What's the best type of fish?

Crohn's Disease Forum

Help Support Crohn's Disease Forum:

Cat-a-Tonic

Cat-a-Tonic

Super Moderator
Joined
May 5, 2010
Messages
10,627
As far as stuff like containing omega 3s and being low in mercury and easiest on the gut, anybody know if there's a type of fish that's best? I love fish and eat it often, and as long as it's not fried I haven't had a problem with any type of fish. But I'm wondering if some types are better than others? I usually go for farm-raised catfish because it's really tasty, but I know that catfish are bottom-feeders and even the farm-raised ones are probably eating a fair amount of garbage. So I've been trying to do more salmon but I don't really know if that's much better for me. Anybody know what the best types of fish are?
 
afman said:
salmon are good for you or trout
Click to expand...

Love salmon, it's my favorite. We get lots of wild salmon here in Seattle, it's a bit heretical to say so, but I actually prefer the flavor of the farm raised stuff, because it's so deliciously fatty! I usually just saute a ~7 oz piece on all 4 sides in a bit of olive oil.

I think I'll have some tonight!

I also love sushi, with salmon, tuna, etc., though I'm still not 100% sure eating raw fish is such a great idea! :lol2:
 
Yes, salmon and trout both have low mercury content. Sometimes, it depends on the region and waters the fish are caught in, but generally, salmon, freshwater trout, sea bass, sardines, tiliapia, sole, and flounder are in the low mercury category. There is some controversy around tuna---certain types of tuna contain larger amounts of mercury than others. Ahi, mackerel, swordfish all contain higher amounts of mercury.

David, I'm with you on sushi, although I've been missing it since I've been in a flare for the same reason as you: not 100% sure about eating raw fish!

Kismet
 
glum chump said:
Yes, salmon and trout both have low mercury content. Sometimes, it depends on the region and waters the fish are caught in, but generally, salmon, freshwater trout, sea bass, sardines, tiliapia, sole, and flounder are in the low mercury category. There is some controversy around tuna---certain types of tuna contain larger amounts of mercury than others. Ahi, mackerel, swordfish all contain higher amounts of mercury.

David, I'm with you on sushi, although I've been missing it since I've been in a flare for the same reason as you: not 100% sure about eating raw fish!

Kismet
Click to expand...

Correct about the mercury. Here's a good US EPA page on it http://water.epa.gov/scitech/swguidance/fishshellfish/outreach/advice_index.cfm

BTW Kismet, where abouts are you in BC?
 
I'm in Victoria, David. And getting excited about halibut season so that I can buy the fish from local commercial fishers!

Kismet
 
I hate fish, I wished I liked it but only 3 fish I will eat, halibut, pickerel and grouper. Salmon makes me ill.. Fish Pills anyone lol.
 
glum chump said:
I'm in Victoria, David. And getting excited about halibut season so that I can buy the fish from local commercial fishers!

Kismet
Click to expand...

Haven't yet been to Victoria, though I've been to Vancouver several times. Great city.

The halibut right off the boat sounds terrific!
 
Alaska has some of the best seafood in the world. I have a very touchy stomach so I'll list the ones that do not bother me: salmon, halibut, herring, pike, and trout.
 
AndiGirl said:
Alaska has some of the best seafood in the world. I have a very touchy stomach so I'll list the ones that do not bother me: salmon, halibut, herring, pike, and trout.
Click to expand...

Andi - What about these guys:

king crab.jpg

The Dungeness crab down here isn't quite as impressive size wise as is Alaskan King, but it sure is yummy. Soooo sweet! And very sustainable, too.
 
Last edited:
You're right! Washington is our fishing rival. Hehe! We do get Dungeness crab also, and opellio. You're making me hungry, David!
 
I hope you got crab for dinner last night, Cat!

David, taking the Victoria Clipper from Seattle to downtown Victoria is easy and inexpensive, and a beautiful ferry ride. If you get a chance, you should really take the ferry over to Victoria (they have a decent duty free shop onboard, as well). Word of warning: Victoria is quite small compared to Vancouver!

Kismet
 
I eat sushi at least once a week. Can't live without it!

I love salmon and it's highly anti-inflammatory. Fish that are NOT good for me are steak fish like swordfish and mahi mahi. They are too greasy/fatty. Sea bass is also on my do not list, as well as perch for some weird reason!

-Amy
 
Isn't canned salmon supposed to be surprisingly good for you (considering it's canned)? I use it to make salmon patties. Yum.
 
