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What the heck is a ... monkfish?
 Sometimes
“UGLY” is just not a strong enough word to describe something.
Maybe “Butt Ugly” is a little closer, but still doesn’t
do justice to the monkfish! In fact, they are so ugly that monkfish was
once forbidden from being sold in France with its head intact, for fear
of scaring landlubbers to death. The head is of enormous size, broad and
flat, the remainder of the body appearing merely like an appendage. For
practical purposes, it can be described as composed mainly of a huge,
gaping mouth attached to a small muscular tail. The wide mouth extends
all round the circumference of the head; and both jaws are armed with long pointed teeth. The pectoral and ventral fins are articulated
so as to function like feet. The fish is able to walk on the sea bottom,
where it generally hides itself in the sand or among sea-weed. All round
its head and along the body the skin has fringed appendages resembling
short fronds of sea-weed which assists the monkfish in concealing itself.
The monkfish is a member of the anglerfish family. They have a modified
dorsal spine called an "esca", that can be angled forward so
it can dangle in front of the fish's mouth and be wiggled like bait to
lure its prey. You’ve all seen one of those nature programs on TV
where a cute little fishy is  innocently
swimming along, spies a tasty worm, swims up close to take a look, and
suddenly this enormous mouth appears from nowhere and gulps the little
fishy down? Yep, that was a monkfish doing the gulping!
However, revenge is sweet. Monkfish tail fillets are called “poor
man’s lobster”; delicious, dense, sweet, and very similar
to lobster tail meat in both flavor and texture. Like many fish, monkfish
is an excellent low-fat, low-cholesterol source of protein and B vitamins.
Monkfish liver is quite popular in Japanese cuisine, usually served as
sashimi (Ankimo). At Tapino, we serve up monkfish as little chunks of
tail fillet that have been roasted to perfection. It is possibly the finest
tasting fish flesh on earth! It’s interesting that just thirty years ago, it was considered a
trash fish. Then, along came Julia Child ….
Most of the fish referred to as monkfish belong to the genus Lophius,
in the anglerfish family Lophiidae. Monkfish is also sometimes called
goosefish, fishing-frog, frog-fish, sea-devil, All-mouth. Monkfish is
a name which actually, more properly belongs to “Squatina-squatina”,
the angelshark, a fish related to skates and stingrays. There are basically
two species of the Lophius “monkfish” that are usually harvested
for food; The European species is Lophius piscatorius. The North American
species is Lophius americanus. The European fish, found all along the
Atlantic coast from Spain, up through the British Isles and Scandinavia’s
North Sea, grows up to 6 feet long and over 100 lbs. The American version,
found along the Eastern coast of Canada and down to North Carolina, reach
only about 3 feet in length and maybe 30 lbs. in weight. Both versions
are also characterized by (as with all anglerfish species) an enormously
stretchy stomach, which allows an individual monkfish to swallow prey
as large as itself. A third species (Lophius budegassa) inhabits the Mediterranean,
and a fourth (Lophius setigerus) lives along the coasts of China, Southeast
Asia, and Japan. 
Monkfish reach maturity between ages 3 and 4, and spawning can take place
from spring through early fall depending on latitude. Females lay a non-adhesive,
buoyant gelatinous egg mass that floats as a ribbon on the water's surface.
Larvae and juveniles are pelagic (swim around in the open ocean) and remain
in this stage for several months before they settle to the bottom at a
size of about 3 inches. Monkfish grow rapidly with females reaching approximately
39 inches and living to 12 years of age. Males have not been found older
than age 9, and their total length reaches approximately 35 inches. Most
commercially caught monkfish are somewhat smaller, ranging in size from
about 8 lbs. to 15 lbs. A “ground fish” (lives on the ocean
bottom),  the
monkfish ranges from coastal to deep waters along the ocean bottom, feeding
mainly on fish but occasionally eating seabirds. Monkfish are voracious
predators and feed on benthic (deep ocean bottom) fishes and other prey
almost as big as themselves.
Around the turn of the twentieth century, commercial fishermen had little
use for monkfish. (I can understand why!) Records of monkfish catches
were not kept until the 1960s when reported commercial catches averaged
less than a few thousand pounds and a few hundred dollars a year. Traditionally,
monkfish have been taken as incidental by-catch in the ground fish and
sea scallop fisheries, but had little or no commercial value. Total Atlantic coast commercial catch remained at low levels until the
mid-1970s, increasing from about 167,000 pounds in 1970 to 7 million pounds
in 1978. Landings stayed below 20 million pounds until the late 1980s.
