What fish tastes least fishy?

Cod, haddock, plaice, lemon sole, hake and pollock. All six are lean white fish with a mild, clean, faintly sweet flavour and no oiliness at all.

If someone tells you they do not like fish, they almost always mean they do not like oily fish. That is a much smaller category than they think and everything on this page sits well outside it.

Why do some fish taste fishy and others do not?

Two reasons and the second matters more than the first.

Oil content. Oily fish such as mackerel, herring and sardines carry far more fat and fat is where strong flavour lives. Lean white fish carry almost none.

Freshness. The smell people call fishy is largely ammonia and it develops as fish ages. Genuinely fresh fish of any species smells of the sea and very little else. Most people who think they hate fish have simply never eaten it fresh.

The mildest fish, in order

• Plaice and lemon sole. Delicate flat fish, fine white flesh, the mildest on the counter.
• Cod. Large sweet flakes, familiar, forgiving.
• Haddock. Slightly firmer than cod, just as mild.
• Hake. Soft, fine and delicate, underrated and usually cheaper.
• Pollock. Cod's cheaper cousin, a touch greyer raw, mild cooked.

Below that come sea bass and bream, mild but more characterful, then salmon, which is oily but gentle. Mackerel and sardines are the far end.

What is the best fish for children?

Plaice, lemon sole, cod, haddock or pollock, filleted and pin-boned so there are no bones at all. Pin-boning takes a minute at a counter and it removes the single biggest reason children refuse fish.

Plaice goujons are usually the easiest first fish there is: mild, boneless and shaped like something they already eat.

How to cook mild fish so it stays mild

Keep it simple and do not overcook it. Overcooked white fish goes dry and the flavour concentrates, which is exactly what you are trying to avoid.

Butter, lemon, a little parsley. Bake it, poach it in milk or crumb it. Avoid anchovy, capers, strong stock and heavy smoke, which all push it the other way.

Ask us and be honest about it

Tell us at the counter that you want something that does not taste fishy. It is one of the most common things we are asked and nobody minds. We will point at what is mildest that day and cut it however suits you.

See what is on the counter today, or come and look at the slab in Barnes.