Chef Sam Talbot Hates This One Surprising Food That's on Nearly Every Restaurant Menu

Top Chef alum and clean eating proponent Sam Talbot has a pretty healthy diet. His Brooklyn restaurant, Pretty Southern, features lighten-up versions of traditionally heavy Southern dishes, like fried chicken and grits. And his new cookbook, 100% Real, is all about healthy ingredient swap-outs, whole, minimally processed foods, and fresh ingredients.

But there's one popular superfood Sam just can't stomach. "I just don't like salmon. It's not my thing," Sam admitted in an interview with The Feast. "It's awful! I don't like that about myself, that I don't like salmon. It's just, I can't do it."

It's pretty surprising, considering salmon is one of the most popular types of fish in this country, both in restaurants and for home cooks. It's also incredibly good for your health.

"And it's not even fishy. I love anchovies, I love sardines, I love the fishiest of, or the oiliest of, fish. Even bluefish. Something about salmon though," Sam lamented. (In case you're wondering, there's *one* recipe for salmon in 100% Real. There's currently no salmon on the menu at Pretty Southern.)

Smoked salmon is the worst, he added, grimacing. "But smoked whitefish? Smoked trout? Love it. It's amazing. Smoked whitefish salad? But smoked salmon, it's just…not my bag."

And there's something else fishy that Sam isn't a fan of at the moment—the Asian fish sauce trend. "I think everybody kind of went crazy on this whole fish sauce kick for a little bit and I was waiting for that to die down. I mean every chef I was talking to was like, 'This fish sauce from here, and this…'" he explained. "On Top Chef everybody was obsessed with using fish sauce. To me, it's a great ingredient if used wisely because it can turn something into a disaster very quickly. I'm a little over the whole fish sauce craze. Maybe that'll go away soon."