# What the...?



## goanywhere (Feb 22, 2011)

Most of us who fish the southern Australian waters, particularly South Australia will be familiar with these buggers...
http://australianmuseum.net.au/Pelates-sexlineatus-Quoy-Gaimard-1824

The Western Striped Grunter (or Shitty as we prefer to call them) are considered a pest, or at best, reasonable crab bait, but definitely not for the table.

But today I saw them for sale at one of the fish markets in the Central Market in Adelaide.

I wanted to ask one of the fishmongers why they sell them, and who would buy them as food, but it was too busy. I wondered whether anyone has ever eaten these, or why they would be for sale in a seafood store? :shock:


----------



## kayakone (Dec 7, 2010)

goanywhere said:


> Most of us who fish the southern Australian waters, particularly South Australia will be familiar with these buggers...
> http://australianmuseum.net.au/Pelates-sexlineatus-Quoy-Gaimard-1824
> 
> The Western Striped Grunter (or Shitty as we prefer to call them) are considered a pest, or at best, reasonable crab bait, but definitely not for the table.
> ...


You say "...definitely not for the table." Is this based on several unbiased opinions, or on hearsay? (many people say that about shark, but haven't tried it). Some may like the taste, and or the price, if cheaper than say snapper.

"...why they would be for sale in a seafood store? :shock:" Because people buy them, and the store can make a dollar out of selling them. Rest assured, if they were unpalatable rubbish, they wouldn't stock them.

trev


----------



## goanywhere (Feb 22, 2011)

Take your point kayakone, but it's the very first time I've ever seen them for sale anywhere. And I've never heard of anyone eating them. They are a bit smelly and they're full of spikes etc. etc. but I stand to be corrected, because there are plenty to be caught in the summer months!

I guess I'll just have to try them some time and find out of all these years I've been missing out on something.

I admit I used to have a similar opinion of leatherjackets until I had some served up at a mates barbecue many years ago and I was converted, they are now one of my favourite fish, (and often plentiful when other fish aren't around).


----------



## anselmo (Aug 26, 2008)

I've eaten them (caught in moreton bay)
they're good, bit like winter whiting in both taste and texture
also in the fact they are usually small so a lot of effort for little reward


----------



## Berger (Aug 13, 2012)

I think I ate one as a boy, and it wasn't strikingly awful. Presumably I lived through the experience.

Remember once squid was 'only good for bait', and somehow it became mainstream table fare. -from 50c per kilo to whatever it is now.

I quite like carp.


----------



## Beekeeper (Aug 20, 2011)

I've eaten the Eastern Striped Trumpeter, so many years ago it's not funny... lived to tell the tale, but can't remember the taste... caught one many years later and attached a hook and sent it back out to 'trumpet up a snapper'. It lasted for about an hour, then got smashed... took off like a bolt of lightning, then the line went slack and I was left with a bare hook.

If you hold them up to your ear, you can hear them trumpet... it sounds almost like Morse Code, so much so that they were also nick-named the Morse Code Fish, locally only, perhaps... ie Redcliffe/Scarborough Qld.

The only reason I've ever eaten them is that they were the only fish I could catch one day when my mother told me to make sure I brought something home to eat. They were so tiny, she minced them... boys will be boys.

The stripes seemed to be made up of tiny little squares, if I remember correctly. There seemed to be an endless supply of these little tackers and they seemed to attack just about any bait that you put down there. The 'endless supply' of what was regarded as a pest-fish seemed to dry up and I guess that this could be attributed to the prawn trawlers working the sea-bed long and hard.

They weren't missed, but the trawlers also killed many other 'trash fish' which could perhaps have grown to adult size, becoming jew, snapper, or some other well liked species.

I've not a lot of time for fishing methods that totally destroy the sea bed, grasses and juvenile fish that should be allowed to exist in that environment and grow to adult-hood.

Cheers, Jimbo


----------



## Zed (Sep 18, 2006)

Berger said:


> Remember once squid was 'only good for bait', and somehow it became mainstream table fare. -from 50c per kilo to whatever it is now.


