What fish is this?

[Andy Macfarlane]

I would think they meant the Monkfish or Angel Shark Squatina squatina

 

The fish now sold as "Monkfish" is the Anglerfish Lophius piscatorius - just the tails are used - quite tasty, but its a big fish to kill just for a wee tail.

 

It's definitely not the Angel Shark I'm talking about in the wee guide, although I know what you mean. In the older books and magazines, you'd see the Angel Shark/Monkfish in the sea fishing section now and again but in the kitchen trade, it's the more familiar Anglerfish/Monkfish we cook with. It does seem wasteful but there's little other than cartilage in the head. It still gets used along with other bits and bobs for the bouillabaisse so it's not a complete waste. It's a fussy thing though. Once you've removed the skin, there's a horrible pink membrane underneath which has to be removed or the fish just curls up and goes leathery, which probably accounts for it's past poor reputation as a food fish. Unless you know about the membrane, it's easy to see to how it would just end up in the bin.