393 replies to this topic

[Adam Balic]

Adam, marvellous pics, you are only second to Jacques Cousteau in my book.  Any close encounter with turbot?

Yes we get lots of Turbot here in Scotland (mostly farmed, which I don't buy). If you can get a large, wild caught fish it is excellent eating (I believe I am not the first one to work this out..,).

[Kevin72]

More Greek fish. From a recent trip to Hydra,

Wait, did I somehow miss one of your travellogues?

[Adam Balic]

Yep.

[kanljung]

Adam, marvellous pics, you are only second to Jacques Cousteau in my book.  Any close encounter with turbot?

Yes we get lots of Turbot here in Scotland (mostly farmed, which I don't buy). If you can get a large, wild caught fish it is excellent eating (I believe I am not the first one to work this out..,).

This is the first time I've heard of farmed turbot. Is it farmed in scotland or is it imported from somewhere?

[Adam Balic]

A very large percentage of Turbot in the UK are farmed and it is done in other countries too.
Everything you wanted to know about Turbot farming, but were too afraid to ask.

[Adam Balic]

Garfish Belone vulgaris. These are from Greece, but they are quite common throughout the Mediterranean and even wind up in the UK once in a while. Related fish are found in Australasian and American waters. Not a hughly prized fish, which is a shame as their flesh is very white, sweet and tasty, not an oily fish at all.



Potentially, this is due to the colour of their bones, a vivid green-blue when fresh which fades when they are cooked a little.



A Spanish fish seller told me that they are great for young children, as the bones are east to spot.

[Adam Balic]

Also from Greece, locally caught rockfish: Star-Gazer Uranoscopus scaber (far back, pale brown) and Scorpian fish Scorpaena porcus (occasionally I saw some Scorpaena scrofa). These fish (especially the scorpian fish) are found in fish stews/soups all over the med. In France these are known as Rascasse and are the vital ingredient in bouillabaisse.



These are slightly lesser fish, the colourful ones are male Rainbow wrasse Coris julis, but there are a few other odds and sods, including red mullet.

[Carrot Top]

Those racasse are rather angry-looking fellows, aren't they.

Amazing, the bounty of the sea and streams. And such variety and personality.

[Adam Balic]

I went snorkeling while I was there. To attract fish I cracked open a few sea urchins and turned over rocks (to stir up te sediment). While turning over the rocks I found a few very pissed off looking Scorpion fish. Quite fun to see them out of a stew. These are possibly my favourite Mediterranean fish. A good fresh specimen is hard to beat. When I was in Sicily I had one baked with wine, tomato, apple and mint - excellent.

Edited by Adam Balic, 21 September 2005 - 06:03 AM.

[Carrot Top]

Are scorpion fish what we call here the lizard fish?

I caught one of those by mistake once and was so appalled by him that it was all I could do to stand to take him off the hook.

[Adam Balic]

I don't think so. Lizardfish belong to the genus Synodus, the most common European water one is the Atlantic Lizardfish (Synodus saurus or "Poisson-Lézard de l'Atlantique" in French .

Atlantic Lizardfish

There a numerous Scorpionfish species in USA waters, these belong to the genus Scorpaen (mostly) and are pretty much ignored by the local population.



One USA Scorpionfish

Edited by Adam Balic, 21 September 2005 - 06:18 AM.

[athinaeos]

adam,

in greek they are called "zarganes"

i deep fry them and serve with aioli and a green salad

cheers

[Adam Balic]

What does "Zarganes" translate to if anything?

[athinaeos]

What does "Zarganes" translate to if anything?

adam,

the only other meaining of the word in modern greek is " a tall, good looking woman"!

it is possible that the fisherman who named the fish was somehow thinking of his wife, girlfriend, ...

cheers

[Adam Balic]

Greek sense of humour I imagine. Or maybe a sailor that had not seen a women for a very long time..

[athinaeos]

Greek sense of humour I imagine. Or maybe a sailor that had not seen a women for a very long time..

the strange things of language!

today in Grreece it is rare to hear a man on the street expressing his enthusiasm for a woman using the term "zargana"

another fish name that is also used rarely in the same context is "melanouri", which is directed to women of rather darker, choclate-like complexity

the fish name in english is "saddled seabream" (oblada melanura)

the word "melan" in ancient greek means "dark"

i confess that i do not know of fish names used by women to express their enthusiasm for men - sorry!

[Adam Balic]

edit: stupid egullet no do Greek letters.

Edited by Adam Balic, 21 September 2005 - 07:35 AM.

[Poots]

all seafood was located in Manila, Phillipines
Slipper Lobsters


Female on the right, Male on the Left Crabs


a Huge crab happily alive


after a wonderful addition of butter and garlic


some type of scallop and it's roe. would this have been dangerous to eat?


green grouper which if i recall correctly is called lapu-lapu


green grouper steamed with soy and scallions

[Adam Balic]

Excellent photgraphs. I think that the crabs are the species Scylla serrata, known in Australia as "Mud Crabs". They have a fairly wide range in the Indo-pacific region and are highly prized.

