I just had hypnotherapy for my seafood aversion and it's working! What should I try?

[grace0418]

I've always wanted to like seafood but for some reason that I couldn't explain I just didn't. It never made any sense to me because I'm really into cooking and ethnic cuisine of all varieties, I love to try new things, and when I look at a well-prepared seafood dish I think it *looks* delicious. I am tired of missing out when we travel or when I go out to eat with my husband and his family (they are Asian and absolutely adore seafood).

The therapist was very nice and thought she could help me. We went over a list of possible reasons (i.e. was a texture thing, a visual, a bad memory, the smell, etc.) and she was pretty convinced it was a mental block because all varieties of seafood do not taste the same, so it wouldn't be a matter of pure taste.

The hypnosis itself was pretty wonderful, very calming and felt almost like getting a brain massage. I was aware the whole time, but definitely in another mental state. It was a very cool experience.

When it was over she gave me a cd of our session to listen to over the next couple of weeks. Because it's a pretty challenging aversion she thinks it may take another session, but so far I think it just may work. I decided to start basic. I stopped by a local sandwich shop and ordered a fish sandwich. This shop is very good with light crispy fried coating, not the healthiest thing in the world but I figured it would be a mild way to start.

The first bite was a bit disappointing. I felt a bit of the same aversion I always do, but not as strong. So I tried a second bite. That bite was not so bad. Before long I was actually enjoying the sandwich immensely! I am so excited!

I want to try something saucy next, maybe some of my favorite curry that I usually get with chicken or tofu, I'll try with fish next time. Seafood lovers, what should I try? I've tried almost everything in the past from sushi to mussels to lobster to scallops, but my culinary world is about to open up and I don't know where to start!

:hi:

[old mark]

1. Shrimp, really big ones, grilled with butter. nt

[grace0418]

5. Shrimp is one of the few that I actually had a visual aversion to, along with oysters.

I may have to work up to those. I suppose big ones would be better, especially if they've already been cleaned. My husband's family love to put whole shrimp things, complete with heads and legs. That still gets to me a little bit.

And oysters look like snot.

[old mark]

41. I love sea food, and oysters look like snot to me, too - and to every

right thinking American.

You are cured.

Shrimp look a lot better without the heads and stuff.....

mark

[Louisiana1976]

2. Peel-and-eat shrimp (you can dip them in cocktail sauce.)

[valerief]

3. Scallops in butter and garlic. Yum!!!!! nt

[grace0418]

4. Seared scallops have always looked amazing to me. I'm very excited to try them now.

I think I'm definitely going to try them in Hawaii when we go.

[Arugula Latte]

19. I was going to say scallops, too.

No bones to worry about, and they're very mild.

On edit: When you're in Hawaii, try some Ono fish -- a local favorite. The texture is similar to Albacore tuna, and it has a slightly sweet taste.

[AsahinaKimi]

6. dungeness crab

[lunatica]

7. Broiled Salmon with melted garlic butter and lemon juice

And if you start to really like seafood go to a seafood restaurant and get yourself fresh dungeness crab during the season, the kind you have to dig out of the shell, dipped in melted butter. Steamed clams with melted butter steamed in a garlic concoction with sourdough bread can make you swoon if you develop a taste for it.

[grace0418]

9. I love broiled/grilled/seared foods. Anything with char marks. YUM!

Hmmm, we recently had an amazing meal and my husband ordered mussels in white wine/garlic sauce. He said it was fantastic. I may have to try that.

[lunatica]

15. Try broiled swordfish

If you loved anything charred, you'll love swordfish. Good white meat.

Hallibut is great too. White flacky meat, and is also very good in parbroiled with whole black peppers and bay leaf and then smothered in creamed spinach sauce in a small shallow baking dish and baked. put some lemon juice on it and yum!

[grace0418]

16. You know, I had some swordfish this summer and didn't hate it. I was at my cousin's house

and didn't want to be rude so I ate what she put on my plate. So I'm thinking if I didn't hate it before, I may love it now.

That recipe sounds great, I may have to make that for my husband. What do you think of tilapia? We usually keep frozen filets of it around and he steams it with a Chinese black bean sauce. But I wonder if it would work with that creamed spinach sauce as well.

[cherokeeprogressive]

28. I like my swordfish grilled.

Put it on the grill over medium/high heat for about ten minutes per side for steaks 1" thick. A little longer if it's thicker than that, less if it's less than 1". Don't turn it over more than once, or it will flake apart. Use a steel spatula to turn it over. While it's on the grill, drizzle a little teriyaki on it once in a while.

[dropkickpa]

58. Oooo, I LOVE mussels in white wine & garlic sauce!!

Go for it!!!

[david13]

8. Trout, don't forget trout. Cod, tuna, salmon, you name it, it's good stuff. dc

Even the part that ain't kosher.
dc

[grace0418]

11. Trout. Hmmm. Thanks. I hadn't thought of that one, but the idea of trout cooked

over a wood fire in an iron skillet sure sounds appealing.

