Conger eel, sea eel. The crustaceans and fish which form its diet contribute to its own good flavour. It is usually sold in steaks. It has few bones and good firm flesh with excellent flavour. The neck end has a better ratio of flesh to bone so is better for cooking as steaks, whereas the tail end, which is bonier, makes a useful addition to soups and stocks.
*Goat fish."Bluemouth. A type of rascasse from deep North American waters and the western Mediterranean. It has a blue flash on the gill covers and enormous eyes. It is an unsightly fish with good flavour and is used in bouillabaisse and other fish soups.
John Dory. A high quality, plump, flattish fish with a golden sheen, with an ugly but amiable face. It was first associated with Zeus, then with St Peter, as evidenced by the ‘finger marks’ left by him when he picked it up to remove a coin from its mouth to pay some taxes. It is also plaice.
Triggerfish. A brightly coloured Mediterranean fish, more common in the southern Mediterranean than than the northern. It must be skinned before cooking as the skin is very tough.
Some sources show this to be the shortfin mako shark, but I think it is more likely to be the porbeagle or mackerel shark. A member of the shark family common in the Atlantic. It grows to 4 meters (13 ft) in length. It has good flavour and texture and is grilled in the form of steaks.
A name in Bermeo for the monkfish (US: angler fish). A fish with a sweet flavour and succulent firm flesh but with the ugliest appearance imaginable. It is found in the Mediterranean and Atlantic, in coastal waters of north western Europe. It can be recognised by its large head and fan-shaped fins. The fins and the operculum are spiny. It can be eaten fried or in soup. The larger fish often have better flavour. It has a hideous head, which is why it is usually displayed without it, and a muddy colour. It is known as the anglerfish as it bears on its head a 'rod' and 'lure' which attract its prey. The meat of the tail is sweet and succulent - almost like lobster meat, entirely compensating for is appearance. The flavour may well be assisted by its own diet which is high in shellfish. The best monkfish are Lophius piscatorius and the similar Lophius budegassa, the favourite of the Spanish. American monkfish or goosefish (Lophius americanus) is considered inferior, while New Zealand monkfish (Kathetostoma giganteum) is related to the stargazer and is only fit for soup.
