Once known as "the poor man's lobster," monkfish is a delicacy with a lower price tag. Monkfish has become a more mainstream fish over the past few decades, being used in restaurants and home kitchens around the world.
Classification
Monkfish (Lophius americanus) is also known as the goosefish or anglerfish. They are a bottom-dwelling and feeding fish. As part of the anglerfish family of fish, the monkfish uses a piece of skin at the top of its head to lure in fish and capture them.
Geography
Monkfish can be found from Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, in the south to the Grand Banks and northern Gulf of St. Lawrence. In the Mid-Atlantic, they are fished by Japanese, American and other fishermen as a by-catch or incidental catch when doing bottom-trawl fishery.
Identification
Monkfish can grow up to 4 feet long and weigh as much as 50 pounds. The monkfish has an enormous, flat head with a large mouth and very sharp teeth. The head takes up approximately 75 percent of the body and is as wide as the fish is long. Fishermen generally remove the head and only bring in the tail. Monkfish are scaleless and smooth and their tail flesh is firm and has the appearance of a meat loin.
Function
The only edible portions of a monkfish are the liver and the tail meat. The liver is used in the preparation of certain types of sushi and sashimi. The tail flesh is white, firm and sweet with a taste and texture very similar to that of lobster. Monkfish can be cooked using any method that is used for lobster or other fish. The density and firmness of the flesh makes it ideal for grilling as well.
Considerations
Over the past few decades, monkfish suffered from overfishing. The population has recovered, according to a 2007 stock assessment report. However, the price for monkfish is higher than it has been in the past, although still much less expensive than lobster.
Fun Fact
One of the common nicknames for a monkfish is "allmouth." Because such a large majority of the fish is its head and such a large portion of the head is the mouth, fishermen say the fish is "all mouth."
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