First, of course, there's the question of eating wild fish. Frankly I see nothing wrong with this while I do find catch-and-release as too often practiced to excess, a major scam. This last relates to the bogus nature of the death rate on released fish.
Part of my preference for wild fish has to do with taste and texture. My wife and I both adore abalone, but find aquaculture abalone lacking in texture. Such also seems the case for farm-reared Atlantic salmon, trout and a number of other species. "Truck" trout are a particular case in point as their white soft flesh sticks to their bones. We smoke the ones we catch and give them away.
Seasons count too. A crab caught in the winter at the top of the season is a treat. Those held in cages to waste away lose their taste and texture. Salmon taken from the ocean are far better than those taken upsteam on spawning runs. Shellfish in cold water in the cold season peaks; where red tides are a problem warm weather shellfish can make you sick.
Species count too. Some saltwater species offer exotic toxins and other problems.
Size is important. All other things equal, a smaller fish tastes better and, as it's normally younger, offers fewer PCBs.
Time and temperature also matter. Fresh is always best, save for moon snails with textures that improve with freezing. Hold fish on ice between catch and cook and you improve things.
OK, given all this, what are our top five fish and preparations?
What are our ten choices?
Freshwater: An eight- to nine-inch long brook trout taken from a cold stream OR a channel catfish under three pounds from a cold river. As a close alternative, a nice crappie from a cold stream works.
Saltwater: Pompano just from the surf OR fillets of eight- to 15-pound salmon planked OR sand dabs in Monterey.
Shellfish: Two- to three-pound pound lobsters just off the boat in some place like Boothbay Harbor OR Dungeness crabs from cold water from December until March. Either Monterey shrimp - the eight-inch ones - or Adraitic
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