I went to the Fish market the other day and bought all kinds of goodies of which you will read later, but they had these odd looking fish lying in heaps.
That should have been a clue, but I asked around and the lady at the market assured me that these Jacopevers are in the same league as Red Romans.
The fish was so cheap that I could not resist so off I went with my "catch of the day".
When I got home and opened the parcel, I really only saw how UGLY this darn thing was. I gutted it, scraped off the scales and dress it up with slices of lemon, rosemary and some good EVO.(extra virgin olive oil). I baked it in a moderate oven for about 35-40 minutes.
It was not the worst fish I have ever eaten, but I don't think I will buy it again. The flesh was white, flaky and indeed similar to Red Roman, but for me it was mind over matter and "the looks" did matter to me.
I also served some fried whitebait and garlic aioli and crispy potato wedges. All in all it was a delicious meal- the family had fun all eating from the same dish. A very social meal.....
24 comments:
But you turned an ugly fish into a handsome dish, indeed!
Well it looks beautiful to eat. Never heard of this varity.
Fugly usually tastes real good, take monkfish for example.
This looks similar to a snapper and perhaps 35-40 minutes was a bit long? I've fish in the oven with high heat and no more than 20-25 minutes...pull the dorsal fin and if it gives, the fish is ready.
Personally I find all fish to be pretty ugly - maybe that's why I don't eat them ;-)
That is a beautiful dish, it's so rustic looking. How lovely to put that on the table.
Even if it isn't the prettiest flower in the bunch this would work well with so many flavourful fish. Thanks for sharing Nina> Did I tell you that I like your new look...and beautiful photos as always:D
Did you bake the potatoes with the fish? It looks delicious.
It's a gorgeous dish and I'm hugely impressed that you gutted and scaled it yourself. I think I'm about 2 years away from even trying to do that.
lori lynn - thank you for always stopping by and leaving such lovely comments.
glamah - Peter says, it is close to a red snapper.
peter m - thanks for the advise Peter. I set the oven for 25 minutes, but after that time, it was not cooked, so I had to leave it in for some more time. The fis was lovely and moist though.My oven was only on 180C, do you think I should increase that?
that girl - that's honest enough alright, although I am a picky fish eater myself.
noble pig - we had great fun around that table, yea!
bellini valli - thank you so much, I really appreciate your opinion. I feel very honored that the big guns(such as yourself) of the foodie bloggosphere even visits my site.
pam - I pre cooked the potatoes until they were almost done, cut them into wedges and then baked them in the oven with some olive oil and dried olive seasoning.
giz = I grew up with a dad that fished a lot and we always sat by as he gutted the fish. It does not bother me, but thanks for noticing.
I never would have known it was an ugly fish after what you did to it as the dish looks great. Sorry to hear it didn't quite live up to expectations though.
I agree with Mik above..if you hadn't mentioned ugly, I would never have guessed! It looks absolutely divine! Wonderful with all the accompaniments!
PS: I'll have to make a note of September and your poppies...
Ronell
I love fish photos :)
Wow, look at this. From the photos I definately cannot tell that the fish wasn't all that good and that you wouldnt buy it again... Btw you've changed your header again and the overall look- it looks great now! And your recipes are always just as delicious whether your blog layout changes or not!
mike - maybe I was a bit difficult, it was not all that bad.
my french kitchen - I am looking forward to it...
maryann - the light in the kitchen was just perfect that day, thx!
marianna - I am glad you like the changes. I wanted a bright and sunny layout and well, I'm happy!
Looks totally beautiful and so delicious!
I love the first shot - so rustic and edible!
I bought them too last week. Also would not buy them again, far too much work eating them and I found them pretty tasteless. I hate a fish with so many small bones. Live and learn! At least they were really cheap.
Well, you're even more talented than I thought you were, Nina. You made an "ugly" fish looks lovely in your photograph. The first shot is great!
I don't know how it tasted but on the picture it looks pretty damn good to me. I thought it was a red snapper at first. I'm hungry now!! :-)
katie - I liked the rustic look of the photo too.
christie - thank you so much!
roseþ - I went to the fish4africa in Salt River yesterday and found the quality to be much better than the one in Monte Vista. I bought gurnard, the made fillets for me @ R24.50 per kilo - it was delicious!!!
susan - thank you, I appreciate your kind comment.
zen chef - I was told that is it very similar to red snapper. Thx
Thanks for the tip, Salt River is not out of my way either. Will give them a try soon. At their prices, fish is becoming a staple in our home.
Hi Nina
Thanx for this fish recipe; any more? My son who has started at the gym came home and asked if we can have more fish, and I didn;t know what to say, because I don;t know what to buy and then what do with it!! Please can you help??
Thanx,
Love Jacqui M
Ugly? No, beautiful! All whole fish have a bit of a yuck factor, what with your meal looking at you and everything, but this looks just gorgeous to me. We had whole mackerel last night, stuffed with orange butter - mmm. I just love how easy whole fish is!
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