Something Fishy

Ju-Lyn, , , ,
Mom’s fishy dishes

We were gifted a whole Balai Threadfin by LovingGenerousFriends. Fillets, head, tail, beautifully cleaned, cut up, packaged and delivered to our doorstep. Almost 5kg of fish.

Except I don’t cook fish. Not that I don’t know how (haven’t really tried). I just don’t like handling or eating fish.

So, I did the logical thing: I brought it over to Mom. Dad was delighted as he adores seafood; he was particularly thrilled with the fish head.

  • Japanese Fish Stew
  • Fish Head Curry
  • Fish Noodles
  • Salted and fried
  • Sweet & Sour

Over a couple of weeks, my mother churned out a variety of fish dishes, of which I had the sweet & sour (which is just about the only way I will eat fish). Younger Daughter & Loving Husband ate much more widely and enjoyed it thoroughly.

This is my contribution to

Published by Ju-Lyn

A Mostly-Vegetarian living, running & eating her way through Singapore.

63 Comments

  1. I miss the usual fishes that I usually eat in the PH. Here in NZ fishes are jumbo and not too appealing for me since we cannot finish it in one day and the taste is nothing compared to SE Asian fishes. So most of the time I only buy salmon and tuna and occasional sardines. Just my opinion.

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  2. All the dishes look delicious. Even the famous Fish Head Curry. I never managed to taste Fish Head Curry, simply because I could never find anyone else who’d eat it with me.
    Like you, I don’t like cooking fish … because of the smell.
    Unlike you, I LOVE eating it … but in my family no-one else likes eating around fish bones, so any fish I order, will be all mine to eat 🙂

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  4. Pingback: Friday’s Foods of the World: The Nashville Mall – ThatTravelLadyInHerShoes

  5. How Versatile your fish dishes are. I tend to cook it simply or have it raw/fresh. Now I know not to serve salmon if you visit for dinner! Beautiful photography of the dishes, Ju-Lyn!

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    1. Thanks Amanda! Calamari would be just fine for me!

      My Mom has the magic touch with most food. Funny thing is, she doesn’t particularly enjoy eating – she much prefers feeding Dad and the rest of us!

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  6. Nope to the fish head! I am not a big fish eater either………growing up in the Midwest, it was mostly meat and potatoes! Every once in a while we had fried perch, and I mostly liked the tartar sauce! I do eat salmon, and shrimp now though, but not much else…….I would like to try your moms dishes! They look yummy! Maybe I just don’t know how to prepare them and don’t have the access to the fresh fish as I would like! Cady

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    1. I hear you, Cady! Fresh fish to start is essential! But the preparation is also key (although Dad would say that with fresh fish, you could just have it steamed or grilled). I mostly just ate the sauce and the vegetables around fish dishes when I was growing up.

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    2. Interesting how this puts people off eating a dish. Having said that, I am not a fan of the pig’s heads roasting on the spit, or on a table with an apple?? in them as in some buffets.

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      1. Interesting! That reminds me of a dish here in the Philippines called sinigang, which one of the commenters mentioned.

        There’s a particular version of that sour broth dish called “sinigang sa miso,” with mustard leaves, tomatoes and fermented soybean. Definitely a delight to eat, if you have the patience to sift through the entire fish head though.

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        1. Sinigang sounds like something Dad would really love (and probably does, because he loves Filipino food). And I love fermented soybean! So I would very much eating everything around the fish head itself! which is what I do when mom makes her fishhead curries! (she keeps all the vegetables & gravy for me)

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        1. You guys are so cute!
          Best that way – sometimes we just have to do our own thing … no need to torture Our Other with things we love that they don’t!

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    1. Thank you for hosting us, Deb! I think many the fish head is enjoyed by quite. few Asian kitchens: Japanese, Indian, Singaporean … I do not belong to the Fishhead Lovers Club, though

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