Stretching our boundaries

I could be called a picky eater. Hubs is also a picky eater. We both have certain foods we will not even touch (mayo, mustard, stewed tomatoes). However, in the past few years, we have both become better at trying new foods. We are more than willing to try what others have ordered, however, we would never order those foods for ourselves. Seafood is one of those foods we never order, but are willing to try.

Our first dinner in Atlanta was at McCormick and Schmicks: a well-known seafood restaurant with some non-seafood options. Hubs had eaten there before and I had heard of it. I had just sat through a 3 hours session entitled, Eat well! Live well! and one of the main themes throughout was that we should really eat at least 3 servings of omega-3 rich seafood each week.

So, when Hubs asked me what I was going to order, I proudly announced "The blackened mahi mahi from costa rica," although inside I was as nervous as could be. A whole meal of fish? What was I thinking? At least it came with potatoes and green beans!

I didn't choose this dish without thinking it through. I had tried mahi mahi in Hawaii (I didn't order it) and it did not have a fishy taste. I had narrowed my options to the tilapia or the mahi mahi and chose purely because of the word, "blackened." I love blackened chicken and figured cajun spices could cover up any fish-taste. The only thing to overcome was the texture.

Well, the mahimahi came and it really looked delicious. So, I dug right in and to my utter surprise it actually was delicious. Hubs asked, "How's it taste?" and I responded, "Just like chicken. Really." He tasted mine and said, "It really does taste like chicken." So, I have stretched my seafood boundary further than I thought possible. I actually ordered seafood and I would defintely order it again.

And to any of you who are like us and steer far away from fish, seriously try mahi mahi. If you hate the fish taste, there is none. If you hate the texture, it really isn't bad. And, if you are scared of the mercury level, mahi mahi is one of the safest fish to eat.

We both also tried oysters, crab cakes, and calamari on this trip. Hubs and I are continuing to stretch our boundaries.