Fish, Shellfish, and Seafood

  • About Us: Buying Seafood
  • Get in Touch With Buying Seafood
  • From Head to Tale
  • Privacy Policy
  • Home
scrod haddock with creamy dill and ritz

Here Is My Go-To List Of Favorite Fish

Posted on 11/01/201609/29/2023 By buyingseafood
Choosing Seafood

I get asked on nearly a daily basis about my favorite fish or what seafood I like to eat. I’ve gotten better at answering these questions but it’s hard to rank them. When choosing what to get for fish it often comes down to what I can find that is fresh, preferably local, and affordable. I’ve been lucky to have sampled some incredible fish since starting this website but most of those are not always available. Out of the fish that I’ve tried, and I can get on a regular basis, here are my top choices.

Haddock

Haddock is my favorite fish, it’s a species that I have been connected to my entire life. Fried, baked, broiled or in chowder, haddock is mild, flaky and versatile. If you grew up in a New England fishing family, cod may be king, but we all brought haddock home. Also, haddock is a guilt-free choice from a sustainability standpoint here in the US. The populations are at high levels and successfully managed.

Swordfish

Grilled swordfish

How I love swordfish, a big thick steak on the grill, or even broiled in the oven is a little slice of heaven. It is a very close second to haddock on my list. Marinated in oil, spices and vinegar or brushed with butter, capers and tarragon. I’ve enjoyed it roasted with breadcrumbs too. If it’s fresh, if it’s local, it is really hard to mess up swordfish. Keep it simple and it will be great.

Tuna

perfect grill marks on tuna

I treat tuna in much the same way I do swordfish. A simple marinade and then grilled is all you need to do. You can do it fancy, but simple is better. Bluefin or Yellowfin are what I prefer, and I like it either completely raw as in sashimi or cooked all the way through. Maybe it’s just me but I’m not a fan of when it is seared on the outside and raw in the middle. I know it’s popular that way, but I want my tuna completely cooked or completely raw.

Halibut

herb topped halibut

Halibut is usually out of my price range, but it is hard to pass up if I see a nice thick piece of Atlantic halibut at the fish market. It is also a fish that has become more readily available and so I actually cook more halibut now than ever. You can prepare it like swordfish, or pan roast it, but I like halibut in the oven, prepared almost like a fish roast. Halibut is also a versatile fish that goes well with nearly any kind of sauce or herbed topping.

Grey Sole

Baked Grey Sole

Officially it’s witch flounder but to us it’s grey sole. Thin, great tasting fillets that command high prices in fancy restaurants. Sometimes it’s sold as “sole” to command an even higher price, but it is actually a flounder. I had them fried most of my life but also do well with more sophisticated recipes. Sometimes I cook them with lemon and mixed vegetables in a tinfoil pouch.

Salmon

Faroe Island Salmon with Brown Sugar rub

I don’t eat a lot of salmon and when I do, I prefer wild-caught Pacific species or high-quality farmed salmon. I’m not against farm-raised, but I need to know about where it is coming from and how it was raised. This is a species that I have gained more experience with since started Buying Seafood. Salmon is great with a simple preparation but is also incredible combined with brown sugar and maple syrup. Smoked salmon and lox are another story: I can eat my weight in lox…

Mackerel

Season mackerel fillet out of the tin

Oh mackerel…how many of you have I jigged up in my life? Your annual runs meant summer was here when I was a kid. The smell of mackerel on the grill, with a light drizzle of olive oil takes me back to those times. Lately I’ve been enjoying tinned mackerel fillets in olive oil as a convenient alternative to canned tuna.

Cod

Iceland Cod Livornese

Besides the occasional fish and chips, I never really ate a lot of cod compared to say, haddock. However, one of my favorite seafood items are fried cod cheeks. These delicious little medallions are the best part of the whole fish in my opinion. Tender, juicy and because they are from the head of the fish, they don’t have the worms that cod fillets have. Thanks to this website I have prepared more cod than ever, some local, some imported from Iceland. It has helped me gain a larger appreciation for this important fish, especially when I see local cod being sold.

Honorable Mention: Whiting

king whiting

In particular baby whiting, fried whole like my grandma does. Sweet crispy skin over a mild tasting meat. When cooked this way you can eat baby whiting like corn on the cob. Larger whiting, sometimes called king whiting, can be prepared like any of the cod-like fish. I like it fried…with lots of lemon, it’s like having the world’s greatest fish stick!

facebookShare on Facebook
TwitterTweet
FollowFollow us
PinterestSave
Tags: buying seafood cod flounder graysole haddock halibut mackerel salmon swordfish tuna Whiting

Post navigation

❮ Previous Post: Species Spotlight On Halibut
Next Post: Make Baked Haddock Like A Gloucester Grandma ❯

You may also like

sea bream
Seafood Sources
Fish Fraud: What Are You REALLY Eating?
01/23/2017
blue marlin fried clams
Choosing Seafood
My Top 5 Favorite Shellfish
01/30/2017
Whole foods haddock alla livornese
Seafood Sources
Local Haddock From Whole Foods Was Worth The Trip
12/11/2017
Follow by Email
Facebook
fb-share-icon
Pinterest
Pinterest
fb-share-icon
Instagram
Buying Seafood in Your Inbox:
  • Choosing Seafood
  • Fried Seafood Showdown
  • Seafood Industry News
  • Seafood Recipes
  • Seafood Sources
  • Species Spotlight
  • Tinned Fish

Affiliate Disclosure
This site uses affiliate links. Please read our Privacy Policy for more information.

Follow me on Perlu

Copyright © 2023 Buying Seafood.

Theme: Oceanly News by ScriptsTown