Maine lobster were once used solely for fertilizer. Now the filthy cockroaches are $10-20/lb. Palates and markets change.


----------



## goanywhere (Feb 22, 2011)

Berger said:


> I quite like carp.


Yes, I've eaten carp. Only big ones yield anything worth eating but on a big carp you can get a clean sweet filled about the size of a decent whiting fillet. No bones and nice tasting.

I guess it raises the question... what marine catch do you like that others turn their nose up at?

I always get lots of 'rock cod' (wrass I think) when fishing off rocks and breakwaters, but I only use them for bait, but as a kid we would eat them. I don't know if anyone else eats them but they're easy to catch.


----------



## Bogey (Apr 24, 2010)

They call'em shitties for a reason!!
And I've eaten a few - must admit I remember they weren't bad straight out of the water and into a frypan but almost anything else is better.
I sure wouldn't pay for them.


----------



## Junglefisher (Jun 2, 2008)

Most Queenslanders would be disgusted by the thought of eating gar... why would you eat bait???
In WA, salmon are quite sought after as table fish by some people. Mind you, they are apparently a diferent sub species to the eastern ones.
I suspect those trumpeter area slightly diferent species as it says they are only found as far south as NSW. The trumpeter we caught a lot of in WA were always "too bony to eat" until my sister tried one (she's fish mad) and reported it to be quite nice and not really that bony.
I'm reminded of the person on here who asked whether arrow squid were good to eat and despite 3 or 4 people telling him yes, he chose to belive the one person who said no, they were good for nothing but bait.
Tarpon are one of the truly "inedible" fish (bony and mushy, tastes like mud) as are WA rock cod (rubbery and chewy, no flavor). A lot of fish are quite edible if cooked whilst very fresh. I would not buy them from a fish market though. Carp is edible, but any fish my wife (who loves fish) asks me not to bring home again is not highly rated.


----------



## sbd (Aug 18, 2006)

Red rock cod (scorpion cod) sell for more than snapper at the Chinese fish shops. I keep them if I get a really big one, they're good. Mind those spines though.


----------



## kayakone (Dec 7, 2010)

goanywhere said:


> Take your point kayakone, but it's the very first time I've ever seen them for sale anywhere. And I've never heard of anyone eating them. They are a bit smelly and they're full of spikes etc. etc. but I stand to be corrected, because there are plenty to be caught in the summer months!
> 
> I guess I'll just have to try them some time and find out of all these years I've been missing out on something.
> 
> I admit I used to have a similar opinion of leatherjackets until I had some served up at a mates barbecue many years ago and I was converted, they are now one of my favourite fish, (and often plentiful when other fish aren't around).


Just thinking, and similar to the leatherjackets...

My mum (God bless her soul) hated cheese from early childhood, when she was _made_ to eat some. Over all those years she flatly refused to try any cheese, regardless of what was on offer. It took 50 + years till her next encounter with cheese (damn near a lifetime).

Mum & Dad were in London for 4 years (when the IRA were blowing up MP's). She had a ball visiting historical sites, dining with the upper class Lords and Ladies (Dad had diplomatic status), and eventually visiting Harrods. It was I gather mainly window shopping. She happened upon the cheeses section, and while lingering for a moment or two staring at a long cabinet, she caught the attention of a gentleman behind the counter, "May I help you Madam?"

"Oh no, just looking," she replied. "I don't really like cheese."

"Which type have you tried?" he replied.

"Oh, I don't know...I just didn't like it."

"We have many varieties. Would you like to try a small piece?"

Mum hesitated, but his friendliness and persistence paid off, and she cautiously sampled a small piece. She was absolutely amazed at the agreeable taste, so he inquired if she would like to try another variety, which she did, and she did, and liked all of them. Incredulous at a lifetime of missing out, she inquired, "How many varieties are there?"

"We have 3,100 varieties madam."

