"Nearly 40 years ago, Amy Tan's essay "Fish Cheeks" chronicled teenage embarrassment after her mother placed a bulging-eyed steamed fish on the family dinner table before her squirming, blonde-haired teenage crush, contrasting the Chinese penchant for serving whole, head-to-tail fish - especially on Lunar New Year to help symbolize harmony and abundance - with the tastes of white America. The tale was all too relatable for many American children, but one wonders what the crush's reaction to that fish might be now."
"New York restaurants of every stripe are deep into their big-fish era - offering everything from crisp-fried snapper tacos to kombu-cured mackerel and a regional specialty known as squirrel fish - and hardly a menu gets printed these days without including a whole branzino somewhere. With the Year of the Horse upon us, it seems like the perfect time to celebrate some favorites - here are ten whole fish worth sharing."
A teenage memory recounts embarrassment when a mother served a bulging-eyed steamed fish to a squirming, blonde-haired crush, highlighting a cultural contrast between Chinese head-to-tail fish customs and the tastes of white America. Whole fish are traditionally served, especially on Lunar New Year, to symbolize harmony and abundance. New York restaurants now embrace a big-fish era with preparations ranging from crisp-fried snapper tacos to kombu-cured mackerel and regional squirrel fish, and whole branzino appears on many menus. The Year of the Horse presents an occasion to celebrate ten favored whole-fish dishes worth sharing.
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