Just on general priciple........

[DFW]

Because of my cholesterol situation, we eat a lot of fish. Now, fish is rather expensive here in Germany, so we are fortunate to be able to afford it. Comparing the cost of Monkfish, a favorite here in Europe, it is about €6 per 100 grams, where down in Spain, it is €23 for a whole Kilogram, or €2.30 per hundred grams.

But our local fishmonger here saves the bite-sized pieces off of filets that were just too big for someone's liking. It is very German to ask for a piece of fish weighing 300 grams, and if there are 20 grams over, they will say, no, I only want the 300 grams, and the vendor has to cut off that tiny piece that no one will buy by itself.

So, late in the morning on farmers market days, he tosses the scraps into a dish, and sells the 300 or 400 so grams of meat for 6 euros, more than enough to feed the both of us. Last Saturday, it was filet of Salmon, Cod, and Monkfish. My wife said it's ridiculous NOT to buy that, so she did, and we had a gourmet cheapo feast.

You can only get this if you have a fish counter where big pieces come in regularly, and customers buy exactly what they want, but in a country where the cost of food is anything BUT cheap, there are still bargains to be had. We don't HAVE to do this, but no one says we can't, either! Most Germans wouldn't touch an offer like that out of general principle, though the same people would order it for €30 at a fancy restaurant labeled "mixed seafood grill." Go figure.

[unweird]

1. Usually I'm not a fan of fish stories...

But today thankfully I am. Thanks for sharing.

[DFW]

2. The one that didn't get away.......... n/t

[Tetrachloride]

3. I had a job with lunch provided.

i didn’t like Ramen Wednesdays, so the chef started me with plates of leftovers. Fantastic.

[spooky3]

4. I love most fish--thanks for the story! Nt

[mitch96]

5. Do you care for sardines? Small fish that are heart healthy. I love Norwegen Brislings the

best. Alton Brown has a good recipe for Sherry vinegar sardines on toast. YUM!!
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/sherried-sardine-toast-recipe-1949095
I suppose if you can't get avocado you can use pumpkin or squash instead. Hummus?.YMMV
I don't eat much meat for health reasons and when I do it's usually fish.. Good omega 3 fats
in sardines, mackerel and salmon.. Cold water fish...
m

[DFW]

10. I WISH I liked sardines

I know how healthy they are, but can’t stand the taste of them.

[mitch96]

12. Humm How do you feel about salted Norwegian Cod? The Portuguese love their cod...

The salting gives the cod a unique texture and flavor.. A good washing de salts the fish.
A thought...
m

https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/portuguese_salt_cod_stew_bacalhoada/

https://www.saveur.com/salt-cod-recipes-gallery/

[DFW]

15. There aren't many cod dishes I DON'T like

I'm not a big fan of salt, but if it tastes good, I'm a fan no matter what. That goes against the cardiologist's admonition, by the way: "if it tastes good, spit it out!"

[mitch96]

16. From what i've read there is a 24 hour "de salting" process and most times the cod has NO salt

to speak of. Some recipes even say to add some salt!!
I can't get salt cod where I live so it's mail order for me...
m

[DFW]

17. Our main fish guy here has some arrangement with agents for a few small boats

These boats regularly make the Iceland-Hamburg run. When they dock, the fish is cut up and immediately put on ice for trucking to the various markets around Germany that they serve. Skrei (Norwegian cod) is one of their specialties. The price varies widely, presumably with the availability. After my cardiac near-miss in 2004, my wife was called in for a bedside conference, and my "new rules" were laid out: red meat, bad. Fish, good (except crustaceans and invertebrates). Poultry, acceptable. Among my favorite fish are, of course, crustaceans and invertebrates (i.e. squid and octopus).

Almost all the fish we eat is fresh from the boats, same with when we're in Cape Cod. It helps that my wife is an expert gourmet chef. She could probably make last week's hot dogs taste like a $75 main course, so you can imagine what she can do with a fresh Skrei filet. As long as we have an ample supply of fresh ginger, garlic, onions, olive oil, Hungarian Paprikas (or Cajun spice), and black pepper, we'll never run out of ways to make almost any fish taste like it came from some five star place in San Ferancisco or New Orleans.

[mitch96]

18. Sounds like you are a candidate for a Mediterian style diet.. A good book I read years ago was

about the Blue zones around the world. It's about the people around the world that live a long and healthy life right up to the end...
https://www.bluezones.com
The regions are
Loma Linda, California, United States.
Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica.
Sardinia, Italy.
Ikaria, Greece.
Okinawa, Japan.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_zone
I've been trying to eat and exercise this way for most of my life..
Then again nobody's perfek
I feel great, no meds and hope it works. BTW I'm 73..
m

[DFW]

20. We're aware of it, and we sometimes come close to adhering to it

But my wife and I both like to vary the styles and tastes. She makes plenty of Mediterranean-style dishes, but she also likes to make Indian style dishes, northern German style fish (dill and herbs), BBQ Texan style chicken, Japanese style terriyaki, Stroganoff (chicken, due to my beef restriction), veggie dishes with Indian Brinjal Pickle and eggplant slices, and a LOT of etc. Sometimes, we'll just boil large atichokes (one for each), and eat them with olive oil and sea salt.

No matter whether what we're eating is good or bad for us, the chances of tomorrow's dinner being similar are practically zip.

[mitch96]

21. Sounds like you are on the right path... what ever "right" is...😉..nt

[DFW]

22. If you ever find out, let me know! n/t

[Major Nikon]

6. In the US they would put them on a skewer and sell it for double the price by weight

You have to hand it to the Germans for their efficiency and precision, but they seem to be lacking in the old entrepreneurial spirit.

[DFW]

9. This particular guy is only still in business due to his entrepreneurial spirit

He had a seafood shop here in town until his landlord decided he could rent the place out for double, and gave the guy an ultimatum. The guy couldn’t make expenses at double rent. He was forced to close it. So he got himself a mobile shop truck, and now sets up at outdoor farmers markets six days a week, three of them in our town. He works his ass off, and finds it a more efficient use of his time to be rid of his excess bits quickly, and give his customers a break every mow and then. We certainly buy from him whenever we can. Although the outdoor market stands are in general more expensive than the supermarkets, we still try to support them when we can. It’s an 800 year old tradition here, and a meeting point for friends to get together as well. The market is held in the center square in town, which is surrounded by several cafés and bakeries.

[Major Nikon]

13. I was joking about the differences to the US

Where small business that would do that sort of thing get squeezed out by larger ones who will throw things like that out before ever cutting you a deal

[DFW]

14. The larger ones aren't set up to give a rat's ass, you're quite right.

And, indeed, they don't.

[Warpy]

7. Back in New England, it was salmon and cod cheeks

which is exactly what the sign said, the strong masseter muscle that allows a fish to chomp down on its pr I found them a little chewier than cubed fillets, but they made fantastic chowder. They were cheap, a lot of people feel queasy about eating anything off a fish's face.

Ask your fish guy about those if you love fish chowder.

[DFW]

8. Good question

I can even pronounce “Kabeljaubacken,” which most non-Germans have to work at. That’s how “cod cheeks” would be said here.

[mitch96]

11. OMG a cod cheek po'boy would be out of this world...nt

[DFW]

19. Just call me "Ish"