[Adam Balic]

Possibly the most important fish species in the Europe Gadus morhua "Cod". These are salt cured cod on sale in the Mercato Centrale (Florence). Notice the wide range to grades availble and where they come from. Are the still cod in Labradorian fishing grounds or does the name refer to a particular grade (such as "West Indian" salt cod)? I also like the fact that one of the most isolated islands on the planet is well represented here.

[athinaeos]

adam,
talking about cod,
you remeinded me of two memorable dishes from the basque country:
1. bacalao pil-pil
2. kokotxas (cod cheeks) with garlic and chili peppers
and the San Sebastian market, where you can get the best cod in the world!

[jayt90]

Possibly the most important fish species in the Europe Gadus morhua "Cod". These are salt cured cod on sale in the Mercato Centrale (Florence). Notice the wide range to grades availble and where they come from. Are the still cod in Labradorian fishing grounds or does the name refer to a particular grade (such as "West Indian" salt cod)? I also like the fact that one of the most isolated islands on the planet is well represented here.

Adam, Labrador is on the mainland of Canada, and is part of our 10th province, Newfoundland and Labrador. So, I think the sign is referring to the Grand Banks, off the shore of Nfld. It is still a source of cod (morue) though the fishery is closed from overfishing. I can always find cod, fresh or salted, in Canadian stores, but this may come from nets that were meant to catch something else.

[Adam Balic]

So it is likely that the sign referes to a pticular grade of Salt Cod, rather then to where the fish was caught as it seems unlikely that this fish actually came from the Grand Banks. Maybe.

[jayt90]

So it is likely that the sign referes to a pticular grade of Salt Cod, rather then to where the fish was caught as it seems unlikely that this fish actually came from the Grand Banks. Maybe.

Yes, maybe.

I have never seen a grade of salt cod here, labelled "Labrador". What I do find, is (1) large skateboard cod, requiring a lot of soaking, in many ethnic stores, such as Caribbean or Portuguese, or Spanish; (2) A softer, boneless cod, packed in poly wrap, usually from Nova Scotia, but still "Grand Banks" though the fishery is banned within our 200 mile limit. Labrador is within the limit, as well, but there is a lot of rule breaking, by Canadian and foreign trawlers.

I buy the softer version because it freshens easily. I have been served bacala and cod with ackee in Portuguese and Caribbean restaurants in Toronto that was too salty for me. And too bony, but this is a matter of taste, and culture.

For those on a budget, salt cured pollack is available, but doesn't have the same taste.

We can also get salted and smoked haddock from Eastern Canada. Great for chowder.

When visiting the area, you can find a lot of home curing and smoking for sale, by the roadside, in the Atlantic provinces, as well as Quebec.

[johnnyd]

I also like the fact that one of the most isolated islands on the planet is well represented here.

... you mean you weren't talking about the Faroe Islands??? Next to the Labrador cod there are "Faroese Gigante"... The Faroe Islands are pretty isolated.

[Adam Balic]

Actually, I did mean the Faroe Islands (I was to ignorant to realise that Labrador wasa an Island at that point).

[Adam Balic]

So it is likely that the sign referes to a pticular grade of Salt Cod, rather then to where the fish was caught as it seems unlikely that this fish actually came from the Grand Banks. Maybe.

Yes, maybe.

I have never seen a grade of salt cod here, labelled "Labrador". What I do find, is (1) large skateboard cod, requiring a lot of soaking, in many ethnic stores, such as Caribbean or Portuguese, or Spanish; (2) A softer, boneless cod, packed in poly wrap, usually from Nova Scotia, but still "Grand Banks" though the fishery is banned within our 200 mile limit. Labrador is within the limit, as well, but there is a lot of rule breaking, by Canadian and foreign trawlers.

I buy the softer version because it freshens easily. I have been served bacala and cod with ackee in Portuguese and Caribbean restaurants in Toronto that was too salty for me. And too bony, but this is a matter of taste, and culture.

For those on a budget, salt cured pollack is available, but doesn't have the same taste.

We can also get salted and smoked haddock from Eastern Canada. Great for chowder.

When visiting the area, you can find a lot of home curing and smoking for sale, by the roadside, in the Atlantic provinces, as well as Quebec.

It is possible that the grading system is added at a latter stage then point of origin I guess. Mark Kurlansky mentions that for historical reasons the poorest quality salt cod was graded as Caribbean or West Indian.

This market in Florence also sold presoaked stuff, so that you didn't have to bother with it yourself, some of the higher grades were pearl white and nearly three inches thich.

[Adam Balic]

A new fish for me "Cusk" Brosme brosme. This is a cod relative and looks a little like a Burbot/Eelpout (although this is a freshwater fish). Nice white flesh, good flavour, not quite as flakey as Cod. Having filleted the fish I know why it isn't more commonly seen, the skin in incredibly tough and slimey, making it hard to work with.


Incidently, people sometimes ask about worms in fish on egullet. Here is one encysted in the fishes flesh. I don't think that I have had a fish that didn't have a few worms like this.

[Sam Salmon]

The Filipino fish known as Lapu Lapu has many names but it's not a Grouper.
Latina America-Dorado
Japan-Siira
Caribbean-Dolphinfish
Fiji-Mahi Mahi

[athinaeos]

skates from the lavrion (near sounion) fishmarket

what impressed me was the color - this combination of olive green and flesh pink with golden dots