[Capn Sunshine]

10. a 1 in thick Ahi Steak, charbroiled

mmmm-mmmmm-mmmmm.

[NightWatcher]

12. if you can eat a dozen raw oysters, you are cured

on a saltine cracker with cocktail sauce and a dab of horseradish

[grace0418]

13. LOL! Not sure if I'm there yet. I may have to work up to oysters.

They are one of the few types of seafood that actually grossed me out on sight. Everything else looks delicious.

[NightWatcher]

14. please dont start with oysters. try them after you think you're ready

then go to Acme Oyster House in NOLA for a treat

[grace0418]

17. I won't, don't worry. I started with a fried fish filet sandwich. I haven't even taken

the training wheels off yet. :)

[david13]

21. Acme House. Isn't that where the Coyote eats? dc

[flvegan]

18. Saucy? Find a GOOD place that serves Seafood Newburg.

I can admit that I do miss that. And swordfish. And fish 'n chips (preferably w/haddock).

[grace0418]

20. Thanks! What's in the sauce?

It must be good if you still miss it! Of course, my brother has been vegetarian for 30 years and still misses grilled sausage of all things.

[flvegan]

23. Some places make it slightly differently.

It's a thick, heavy cream sauce. I think there's butter and wine in it as well. The last time I had it down on Cape Cod, I swear there was cheese infused in it. It's poured over scallops, lobster and chunks of cubed fish.

Yeah, I don't miss all seafood, just those mentioned. Which is odd as most vegans miss cheese the most, but for me it's a few types of seafood. I'm weird.

[grace0418]

25. You're not weird. You like what you like. Cheese is the single reason why I could never

become a vegan actually, so I can understand that. But if seafood was your thing, then it would definitely be hard to leave behind. Cheese is one of my favorite foods in the world. Not in huge quantities. I hate pizza that has gobs of cheese or sandwiches that have slice after slice. But a few slices of really nice cheese with an apple and some walnuts, oh that's a favorite of mine.

Now cream sauce I can only handle in moderation. But I'm sure if it's done well it's delicious.

[Ikonoklast]

22. You must try some crab cakes. Yummy!

After reading all the other posts, now I want some seafood something fierce, dammit.

[AsahinaKimi]

24. Try some Sushi and Sashimi

Saba= Mackerel
Tamagao= Chicken egg(cooked)
maguro = Tuna
Ebi = Shrimp
Unagai = cooked eel
Hamachi = Yellow tail
Sake = Salmon
Ama Ebi = Sweet prawns
Kani = cooked crab
Tobiko =flying fish roe
Ikura = Salmon roe
Uni = Sea urchin
Tai = Snapper
Masago = Smelt roe
Kappa maki = Cucumber rolls
Tekka Maki = Tuna rolls
Inari = tofu with rice

[grace0418]

26. I am soooooo looking forward to that. We have an AMAZING Japanese restaurant

in our neighborhood. I always order the vegetarian sushi and other dishes (noodles, goma-ae, soup, tempura) but I am dying to enjoy the actual sushi and sashimi. I love everything about it, the presentation, the sauces, the wasabi, the ginger...YUM!

[TommyO]

42. Thanks, now I have to head out for sushi for lunch!

[LeftyMom]

27. That shit's bad for you, and the oceans are a fucking disaster.

Best not to get in the habit.

[grace0418]

29. Thanks.

...Oy vey, forget it.

[david13]

30. One other, important. I don't know how far you are from fishing areas,

ponds, lakes, oceans, rivers, etc. but fish, caught by yourself, and cooked over a campfire, or cookstove, or even rv stove, tastes much better.
dc

[kwassa]

31. Try ethnic seafood, too. Mexican and Thai dishes.

both have been great.

prawns with lime and chili garlic.



and since I am from Maryland, the crab feast is all important

[grace0418]

34. Oh definitely. Thai food is one of my favorite cuisines. I can't wait to try all the

stuff I've been missing. My husband orders this catfish curry that looks so delicious, I can't wait to try it. I love Mexican food as well. Actually, it's funny how many ingredients are shared by both cuisines: chilis, lime, coconut, cilantro...mmmmm!

[david13]

35. Oh, just watch out on that Mexican food. Pescado entero, you do not

want that. Do not get it, or your whole program will be out the window.
dc

[grace0418]

36. Well, I've been with my husband for over 20 years now, and his family cooks some

HARD CORE food. Not just seafood, either. I don't get skeeved out by much anymore, if that's what you mean. :)

[david13]

37. Entire fish, tail, head, and all, with the eye looking up at you? dc

[grace0418]

38. They serve that kind of thing aaaalllll the time. Doesn't bother me. I'm not saying that

I ate it, because I just generally didn't like seafood, but it didn't bother me. It's no grosser than a whole pig (which Filipinos also have at big parties), and only slightly grosser than a Thanksgiving turkey (since you don't have to look at the head). That's why my seafood aversion made no sense to me. I'm a pretty adventurous eater and not too much grosses me out.

