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Old 04-12-2018, 01:05 PM   #1
Lompoc Local
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Whitefish Sashimi any Good?

So I went out earlier this winter with a really great Captain and a fantastic Cabin Boy, and in the absence of any slugs took a few fish that I normally wouldn't. We ended up with some impressive bugs, a bunch of reds, a large Whitefish, a few lingcod and some fat calicos. I try to be open minded about eating various species and have been hearing positive things about whitefish. I had tried it a few years ago but didn't have a good first impression. After seeing Captain Bly's IG posts about how much he loves Whitefish sashimi I decided it was time to give them another chance.

Being a full-on yellowtail sushi freak there was no doubt in my mind what I was gonna do in the kitchen. Directive was to just pretend the Whitefish was YT and prepare some straight sashimi and a couple plates of my carpaccio.

The filets were beautiful. Should have taken a few more photos but the fish opened up nicely after two days on ice and it was looking prime. Came off the spine very cleanly and after I took the skin off I was left with a couple of gorgeous filets. After the fine cuts, the sashimi looked like it was gonna be every bit as epic as Capt. Bly said it would be.

Dip it in the soy sauce with a healthy dose of wasabi and pop it in the mouth. Texture was firm and the consistency was similar to YT. The flavor however was disappointing. Didn't have that nutty/buttery flavor that most good sashimi fish have. Fell WAY short of YT in my opinion. Even had a little bit of a faint cardboard after taste. The experience was kinda like drinking a wine that falls flat on the palette. High expectations and short on delivery.

Maybe my expectations were a little too high but overall I am not impressed with Whitefish as sashimi. Probably won't do it again unless someone has some suggestions on how to improve the experience. I tried it with avocado in an attempt to add that buttery dimension but it still fell short.

If you have experience with Whitefish and enjoy it, I'd like to hear what you have to say...
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Old 04-12-2018, 05:28 PM   #2
HEX
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Re: Whitefish Sashimi any Good?

Try frying it
You know the Koreans love Sheephead sashimi, that's a fact.
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Old 04-12-2018, 05:48 PM   #3
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Re: Whitefish Sashimi any Good?

The oil/blood in the meat that gives the desired taste you seek. Whitefish are good for freezing and saving for a fish fry. I always eat the darker meat first and fresh as the white will keep.
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Old 04-13-2018, 11:56 AM   #4
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Re: Whitefish Sashimi any Good?

That was one beeg o sumna bitch'n whitefish dude.
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Old 04-13-2018, 03:40 PM   #5
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Re: Whitefish Sashimi any Good?

Errin as you know I’m a fan of whitefish however it is nicknamed poor mans yellowtail for a reason. As you mentioned the fillets are beautiful but yea comparing it to a nice YT you’re gonna be disappointed. Perhaps the reason captain bly likes them so much is because they are around year long and are as close to YT w/o actually being YT. Just my 2¢.
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Old 04-13-2018, 10:04 PM   #6
aus
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Re: Whitefish Sashimi any Good?

Try eating day of instead of 2 days on ice
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Old 04-19-2018, 10:16 AM   #7
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Re: Whitefish Sashimi any Good?

Haha, What a fine Cabin Boy he is. I heard Opaleye makes great sashimi also.

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Old 04-19-2018, 10:33 AM   #8
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Re: Whitefish Sashimi any Good?

Lol
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Old 04-19-2018, 10:30 PM   #9
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Re: Whitefish Sashimi any Good?

Quote:
Originally Posted by DiverDave43 View Post
Errin as you know I’m a fan of whitefish however it is nicknamed poor mans yellowtail for a reason. As you mentioned the fillets are beautiful but yea comparing it to a nice YT you’re gonna be disappointed. Perhaps the reason captain bly likes them so much is because they are around year long and are as close to YT w/o actually being YT. Just my 2¢.
Well, they're called that because they look kind of like small yellowtail when they get big. I don't think it has anything to do with how they taste.


Yellowtail and WF are just totally different, at least meat-wise. WF will be on the milder, blander side for sushi. If you don't like lean, white-fleshed fish as much at the sushi bar, you should probably skip WF.



As for opaleye, they do eat those as sushi in Japan, however, there seems to be something in the water or the plant life or something low on the food chain in Japan that makes their fish taste so damn good. Everything there tastes good, whereas here, almost nothing does. Think about the fish you mostly see, fish you'd expect to see every single dive. Calicoes are the best of the bunch and even they aren't the best. Not to restart the age-old calico edibility debate, but I'm sure we can all agree that they often smell a little... reefy. And it's not good for sushi. It cooks away mostly, but's it's not a positive quality.

The Opaleyes and various perch can be especially gamy. It seems like Japanese fish just don't get the same funk. I've had Japanese Opaleye. And barracuda. Even their yellowtail is ridiculously more tasty than ours. They all look damn near the same, but they don't taste the same.

I feel the same way about the Sea of Cortez reef fish, now that I think about it.


Maybe you just need to shoot one there, Errin
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Old 04-20-2018, 10:32 AM   #10
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Re: Whitefish Sashimi any Good?

Quote:
Originally Posted by LookPointShoot View Post
The Opaleyes and various perch can be especially gamy. It seems like Japanese fish just don't get the same funk. I've had Japanese Opaleye. And barracuda. Even their yellowtail is ridiculously more tasty than ours. They all look damn near the same, but they don't taste the same.

I feel the same way about the Sea of Cortez reef fish, now that I think about it.


Maybe you just need to shoot one there, Errin
Thanks for the feedback dude. So you're saying the SOC fish are more preferable like the Japanese, or they are "reefy" like ours?
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Old 04-20-2018, 12:54 PM   #11
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Re: Whitefish Sashimi any Good?

as for Japanese fish tasting different due to whatever diet or sea condition, that may be the case but don't minimize the amount of prep/care that japanese do to their fish before it is served as sushi. light flavor "white" fish often get light brines or brushed with a very light sweet sauce, etc.
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Old 04-27-2018, 11:54 PM   #12
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Re: Whitefish Sashimi any Good?

Lompoc Local, I am not so sure about whitefish, but many species (excluding pelagics like yellows, tuna, etc.) are really not safe to eat raw unless they are deep frozen below -31 degrees F for 24 hrs, or -4 degrees F for a week. This is certainly so with salmon (my brother is a fisheries biologist, so I am not just ranting). All I am saying bro, is great post and great catch but please be careful!

Here is a link to a New York Times article on the subject. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/19/s...parasites.html

I bought a chest freezer for about a hundred bucks that gets to -13 F so I freeze for a week.

Happy hunting!
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