New Zealanders love affair with the Snapper has long puzzled me.
For sure they are a beautiful fish, they taste pretty good too, but anyone would think it the only fish in the sea for some people.
That brings me to the title of this long overdue piece, the humble Gurnard.
Nobody could say it's beautiful (It's stunning red colour,which supplies its nickname of "carrots", and its opalescent wings perhaps makes a lie of my last statement) or a great fighting fish, but in my honest opinion,freshly caught, filleted,floured and pan fried in a little butter it has few peers.
I am lucky to live on the shores of the Manukau Harbour,perhaps one of the best Gurnard habitats, although they are a very widespread fish and can be caught pretty much all around New Zealand.
So next time you are thinking about fish for tea, give the humble Gurnard a go.....he won't disappoint.
I agree Paul that we shouldn't get too hung up about the fish we eat. I love snapper but there are other alternatives. I am not a fisherman at all - I prefer to use my boat for sailing, but I do troll a lure when going up the coast and usually catch a Kawhai which is excellent rolled in flour and fried with onions after a great days sail.
ReplyDelete