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strong frozen flounder - how to cook

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I bought some frozen flounder filets on sale(a lot, unfortunately). My husband swears it's not flounder, and they are thick and really long for flounder. How can I cook it to disguise the fish smell it's not supposed to have, or should I just give it to the dog and cat? I do the white vinegar & water rinse, but that's not quite enough. Thanks

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  1. I haven't done this for a while, but if memory serves, poaching fish in seasoned milk keeps the smell down and gives the fish a somewhat milder flavour.

    4 Replies
    1. re: Colleen

      Would rice milk work?

      1. re: Sweet Pea

        No clue--never used it.

        It might--basically, you need something mild and soft, containing some fat for the liquid--the fat in the liquid should (operative word) attract and hold fat/oil from the fish--which is usually what smells so strongly of fish. The old principle of "like attracts like."

        Now that I think of it, poaching in coconut milk mixed with a little coconut cream might work (haven't tried it, but it's common) so why not rice milk?

        Really, though, don't know.

        1. re: Colleen

          In a similar vein, if poaching frozen fish, should one poach it frozen or thawed? Let the fish warm up with the poaching liquid, or add fish when liquid is simmering? Thanks.

          1. re: Elisa B.

            It really doesn't matter much--I've done it both ways. The beauty of poaching as a method of cooking fish is that it's very forgiving. Even if the fish gets a little overcooked, it's still nice and moist.

            The rule of thumb for cooking fish is 10 minutes per inch of thickness if fresh/thawed and 15 if frozen. As poaching is done at a lower temperature, it may take a little longer.

    2. well, i thought id heard that if it has a smell, its more than likely not good to eat?

      1. My wife recently thawed some Tilapia fillets, which I think have a strong fishy taste, I really never cared for it. I rinsed and dried the fillets, coated them with cornstarch, then fried them over a high heat in a saute pan with vegetable oil and hot chili oil. They came out a golden brown with a reddish tint, moist on the inside and crispy on the outside. I served it with steamed rice and stir-fried vegetables. We had a delicious and healthy meal that didn't have that fish taste. I believe that the hot chili oil mixed with the cooking oil is what did it, give it a try.

        3 Replies
        1. re: powillie

          Tilapia has one of the highest fat contents of any fish in the market; it's not a "healthy meal"

          1. re: todao

            Then why does my doctor have me take a fish oil capsule daily?

            1. re: todao



              I believe you are referring to tilapia's "fatty acid" content (and specifically it's ratio of Omega3 v. Omega 6) and not its dietary fat content, right?

              Tilapia is actually quite lean, esp. compared to fattier fish like salmon and mackeral.

              There has been some controversy over tilapia's fatty acid content esp. as it relates to the unfavorable Omega 6 fatty acids but I don't believe anyone has said that tliapia is a fatty fish like salmon.