By 1989, the two European and Mediterranean species of monkfish had been
hugely over fished, so with stricter regulations in place, there was a
greater demand for monkfish tails from the United States. At the same
time, import markets for livers and whole monkfish in Asia are increasing
the demand for U.S. landings. Monkfish catches peaked in 1997 at approximately
62 million pounds and dockside revenues topped at $35 million.
Monkfish have traditionally been brought to the dock with their heads
removed and only their tails taken to market. However, the market for
tails and other body parts has been growing rapidly over the past decade.
Total commercial catches have increased in response to developing foreign
markets for tails, livers, and whole fish (cleaned, but the liver not
removed). Asian fishermen are now exploiting the monkfish stocks along
the Western Pacific rim. The only edible portions of the monkfish are
its muscular tail, its cheek muscles, and its liver.
With a succulent, firm texture and a fine, slightly sweet flavor, monkfish
invites comparison with other luxury seafood such as lobster and scallops.
Unfortunately, European monkfish has become so popular that it is unsustainably over-fished,
and wild stocks are disappearing. The American subspecies of monkfish
was removed from the “sustainably harvested” list in late
2006, and Tapino took it off of our menu. The American fishery is now
tightly controlled with quotas and limits on fishing techniques, in hopes
that the American monkfish fishery can eventually recover and hold its
own. In the Southern New England region, monkfish are found from a few
feet below the tide line to depths of over 2,000 feet. They live on various
types of sea-bottom including sand, gravel, rocks, beds of broken shells
and mud. Monkfish are tolerant of a wide range in temperatures. They have
been found in waters as cold as 32 degrees and as warm as 70 degrees.
Even though monkfish do not display temperature-driven seasonal migrations,
they may descend into deeper waters during the summer or winter to avoid
the temperature extremes found in inshore waters at those times of the
year.
Monkfish is a particularly versatile fish, well-suited to many different
cooking techniques. Monkfish has long featured in regional dishes of the
Iberian peninsula and France. Monkfish is low in calories and a good source
of protein. It contains useful amounts of vitamin B3, potassium, and selenium.
Monkfish are available, in most well-stocked supermarkets, as whole tails,
with skin removed, or as fillets. Though most abundant in spring and summer,
fresh monkfish is available year-round. The main edible part of the monkfish,
available in supermarkets, is its tail. This has usually been separated
from the rest of the fish by the time it reaches the supermarket (presumably
due to the head's ugliness and unwieldy size -nearly 75% of its total
body weight) and therefore, you may not be able to rely on the usual visual
indicators for fresh fish (bright, un-sunken eyes and moist, shiny scales).
Buy from a trusted supplier and use your sense of smell to be sure of
the freshest monkfish.
After purchase, kee p
monkfish well chilled and use within 24 hours (or freeze for up to 3 months).
Remove the skin and membrane (or ask your fishmonger to do this). The
tail has a single bone running down its center, making it easy to prepare
and eat. The tail yields two fillets that can be cooked whole or cut into
chunks. Alternatively, cut the whole tail across the bone into medallions
(cooking fish on-the-bone can enhance succulence and flavor).
Excellent results can be obtained with a variety of cooking methods. Pan-fry
in a little hot oil for 2-3 minutes on each side, or roast in a hot oven
(220°C) for around 30 minutes until firm to the touch. Monkfish is
also delicious when baked, poached, sautéed, steamed or barbecued.
The tail is great for skewering and grilling. The firm flesh does not
fall apart when cooked. Once off the skewer, the tail can be sliced and
fanned on a bed of fresh garden vegetables accompanied with a rich butter sauce. In texture, Monkfish is more like
lobster or scallop than most fish, and monkfish is prized for use in soups
and on the grill. Monkfish tails provide mild, very firm meat. Many will
argue that the best way is to broil it and serve it with drawn butter
because it is similar to lobster. Cheeks are sautéed, roasted,
served in sauces, or used in fish stews. Livers are exported to Japan
for use in soup and sushi. Although it is a true “bony fish”,
monkfish is not considered to be Kosher, due to the fact that it does
not have scales. Its skin is like that of a catfish.
The monkfish’s bazaar appearance has led more than one sport angler
to dump it over the side of the boat. At that point the angler has discarded
one of the best chunks of fillets that the ocean can produce. We would
never do that! If it ever reappears on the “sustainably harvested
list” you can stop by and let us show you just how good it can be.
Until then, you will just have to take our word for it. Tapino only serves
sustainably harvested seafood.
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