Like tuna, the process removes half the omega-3 out of it, and its salted, so in that respect its not as good for you as fresh salmon. But ive heard its good for calcium as it still has the bones in (which you eat).
 
rygon said:
Like tuna, the process removes half the omega-3 out of it, and its salted, so in that respect its not as good for you as fresh salmon. But ive heard its good for calcium as it still has the bones in (which you eat).
Click to expand...

My mother used to make patties from canned salmon way-back-when. They were actually pretty good, as I recall. Yup, the salmon contained the bones (including vertebrae), which after canning were easily eaten. Kinda freaky when you 1st see it, though...
 
I used jarred red salmon to make a special dip. I just mix it with cream cheese. People in my family are always requesting it and it never lasts. I usually put some of the dip on bread and take it work for a sandwich. It's very filling.
 
I do like my Tiger prawns as well. Loads of peppercorns dried fried and crushed, bit of sweet soy sauce and normal soy sauce makes a great dressing for them
 
It seems like I was surprised to read canned salmon had very little dangerous stuff in it but I could be wrong on all that. I only remember because usually canned stuff is anathema.

Anyway, Andi, I make something like that too. I spread mine in canned crescent roll dough, roll it all up and cook. Really bad for you but really good. Easy on my digestion though.
 
I would like to get that recipe from you, Cloudy if you don't mind. If you want, you can click on Andigirl and leave it in my message space. It sounds delicious, and salmon is one of the foods that agrees with my troublesome gut.
 
Cloudy, that sound delish!!

I can eat salmon fine, but salmon cakes, even from fresh salmon, destroy me. WTF? Maybe it's the frying that does it.... Too bad because I love salmon cakes and I have about ten of them in my freezer right now!!!
 
@ameslouise Try baking the cakes on a baking sheet sprayed with Pam. They'll still need to be turned. Not exactly the same as frying but I make a few things that way to avoid potential grease attack. Actually I bake "fried" chicken by coating the chicken pieces with yogurt and then rolling in Italian style bread crumbs. Makes a crunchy crust and stays moist.

Lilly
 
That recipe sounds great, cloudy, I can't wait to try it myself! I generally avoid dairy but cream cheese doesn't seem to cause me too many problems (I made cream cheese cookies at xmas time and they went down fine).

Amy - Glad to hear someone still eats sushi, I haven't been brave enough since I've been ill to eat any. I used to eat sushi frequently before I got sick, but I've been afraid to have it now that my stomach has been so iffy. I'm afraid of a foodborne illness from the raw fish, I'm afraid the wasabi will upset me (I don't do well with anything hot or spicy), and I could swear I read somewhere that the seaweed/nori used in sushi rolls is hard to digest. Have you had any troubles with digesting the nori?

The other problem is that I live in WI - not exactly close to the ocean on either side - so I know it's probably impossible that the fish in the sushi around here is totally fresh. I've got a friend who lives in Tokyo and he's said that if I ever want to come visit he'll take me out for some incredibly fresh sushi. I'd take him up on that for sure, but I'm so leary of sushi here in the states, especially in landlocked states like WI (the Great Lakes don't count, ha ha).
 
Cat, I live in Missouri and perfectly understand your sushi concerns, lol. I've never tried it, even when I lived in Florida, but I'm certainly NOT going to try it here, thousands of miles away from the sea.
 
Oily cold water fish like wild salmon and wild trout are best.

Best to avoid farmed fish:

http://www.epha.org/a/991

I take a supplement called V-Pure. It is a vegan Omega 3 EPA and DHA supplement.

I can't eat any animal flesh, as it gives me pain and flares me up.

I miss eating fish & chips, but my bowels don't.
 
I absolutely HAVE to recommend you try Seabream. It is oily, white fish and when lightly fried in water (not oil) it tastes rather like heaven! :)

Enjoy! xxx
 
For anyone interested there is a great app for your phone or "mobile device" as they are calling it now...its made by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation, Monterey Ca. It's called 'Seafood Watch' and its a very effective tool when you shop for seafood to learn about what to buy and what not to buy; not just because of health risks either, but the way the seafood is farmed and what impact that farming has on the environment. I use it on my Palm Pre a lot when shopping for fish, fresh or frozen. I think it mainly covers the North American Continent only though.
 
I was advised that the oily fish are best when having a flare up and, as we enjoy the likes of herring, sardines and mackerel over here, I have stocked up my cupboard with a variety of tinned fish.
Fortunately there is a shop near me that has Herring in all sort of sauces like dill & mustard, bbq, pepper etc and they last a long time tinned :D

I usually eat the whole tin ( it's not that big ) with some cous cous and so far it seems to 'slide on down' quite well :ytongue:
 
I read that you should avoid tinned fish, if possible.

