Originally Posted by
gfunkdave
I'm in Iceland now and on this trip I've eaten two things I haven't tried before...and feel slightly guilty about: minke whale and foal.
The minke whale was served as sushi in one of the courses of the chef's tasting menu at a restaurant in Reykjavik called The Fish Market. I would describe it as "steakfish". It had the texture of sushi but tasted kind of like steak. It's red meat; who knew? It doesn't bother me from a sustainability vantage - minke whale are plentiful - but from a I've-always-thought-of-cetaceans-as-sentient point of view.
The foal was two broiled medallions and a bit of tartare. It tasted good but I feel guilty about eating baby horse (though I think nothing of ordering lamb...). It tasted like beef, but gamier. I had it at our hotel (Hotel Bušir, on the Snęfellsnes Peninsula - really excellent country lodge-style hotel in the middle of nowhere).
What sorts of things have you tried that you hadn't had before? Did you feel any ethical queasiness about it?
Was the whale steak raw?
I've eaten Shark Fin soup.. and Pickeral out of season
The natural Pickeral fish is banned at certain times of the year, and if a restaurant serves it, they face a hefty $10K plus penalty..