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Food writer Lindsey Nair

• lindsey.nair@roanoke.com | (540) 981-3343

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When I was a kid living in Leadville, Colo., my father caught fresh trout and Mom fried them up for dinner and served them head-on.

My favorite part of these dinners was extracting and eating the fish cheeks, those tiny, white disks of boneless fish. That was the beginning of my affinity for fish and seafood of all kinds.

For my sister, on the other hand, I suspect those meals were utterly horrifying. She hated fish, and I was the irritating little sister who flicked fish parts across the table at her.

She went on to like some forms of seafood, but she took a long time to get over her disgust for fish. She still wouldn't call herself a fish lover, and I know she's not alone.

"A lot of people don't like fish; don't even want fish cooked in their house because they don't like the smell of it," said Jeff Bland, a chef who works for U.S. Food Service.

Even those who do love fish sometimes have trouble incorporating it into their diets because it can be expensive, and that's a real shame because fish is widely thought of as "brain food."

It also should be known as a heart food. According to the American Heart Association, fish -- with its high levels of omega-3 fatty acids, polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat -- can reduce the risk of coronary disease. The AHA recommends eating at least two servings of fish per week, especially fattier varieties such as salmon, mackerel, herring, lake trout and albacore tuna.

But there's also nothing wrong with eating lighter fish such as flounder, snapper or tilapia, especially if you're not a big fan of fish. Those less oily species tend to be milder and will take on the flavor of other ingredients without overwhelming them.

"A white fish is like a blank canvas," Bland said.

Fish for every budget

The chefs and fishmonger I talked to for this article all agree on one main point: The fresher the fish, the better it will taste.

If you think fresh fish is too expensive, consider this: Different varieties of fish come into season in Virginia at different times, and just as produce prices drop when a fruit or vegetable is in season, fish can be more affordable at the right time.

Andrew Skelton, owner of Capt'n Paul's Seafood in Salem, suggests keeping an eye on your favorite fish counter and inquiring about the day's best deals.

He said he suspects that many customers look at the price per pound on fresh fish and assume they will get only one serving for that price. Sometimes that's true; other times you might be surprised at what you can get if you let the clerk weigh a portion. Don't be afraid to ask.

Just about any time of year, he said, a family of four can eat tilapia or salmon for less than $20. Another affordable option is catfish. And, generally speaking, farmed fish is always less expensive than its wild-caught counterpart.

But not every family can buy fresh fish twice, or even once, a week.

"For people that are on a budget, there is absolutely nothing wrong with frozen fish," Bland said. "The majority of the time, a frozen fish product is caught out in the ocean and is frozen on the boat. It is oftentimes fresher than the fresh fish."

But be wary of thawing and refreezing fish. The box on Page 1 has tips for buying and handling fresh and frozen fish.

Finally, there's a reason canned tuna is the No. 1 selling seafood product in America: It's cheap, it stays good in the can for a long time and it is already cooked. Other good canned products include salmon and clams.

Your grandmother might have known how to make only tuna casserole or basic tuna salad from canned tuna, but these days, the possibilities are so much broader.

Let's take a look at some cooking options for fresh, frozen or canned products.

Possibilities abound

Stephen Foster Sr. has been cooking a wide variety of fish and seafood for almost 25 years at his Roanoke restaurant, Stephen's.

He's prepared everything from the mildest, flakiest fish to the firmest, steakiest fish.

"There are so many different opportunities with fish, it's unbelievable," he said.

Fish can be baked, broiled, pan-fried, deep-fried, sauteed, poached, grilled or served raw (and I'm probably forgetting a cooking method). In seviche, a Latin American dish, the acid in the lime or lemon juice actually "cooks" the fish as it marinates.

That should tell you something: Fish is very delicate and can be easily overcooked. Bland and Foster both said that's the No. 1 mistake home cooks make when cooking fish.

A fresh fish product that is undercooked is far less likely to sicken you than spoiled fish. Many Americans have come to prefer species such as tuna or salmon served medium rare, which Foster said is his standard way of cooking tuna at the restaurant.

Bland pointed out that fish will continue to cook after it is removed from a heat source, much like eggs or other meats. Factor in that carry-over cooking time when you are preparing a fish recipe.

Beginners may do well to begin with an inexpensive fish such as tilapia, because it would sicken most people to ruin a pricey piece of fish. From there, move on to salmon, which is easy to cook and highly palatable. Bland suggests pairing orange with salmon in the form of a glaze or sauce.

"Every time I have done salmon with orange sauce, everyone has just been like, 'This is the best fish I have ever had,' " he said.

Turn canned salmon into salmon cakes, or blend a small can with cream cheese, lemon juice and fresh, minced dill for a delicious cheese ball.

Dress up tuna salad by giving it a Mediterranean or an Asian flair. Pile it on toast or English muffins, top with cheese and broil until bubbly for a quick, easy tuna melt supper.

Canned clams can be incorporated into homemade chowder or used to create a delicious Italian dish, linguine with clam sauce.

One of my favorite summer dishes is tuna salad nicoise, made with canned albacore tuna, red potatoes, green beans and olives. If the veggies are coming from your own garden, the price tag on this meal is extremely low.

I know that some folks will read this column and think, "There's still no way I'm eating fish." And that's OK, because we all have personal preferences. But if you are on the fence about fish, take some consolation from my sister.

Her husband found a Giada Di Laurentiis salmon recipe that Kim now "craves like chocolate cake," she said. Instead of whining that it's fish-for-dinner night, she actually requests that her husband make salmon.

Have aliens taken over my sister's body? Possibly.

But I think it's more likely that she just succumbed to the many wonders of one of our planet's finest foods.