Monkfish is known for its tight, meaty white flesh that is often compared to lobster meat. It's not only similar to lobster in texture, but also in flavor. It has a mild, sweet flavor without a trace of fishiness. The versatile fish can be prepared using almost any cooking method.
Monkfish meat is a healthy option, especially if you are trying to manage your weight. That's because monkfish has low levels of sodium and calories. A serving of 6 ounces of cooked monkfish only has 110 calories. However, despite being low in calories, this meat contains high cholesterol levels.
But cleaned and cooked, monkfish become wonderful, with sweet flavor and firm texture that's earned them the nickname of "poor man's lobster." Here are our best recipes for monkfish, the sea's most delicious monster.
Monkfish, also known as Stargazer in Australia, is affectionately known as “poor man's lobster” because the flesh resembles lobster meat – only much more economical. The cooked meat of a monkfish has a similarly meaty and succulent texture, with a sweet and clean flavour that's not fishy at all.
What does Monkfish taste like? We often say that monkfish has a similar taste and texture to lobster (which is never a bad thing!) With a firm and meaty texture, it is dense with a mild, slightly sweet flavour.
Sea Bass. Sea Bass is particularly recommended for those who recoil at the overly fishy taste/smell of some other fish. With its mildly sweet flavor, high fat content and full, meaty consistency, it's easy to enjoy even for those averse to seafood.
Some of these may breathe oxygen from air rather than water, but live in water all the time. Examples are catfish, shark, swordfish, eel, monk-fish, cusk, and blow-fish. This category is acceptable to the majority of Muslim consumers, but not all denominations accept them as Halal.
Tilapia – tilapia is arguably the mildest tasting fish there is. It's not fishy at all and has a mild sweetness. Tilapia is easy to prepare and goes well with a variety of different flavor profiles. Cod – cod has a mild flavor that's slightly sweet like tilapia.
What's a good substitute for monkfish? Monkfish has a unique flavor and texture, but you can substitute snapper, sea bass, halibut, mahi-mahi or sea scallops.
Monkfish are prized for their snowy white tail meat, but the cheeks and liver can also be consumed. Unlike many other white fish, monkfish boasts no small bones. As such, monkfish is easy to prepare, and many fishmongers sell it as ready-to-cook steaks or fillets.
Monkfish fillets can be pan-fried or roasted to give the fillets colour. An average-sized monkfish fillet (around 100g) will take around 5–6 minutes. Monkfish suits being grilled or barbecued because the robust flesh doesn't fall apart easily. It can be cubed and skewered to make kebabs.
Monkfish holds up to pan-frying, grilling, roasting, and baking. Take care, however: monkfish is a lean fish that tends to dry out if overcooked.
Monkfish can be eaten completely raw. Doing so can help the texture pop, with monkfish cheeks especially popular for their softer texture and richer flavor. It's also common to eat the fish cured or as a crudo.
Consumed as a winter delicacy in Japan, where it's known as ankimo, monkfish liver is becoming increasingly popular in sushi bars all year round. Originally prized by fisherman, who couldn't afford to discard any part of their catch, monkfish liver has become controversial due to the overfishing of monkfish stocks.
About 20 percent of the product that moves through the Portland (Maine) Fish Exchange is monkfish or monkfish tails, which dealers buy for $2.50-$2.75 per pound, more expensive than cod, hake, and other groundfish species. In Massachusetts, monkfish is an important fishery after cod, lobster, and scallops.
Monkfish, also called goosefish or American angler, can be a terrifying view, but are a delicacy in many countries!
Monkfish is perhaps one of the ugliest fishes you can find at the market, but it is also one of the most nutritious, tasty and versatile. A bottom feeder fish, it is a cunning hunter that uses a kind of antenna, part of its skeleton, as bait to attract prey directly to its mouth.
THE MODEST HISTORY OF MONKFISH
Fishermen, who would've otherwise just thrown it back into the sea, began giving it away to these monks. It soon took on the name Monkfish and little did they know, the tail meat has texture and taste so similar to lobster that it eventually became referred to as “The Poor Man's Lobster”!
If you choose to eat more than 2-3 serves of fish per week it is important to eat a variety of fish, and avoid those that could have elevated mercury levels, such as Shark (Flake) or Billfish (Swordfish, Marlin).
Snapper is a highly prized fish, and a favourite on Australian plates for generations, which is why it is purchased in such high quantities at auction. Interestingly, these days a large amount of Snapper eaten in Australia are actually imported from our neighbours in New Zealand.
Essentially all types of seafood are Halal suitable, based on verse 5:96 of the Qur'an, which states, “Lawful to you is what you catch from the sea and use for food as provision for yourself and for the travelers...” Because this states broadly that what is caught from the sea is acceptable, it includes plants like ...
Meats of pigs, boars, and swine are strictly prohibited in Islam, and so are meats of carnivorous animals such as lions, tigers, cheetahs, dogs, and cats(1), and birds of prey such as eagles, falcons, ospreys, kites, and vultures.
Monkfish is not considered kosher. To comply with kosher requirements, a fish must have fins and easily detached scales; the scales of a sturgeon are extremely hard to remove, hence it is non-kosher.