Finfish Entrées

The most fundamental change on New Orleans menus during my years of covering restaurants was in the fish department. Until the mid-1980s, speckled trout was the default fish everywhere. Also commonly available were pompano, redfish, flounder, and catfish. And that was really about it.

Then the market changed. The blackened redfish craze decimated that species. Trout became scarce, too. Restaurants began resorting to fish only fishermen know about. This meant not only introducing customers to new flavors and textures but coming up with new recipes designed for unfamiliar species. The silver lining here is that we are now cooking and eating a far greater variety of fish than ever before.