It lacks the Omega 3 fatty acids and it also loses a lot of its nutritional value. Tinned tuna contains a mere fraction of the Omega 3 fatty acids found in fresh and its the same with all tinned fish.

xxx
 
Last edited:
Ooh, thanks. I'll look into that. I must admit, I was eating it for the oily nature so as not to 'scrape' on my colon rather than the Omega 3 which I try to keep up in my general diet. I love shellfish but they're not as oily.
 
If you don't mind a very strong fishy-fish, go with Spanish Mackarel, it has the highest concentration of omega-3 fats out there.

Careful with farm-raised salmon, it appears their omega-3 fats have been reduced.
 
Soiled - how strong/fishy is Spanich mackerel? I like most fish but I don't like things like anchovies, too strong of a flavor for me. I can handle things like sardines though. How does Spanish mackerel compare to anchovies or sardines?
 
Spanish Mackerel is absolutely delicious! It is very moist and oily but the taste is subtle. Because there is so much oil n mackerel, as you chew threw the fish flesh, the flesh just breaks apart it is so tender and the oil squeezes out. mmm... Absolutely heavenly! :) Anchovies are very salty and they are over powering.

Spanish Mackerel is nothing like sardines either. Sardines to me can taste (not meaning to sound snobby) not as rich and up market as mackerel. Spanish Mackerel just tastes expensive, even though it isn't! Sardines the flesh is also much tougher and the fish oil doesn't have the same soft taste, smooth as mackerel, it is more of a harsh taste in sardines. In my opinion mackerel is soooooo much better! :award2:

If you want to know what Spanish Mackerel tastes like, smell it, it tastes as it smells, but without the mouth watering textures. :thumright:

Enjoy!
:ybiggrin:
xxx
 
Last edited:
never tried seabream but have heard of it,salmon and trout are very tasty,ive just started eating a fish called mahi mahi and talipa.all foreign fish by account but tasty.hake and ******* are nice too,
 
Cool about fish

Well, I'm new to the forum, and I'm happy to see there are no negative lists. I am finicky about fish; I can't imagine eating anything from the sea from a can.
Not much talk about my favorite; seared Tuna with crushed peppercorns, sea or kosher salt, basically warm-raw, thinly sliced and dipped in Hoisan sauce or low-sodium soy sauce.

But, I really came here to see if there are any bad experiences I should avoid. If you have advice on this subject, I would much appreciate it.
Warm Regards,
Chris
 
lynx said:
For anyone interested there is a great app for your phone or "mobile device" as they are calling it now...its made by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation, Monterey Ca. It's called 'Seafood Watch' and its a very effective tool when you shop for seafood to learn about what to buy and what not to buy; not just because of health risks either, but the way the seafood is farmed and what impact that farming has on the environment. I use it on my Palm Pre a lot when shopping for fish, fresh or frozen. I think it mainly covers the North American Continent only though.
Click to expand...

Awesome! I just got it, thanks for sharing :)
 
Heidi, how disgusting! Every time I look at this thread it makes me hungry - up until now! Yuck, I hope you took it back and complained - or at least never ate there again!

Fortunately I don't have any bad fish stories like that one. The worst one I can think of is that when I was 20, we went on vacation to Germany for a couple of weeks. During one of the first days of our trip, we went out for seafood and my mom got a swordfish steak. One bite and ow! She broke a tooth on it! Apparently it wasn't really the fish's fault, my mom has weak teeth and this one just happened to break then and there. Fortunately it didn't hurt much and she was able to enjoy the rest of the trip and got her tooth fixed when we got back home.
 
Too right I took the fishy back! The guy who sold it to me was mortified, how could it have been missed as he was battering the fish, the fact that it was full of blood? He must have been on autopilot I reckon! ;) No, I never ate there again!

Losing a tooth to a fishy is pretty awful. Your poor mum. I bet she was devastated, I know I would have been!

xxx
 

Similar threads

Papantoine
Neglect?
Replies
0
Views
286
Papantoine
Papantoine
RoyW
My tips /advice after being in remission for 10y
Replies
6
Views
6K
Cliffandmorgane
C
D
Questions to ask GI
Replies
21
Views
13K
dynamo83
D
M
NEW TO CROHNS FORUM
Replies
14
Views
2K
Monet Janet
M
I
Fistulas, setons, discharge and how to better manage/control the impact on my daily life
Replies
2
Views
1K
DCCrohns
DCCrohns

Latest posts

Back
Top