You know I think even oysters wouldn't gross me out so much if I didn't know that sometimes you get sand/grit when you eat one. I think the combination of the mucous texture of the oyster with the possibility of grit is what sends me over the edge. I hate grit. I spend ages washing my veggies from the farmer's market because I hate grit so much.

[david13]

47. Ok. Myself, I don't mind seafood, I like it, but anything, goats head or

anything like that, like the fish, I don't like to look at a thing looking at me while I am eating it.
dc

[grace0418]

48. You like seafood but not see-food.

Sorry, I had to do it. :)

[Demoiselle]

32. Dover Sole, pan fried with a beurre blanc, is the best food in the world.

...Easier to come by if you're in England, though.

[DU GrovelBot]

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[elleng]

39. So you've considered 'fish' to be seafood, too, eh?

I like fish, and LOVE seafood. Have no particular suggestions, but sympathize with you and wish you luck!

[grace0418]

44. That's exactly why I knew it was some kind of silly mental block and not an actual

problem with taste. All fish doesn't taste the same, and certainly doesn't taste the same as crab, lobster, mussels, etc.

Thanks for the wishes! I'm very excited. I haven't tried anything else besides the fish sandwich, but I might order some Thai food for dinner and test my hypnotherapy.

[proteus_lives]

40. King Crab and Lobster Bisque!

LB is delicious!

[RebelOne]

43. That is my suggestion. But try Alaskan King Crab legs.

Also, there is nothing better than stone crabs. They even taste great eaten cold.

[grace0418]

45. I made lobster bisque once. When I was in college I visited my brother and his

family over Xmas. He was very broke at the time but wanted to make the holidays special for everyone. Since he doesn't eat red or white meat, he bought lobsters for everyone. Which of course was very sweet because I know how much those cost. I choked down my lobster the best I could, but he eventually realized that I don't like it. I felt so bad, but we had a good laugh over it.

The next day I made lobster bisque with the leftovers and it was apparently delicious!

[Dogtown]

46. Sorry!

Post was too mean. Sorry, Dogtown's a little high is all...

[grace0418]

49. I missed it.

But thanks for deleting it. I already got one nasty, unnecessary comment upthread a ways. :hi:

[Dogtown]

50. Glad my conscience was quick then...

:blush:

[grace0418]

51. No worries.

I appreciate your acknowledgment. :hug:

[Kali]

52. this thread is MEAN!

stuck in the middle of the desert and LOVE seafood (also broke doesn't help)

DROOL....

[grace0418]

53. Sorry Kali.

At least you didn't have to get $$$ hypnotherapy to enjoy it! :)

[astral]

54. That is so interesting that you did that.

Seafood is SUCH a big category. I like seafood too, but there are many things I would rather die than try! I love salmon but not every kind of salmon. I like shrimp and prawns, and love crab but not that crazy about spider crabs and them things. Scallops are good if they're real, but I understand for most of us they could be cookie-cutter skatemeat labeled as scallops and we wouldn't know the difference.

That other stuff --- well, sushi if it's fish, and I can handle some salmon eggs and seaweed.

Seaweed is definitely seafood. Try some dulse mixed in with your rice.

Keep us posted! (And make sure you find out for sure you're not allergic to any of it before you dive in head-first! There could possibly be a logical reason why you don't like it in the first place.)

[grace0418]

59. Thanks! I've *tried* just about every kind of seafood imaginable. So I know I'm not allergic.

I just didn't like it before. I even spent a few weeks in Japan and ate absolutely everything that was offered. Some stuff was much more enjoyable than others, but I put on a brave face for everything. Here at home I've eaten salmon, calamari, tuna steak, scallops, lobster, crab, swordfish, caviar, catfish, trout, halibut, shrimp, various white fish, sushi and sashimi of all variety...and more. I don't expect to like everything but I'm hoping to like enough that I can enjoy traveling more and dinners with my in-laws more.

Seaweed I've never minded in small quantities. I think I'll probably like it even more now.

[SoCalDem]

55. shrimp cocktail..then lobster

:)

[Mopar151]

56. seafood Jambalaya n/t

[Mopar151]

57. Best Boston/NH seafood joints

Best cheap place: http://www.tinkersseafood.com/index.html

Best mid-price: http://www.newicks.com/index.html The lobster boats tie up out back in Dover!

Gold standard ; http://www.legalseafoods.com/ Everything on the plate rules!

In a class all it's own: http://www.nonamerestaurant.com/

[grace0418]

60. Oh, thanks! I will have to bookmark this one!

We've been wanting to take a trip to the east coast.