Freak fish

One of the odder jobs I have, considering I live at the opposite end of the Earth, is writing about Scottish wildlife. Actually most writing jobs I get seem pretty odd given where I live, but that's that internet thing for you... I digress.

The piece I've just finished writing is about the Orkney vole, a unique species of vole found only in the Orkney islands. All very interesting stuff. The last part of the feature required three or four accomodation tips. One of those I suggest is The Creel. I've visited the Creel's restaurant twice - the food is excellent, definitely the best in Orkney and probably some of the best in Scotland. The last time I was there I hit the monkfish.

However, a quick scan through their website tells me they're serving up some rather more intriguing fish these days; Wolf fish, Torsk, Sea witch and Megrim for starters. I love fish, but I've never snagged one of these on a line, savagely wrestled it from the sea, bludgeoned it to death, torn open its guts, applied batter and fried in oil the temperature of a small sun. Not even uber TV-fishmonger Rick Stein has these handsome specimens on his menu. Anyone tried any of these freak fish or similar? Pic nicked from 'ere.

Comments

[Maartje]

Yeah, I've wolffish. It's not that uncommon in the Netherlands and not hard to come by. Even Jamie O. has a wolffish recipe, actually. The flesh is white and very, well, substantial, which is expected from that picture! They're not very goodlooking creatures, are they?

[pieman]

Not that great looking, but often the uglier fish are the tastier ones? Like this one

http://www.flickr.com/photos/noodlepie/15748097/

I think this is good in a bouillabase

http://www.beyond.fr/food/bouillabaisse.html

Maybe the wolf fish too? What does JO do with it, couldn't find it on Google. Although i did find this with some other UK places using 'untraditional' fish. What no cod?

http://enjoyment.independent.co.uk/food_and_drink/reviews/article222858.ece

[Maartje]

If I rememeber correctly you have to stuff it with a herb-mixture, then wrap parmaham around it, then you bake it, then you stick it in the oven. Sort of a Wolffish Saltimbocca, really. I'll get back to you later, if you like. Can't check my cookbook (which is at home) from my office.

I think it would be good in a bouillabaise or Portugese fisherman's soup. Not my favourite fish, actually, because of the texture of the meat.

Isn't there a cod-shortage? That would make it unusual.

[BM]

In an article, I once described wolf fish as looking like a "Spitting Image" puppet of an old Jewish man. Got some letters for that, mostly from old Jewish men. They're big as sportfish in Maine and therebouts.

Can't see how any of these hold a candle to the Dreaded Snakehead Fish I had in Can Tho.

[Jeff D]

One of the largest cod fisheries in the world used to be in my neck of the woods, on George's Bank off the coast of Massachusetts. Of course the fishermen stripped it almost bare and the U.S government has banned all fishing there for about five years (and continues to do so.)

This is the place that when Henry Cabot first explored here he supposedly simply lowered baskets into the water then pulled them up full of cod. Now it's just beginning to recover.

BTW, monkfish is about the ugliest fish in creation, but man does it taste good:

http://myweb.dal.ca/harbour/images/monkfish.jpg

[pieman]

Maartje, please pass on if you can find a url, sounds intriguing. There's another fish in the delta that often gets banded about BM, it's called an Elephant fish I think. I think it's big.

Jeff, you're right about cod stocks in general, although some argue it's because they are moving further north, hence the arrival of snapper and wotnot in British waters.

If you're sharpish you'll be able to grab the BBC Radio Food Programme talkign about this and other issues here this week:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/factual/foodprogramme.shtml

I think they archive the programmes, but I also have a feeling you can only listen to them the week of broadcast. I could be wrong on that. Interesting all the same.

[BM]

Mark Kurlansky's book "Cod" is a great read on all of the above...notwithstanding the fact that it kicked off the whole "Pick-Something-And-Write-A-Book-About-How-It-Changed-EVERYTHING" trend.

I did have Elephant Ear fish in the delta, but it wasn't so big.

[Knut Albert]

Torsk is simply Norwegian for cod!

[J]

Leave the fish alone!