Coley - what does it taste like?

Spirit_2

Today I bought coley which I have never cooked before. I bought one large fillet and there is loads of it. I cut a piece off and poached it together with some smoked haddock in milk and made a lemon and black pepper sauce. It was fine but the flavour of the smoked fish dominated so not sure I really got the taste of coley.

I am cooking lunch and taking it round to some elderly neighbours tomorrow I planned to cook the coley, which is why I tried it today so I would know what it was like. Except because of teh smoked flavour I am no wiser.


Can any old stylers offer an opinion.

I want it to be tasty our neighbours usually have frozen meals delivered in (they are in their 80's & have reducing health/mobility after a very outdoorsy /grow your own life). They have been a bit down recently, one hospitalised until Tues, so another neighbour and I are cooking for them once a week each so that they get fresh food and know we care.

Chi-me

Coley is a lovely, delicately flavoured fish, not unlike very mild cod but in texture its finer. It's wonderful crumbed or with a parsley sauce.

happilymarried2013

Its lovely and light - just like normal white fish.


Try it with parsley sauce and new potatoes, or make fish cakes with it, Or as a white fish in fish pie.


Hmm.. hungry now.
OP - its nice to hear that neighbourly friendliness still exists.

Spirit_2

Thanks.

I will buy some parsley.:)

I have new potatoes and broccoli and green beans so it sounds quite straight forward.

Steve059

IMHO, coley is a very under-rated white fish. It used to be very cheap and usually sold for feeding to cats. My grandmother and mother always said that it was far too good for the cats so we had it instead. I remember it baked in the oven, in a sauce made from Campbells condensed mushroom soup.

Butterfly_Brain

It is lovely to hear that you and another neighbour are helping.

coley is nice with a butter sauce or parsley sauce, i usually use coley in a fish pie with a few mushrooms and sweetcorn plus a handful of prawns or chopped seafood sticks when i am on a tight budget and it is very tasty

Spirit_2

Steve059 wrote: »

IMHO, coley is a very under-rated white fish. It used to be very cheap and usually sold for feeding to cats. My grandmother and mother always said that it was far too good for the cats and we had it instead. I remember it baked in the oven, in a sauce made from Campbells condensed mushroom soup.

The fishmonger suggested it today and pointed out it that the fillet was a lot less than the price of the cod loin I was looking at. I think it was about £8.50/kilo.

So MSE too.

Spirit_2

Cooked lunch and it was fine. As suggested with parsley sauce.

The coley was quite delicate, not as firm as cod and not as bright white fleshed when cooked.

I will definitely buy it again. It was very good value.

marco1dog

I was once in Asda waiting to pay for a big load of Coley bags of fish. A woman asked me what does it taste like. I had to answer I have no idea as I hate fish and this is for my cat. He would only eat Coley. She looked at me as if I was stupid. He was worth every penny. Best cat in the world and died aged 17. He had colitis and the vet suggested fish.

A.Penny.Saved

Has anyone tried Basa? It's quite inexpensive and available for a couple of quid from Aldi. For me, it was eatable but there was not that much taste to it. You could always feed the cat if you don't like it. lol

Butterfly_Brain

I like basa done on the bbq with lemon butter or garlic butter