If I'm not mistaken, those are known in New South Wales as red rock cod and are a common bycatch and plentiful and cheap in the markets. They are always sold whole, presumably because they are a pita to clean and fillet.
Traditionally known in these parts as 'poor man's lobster' because the flesh is white, firm and sweet.
Scorpaena cardinalis, according to google, looks like a bottom-dwelling ambush predator (which is a common Australian pastime, btw). I've snagged them once or twice while rock fishing, usually thrown 'em because we were after bream or flathead.
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The one fish i worked with that's not so pretty is Wolf Fish.
but tasty and makes a nice wallet.[IMG][/IMG][IMG]
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Boy howdy! that is one serious fishy!
Spike C
"The Buddha resides as comfortably in the circuits of a digital computer or the gears of a cycle transmission as he does at the top of a mountain."
Pirsig
I swear I just saw that dude at wallmart!! I bet the fish smelt (haha) better!
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How to cook those scorpion fish?
seb-that first one looks a little smaller than the ones i have and here in the states (or at least the midwest) the term "poor mans lobster" refers to monkfish. im not sure if that what you meant or not
bishamon-this is how you cook them. i bought one for me and my wife and took off the filets along with the skin and pan fried it. we served it with sweet potato blue grits, bacon fat braised swiss chard and saffron and vanilla buerre blanc. it was quite tasty with a salad of arugula, baby greens, spinach, almonds, dried cranberry, grapefruit and mango vinaigrette. we drank a white from spain called basa.
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B, you read my mind. The fish we get here in the eastern Australian states tend to be smaller than their cousins in the States because the waters around here contain fewer nutrients (ie the desert continent). Eg, we have a fish called tailor which is the same species as American bluefish but significantly smaller.
seb-thats funny, im getting in some bluefish tomorrow...kinda wierd. anyway i wouldn't recommend steaming it as it is a bit flaky. it does have a buttery, mild-medium delicate flavor that would hold up in something to the effect of butter-poaching.