Wrasse

[omega3]

let me know what you think.
I see a few reciepe here that look great
There are many where I am.
what types etc. the ones near me are Ballan I think
Cheers

[Old Man Dave]

This one is a bit controversial. Some spearo's feel strongly about not spearing wrasse. Reasons sited are poor eating, too easy to shoot, conservation issues, etc. Personally I shoot a few and I find they are good eating.

Info on preparing them here http://forums.deeperblue.net/609196-post939.html

Picture of a good mixed bag including some ballan wrasse.

Dave

[James T]

Hmm - not keen on the taste myself - the only reason I don't take them. But I have taken a good sized one in the past to make a bouillabaise (spelling?) which turned out fine.

I can't explain what it is about the taste - it is not bad as such but personally I don't like it.

Just out of interest Dave your pic show a pair of ballan wrasse (a friend from Brittany calls them 'old women' in French (vieille femme?) - I see loads of different colours around - is it the brown spotty ones you rate above the others? (corkwing/cuckoo etc.)

[Old Man Dave]

Corkwings only grow to half a pound and cuckoos to a pound or so plus cuckoos are a deeper water species not normally seen freediving. All the big ones of whatever colour are ballans. Never noticed any difference in taste between big brown ballans or big green ones or big orange ones etc. Colour variation doesn't seemed to be linked to location, habitat, size, gender,age or taste. They just seem to come in assorted colours. They are pretty though and that's another reason why some people don't take them. Mind you i only take a small percentage as I do with most species and I like to look at them sometimes too.

Dave

[Spaniard]

Wrasse - not difficult to shoot but wonderous to behold! As James T states they form part of the authentic Bouillabaise. I use them for tasty fish stock but that's it. Bottom line is - don't shoot it if you won't eat it!

[omega3]

Thanks. I hope to get some to try next week. The Guernsey 2006...brilliant!

[Mr. X]

Re. Wrasse, I would suggest only taking the odd big Ballan (5lb+) as the meat then is firm, white with distinct flakes. They can be cut into big steaks (cross-section cuts) and cooked on a BBQ like salmon in foil with lime juice, for example. OMD's link shows how to fillet one for the more skilled. Boullabaise is probably a good bet for smaller fish (basically tomato & fish/seafood soup) - I think Spaniard posted a recipe.

Some on the forum have complained about the meat being soft & mushy -- my guess is that they are using smaller ones. To me, the meat tastes quite "normal" but cleaning can be hard work & they seem to have a sort of peppery odour when cleaning -probably from the skin. The head is very big too, & the bones on the big ones, so there is a lot left over for the lobster pot/stock pot. The skin colour (often blue under orange & white harlequin pattern) can be off putting when cleaning. Several people told me that you can't eat Wrasse and that the bones are green neither is true (gar have green bones).

[Old Man Dave]

I shot a 5lb ballan wrasse yesterday and filletted it last night. My brother (member Derek Foxen DeeperBlue.net Forums - View Profile: derek foxen ) is eating it tonight. Frame is going into my mates crab pots. Waste not, want not. Never ever found wrasse to be "soft". Maybe as Mr X says it's a size thing. Usually shoot the big ones (4+lb). Saw 2 others, one bigger, one smaller but left them. Maybe Derek will comment or you could ask him tomorrow how it went.

Dave

[SurfnSpear]

Every year I take a couple of big wrasse for one specific reason....the recipe below.
FISH CURRY
A massive pot of which is cooked(skinned chunks). Most is frozen in tupperware blocks and these then come out throughout the year tasting as delicious as the day after it was originally cooked.
I do not shoot them at will throught the year as there are better species to bring home. The bones/head make pints and pints of brilliant fish stock kicking off all sorts of varied seafood dishes. A long time ago I went to Le Touquet, France for a week to do a Cordon Bleu cookery course and that's where I first came across Mr Wrasse.

[Oldsarge]

I don't know anything about the European species palatibility but here on the CalCoast we have sheephead which are a species of wrasse. Generally, the accepted technique is to poach the fillets and then to use it cold like cooked crab. I've never had any but there seems to be the same division of opinion here as you guys have.

[omega3]

This is very good. many thanks all.
BBQ`d sounds positivly lip smackin as does the curry. These are all big ones guess 5-6lb more ?? and there are a few pollack to boot so this curry is sounding to be on. The fish texture sounds great ...thats how I like it firm /flakey like the barracuda I had once maybe???
I have seen/picked up on some of the differing views on the sheepheads OS . Those are big fish and I saw very easy to take . The same with these wrasse near me I am sure.

I saw the wrasse and pollack when I was scooping up lobsters 2 weeks ago at the local spot.

There was a big lumpfish too.......anybody???? LOL surely not!

Treated myself for the upcoming event with a new filleting knife too made by Bodum . looks like it will do a great job!!!!

[James T]

Might be worth checking out the recommended fish from the Marine Conservation Society - Lumpsuckers I have seen are usually solitary and very easy targets in shallow water laying eggs/protecting their eggs and very vulnerable.

Not sure whether these are classed as a vulnerable species or if they are good eating anyway? They are far less frequently seen than wrasse and, at least for me, not a target - almost possible to pick them up with your hands.

[Old Man Dave]

Seen a few lumpsuckers and as James says they are slow moving, in fact they are almost comic in their movements. I have seen most in late winter early spring. The female lays eggs and I think it's the male that guards them. Not sure about that but I know they do guard the eggs which can be laid in shallow water. Never heard of anyone eating lumpsuckers but have often seen lumpsucker roe being sold. It is labeled as such but also called poor mans caviar. Never tried it. Not really my thing. They had jars of lumpsucker roe in Harrods in London when i was there at Christmas.

Dave

[James T]

Hmm - actually I felt rather sorry for the warty, slow moving, awkward little thing (talking about the lumpfish - not you OMD)

Take a look at the pic and facts UK Files - Lumpfish - DIVERNET from Diver Magazine

[omega3]

LOL the lumpfish is safe!! Its going to be in my class of too pretty(for want of a better word) and rare yes(the only one I have seen) to shoot with its amazing purple skin. Yes it did behave a bit clownish, it darted reallly quick past me,for a moment I thought it was a puffer fish got lost, guess I was in its turf. The wrasse are close to being in this class for me but there are so many of them and if they taste great...thats plain unlucky!

I think I have heard of this "lumpfish caviar " on several occasions and not put the two together.

Another fish I saw a few years ago locally was a sunfish. I caught it flapping about on the surface (while kiting!) and thought it had something wrong with it but turns out this is normal behaviour for it. I didnt consider eating it . Largely because it must have weighed about 10 kg and there is no way I could store that amount of meat. I did however try to get it back to the beach for proof but it was too much effort.

Sunfish .....anyone???

The sea bass is one of my favorite to eat and I would be happy with them only but I just don`t see them. Maybe with global warming eh!

Thats not a bad site James T, cheers. With so many of these sites when I see the picture I think I could provide a much better one but as per usual the difference between talking and doing...oh well one day I will take just the camera....!