Rana pescatrice (frog fish)

Coda di rospo: click to enlarge

Now THIS - is the part of a fish that when translated into english might elicit a few...I dunno, sniggles? But if the specimen above was to be shown in its entirety, the reaction might be more along the lines of a grossed out ewww! Not exactly what I was hoping to find for my ongoing seafood quest, rana pescatrice is usually sold sans head. I kid you not, this is the "FuGlieSt of the Fugly" on the fin scene - take a look at this wikimedia link and say it ain't so. Rana pescatrice translates closer to Fishing Frog, however, when you address the secondary name of coda di rospo it gets even more weird because then it becomes Toad Tail (again, the sniggles). Fishing Frog? Toad Tail? A spoof on the characters of Frog and Toad?

In english the terms monkfish anglerfish goosefish and bigmouth all come to the forefront, yet despite the names, this "poor man's lobster" is worth its weight if mostly in the tail end. Though not quite as sweet as a spiny pacific, the flavor is said to be reminiscent of lobster. Bring on the clarified butter. In the first of several recipe experiments, I cut the tail into medium chunks and sauteed them in butter until light golden brown on all sides. A sprinkle of sea salt, a grind of pepper, a squeeze of lime juice and presto! - a simple antipasto to see how this mock lobstah rates. Bite..chew..taste..and I'm waving a shaka sign.

Sautéeing coda di rospo chunks in butter. It even looks like meaty pieces of frog flesh.

Miso-marinated monkfish on julienned
carrots, zucchini and shredded napa
cabbage

Texture-wise, monkfish flakes up soft and easy, and in a different take on laulau, I borrowed on Manju's idea of miso butterfish, nestling miso-marinated monkfish chunks over a bed of shredded vegetables before tying into parchment bundles. Steamed for 20 minutes, I should have had the foresight to cut a few slits in the paper to allow for drainage. Let me tell you, miso and this fish are a winning pair, but next time I will heed her advice and marinate for 3 days.

Price info: Currently, fresh monkfish tail commands a price of about 22 euros/kilo - or $15.33 per pound — but drops lower when buying in whole form (the last time it was at 16€/kilo). Of course, the only part to get much use out of is the tail; the remainder being excellent for making fish stock (but save that liver for an exquisite delicacy). On the italian cooking front there seems to be numerous ways to prepare coda di rospo, a sure sign that I've been missing out on this faux lobster for far too long.

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