Monkfish | DE L'EAU À LA BOUCHE

Illustration couleur d'une baudroie d'Amérique.

Forme de poire aplatie, grosse tête arrondie et petite queue.

Dos couleur brun olive foncé et ventre blanc ou rosé. Peau non recouverte d’écailles.

Immense bouche pourvue de dents acérées et rabattues vers l’arrière.

Nageoires pectorales portées sur des structures ressemblant à des pattes. Utilisées pour la nage et le soutien du corps lorsque la baudroie attend ses proies.

Ouverture des branchies derrière la tête, en dessous des nageoires pectorales.

Leurre flexible sur le dessus de la tête. Sert à attirer les proies.

Nageoires pelviennes sous le menton : lui permettent de « marcher » sur le fond marin.

Name

Monkfish
Lophius americanus

Type

Bottom fish

Other names

Goosefish

Kitchen name

Monkfish

Resource status

Not determined

Consumption season

Fresh in summer and autumn.

SIZE:

90 cm, up to 140 cm and 22 kg.

LIFE EXPECTANCY:

11 years, up to 30 years.

LIFE CYCLE:

Spawning takes place from June to September.

The females lay 300,000 to over 2 million pink eggs in a translucent mucous ribbon floating on the surface. This veil can measure up to 12 m long and 1.5 m wide. The eggs hatch into swimming larvae. When they reach approximately 8 cm in length, the larvae settle to the bottom.

Close to the bottom, down to 800 m, but more often to 100 m depth.

Monkfish prefer gravel or sandy bottoms, in which they can partially bury themselves to better surprise their prey.

PREYS:

Crustaceans
Squid
Various fish

PREDATORS:

Swordfish
Sharks

Surprise!

A lure on its head, a flattened shape and a colouring to blend in with the substrate… not to forget its monstrous appearance, the monkfish has several techniques for surprising its prey; for example, its breathing cycle, which lasts on average 90 seconds and can go up to three minutes. That is 30 times slower than other fish. This characteristic gives monkfish an unrivalled immobility, which is the best way to create surprise…

No commercial fishing.

Monkfish are mostly caught as incidental catch in trawls for bottom fish.

Monkfish is a Smarter seafood-listed species.

BENEFITS:

Rich in protein (around 20%) and omega-3 (0.53 g/100 g).

LET’S COOK:

Fine, lean, rather firm flesh. Delicate, with a slightly sweet flavour.

The flesh is mainly found in the tail. The heads are excellent in soups. The fillets or medallions can be steamed, en papillote (in foil) or grilled. The liver is also edible. The little “bonus” of this fish? It has only one central bone and therefore no smaller bones to remove.

OUR CULINARY ADVICE:

The blood vessels in the fillet should be bright red, a guarantee of freshness. The flesh should be shiny.
Do not hesitate to buy fillets that might be a little larger than usual, as they can shrink during cooking. Make sure you remove the translucent membrane before cooking your fillet; otherwise, it will end up twisted.
Pan-fried, cook over a high heat for around seven to ten minutes for a fillet, five minutes for a medallion.
Monkfish goes well with sharp, acidic sauces.
Balsamic vinegar goes well with monkfish liver.

Species