She became a convert.

trev


----------



## goanywhere (Feb 22, 2011)

Good story. And has a ring of familiarity. I think we all have a similar story of things we were 'conditioned' to not like and later found out that we just hadn't come across the right version. I remember hating blue vein cheese until I sampled a very good French one at a good continental deli one time. Now I love it - but only the good ones 

I don't know if eating shitties will rank with any of these examples but if I catch a couple next weekend I might give it a try. :lol: :lol:


----------



## SharkNett (Feb 20, 2006)

I think a lot of fish are judged on look and whether they are considered to have a lot of bones rather than actual taste.
We used to cook the occasional yakka (yellowtail scad) many years ago but I was still surprised when I saw it in a few shops and took it as a sign that more popular species were probably in serious decline.


----------



## goanywhere (Feb 22, 2011)

Junglefisher said:


> Most Queenslanders would be disgusted by the thought of eating gar... why would you eat bait???


Gar are amazing eating. A nice big one butterfly filleted is a delicacy. That's why everything else in the sea loves them. (You Queenslanders are spoilt. You don't count. :lol: :lol


----------



## Squidley (May 8, 2010)

How big do the gar get in the east? I've been told "not very", which might explain things, but maybe that's wrong.

I've been meaning to give wrasse a go but so far there's been more highly prized fish around amongst them. I'm curious if there's any special tips with preparing carp, last time I had my ears open it sounded like a crazy hassle pickling all the fillets or keeping the fish alive for a week in a bath.


----------



## Berger (Aug 13, 2012)

Squidley, hot smoked.

If the fiddly little bones bother you (not such an issue on really big carp, like goanywhere said) then eat the portion below the lateral line and chuck the rest away.

Or, if the carp comes from really clean water and is freshly caught, then steamed with ginger, soy, and shiitake mushrooms, Chinese-style. Pearl River brand soy from Coles is pretty good. A carp under 2kg has a fine texture to the meat. Garnish with spring onions and a spoonful of sesame oil if you're feeling fancy.

This one's from the lower Finnis.
Dipping sauce is Thai: 1 part vinegar, 4 parts fish sauce, chilli, fresh coriander and a dash of sugar.


----------



## kayakone (Dec 7, 2010)

SharkNett said:


> I think a lot of fish are judged on look and whether they are considered to have a lot of bones rather than actual taste.
> We used to cook the occasional yakka (yellowtail scad) many years ago but I was still surprised when I saw it in a few shops and took it as a sign that more popular species were probably in serious decline.


Too true. I did some sea kayak trips from Sandy Cape (Fraser Is) to Hervey Bay. On the 2nd one we could hardly catch a fish, so down below Bowaraddy we jigged for slimy mackeral, and caught quite a few on the sabiki rigs. Well even with livies, we couldn't catch a fish, so we ate the slimys.

They were delicious!

trev


----------



## john316 (Jan 15, 2009)

Squidley said:


> How big do the gar get in the east? I've been told "not very", which might explain things, but maybe that's wrong.
> 
> I've been meaning to give wrasse a go but so far there's been more highly prized fish around amongst them. I'm curious if there's any special tips with preparing carp, last time I had my ears open it sounded like a crazy hassle pickling all the fillets or keeping the fish alive for a week in a bath.


I have not tried this but I did see Maggie Beer in an ABC show called the Cook and the Chef offer the chef a dish using carp. His reaction was funny to watch as he nearly refused to try it but then cam back for more muttering things along the lines of "I never would have believed it"...

Her trick was to fillet the fish (fresh) and then turn the fillet and run the knife along under the fillet removing the skin and the thin layer under the skin which she claimed held the nasty muddy taste. The dressed fillet was red similar to an Atlantic salmon fillet and all she did from memory, was sear it in a pan and serve it on a plate...

I am going to give it a try one day...

cheers

John


----------



## wopfish (Dec 4, 2006)

Didnt those multi millionaire south Oz tuna fisherman start off by selling their fish to cat food factories before the sashimi rage bit in !

On my reading of early arrivals in Sydney cove the bemoaned the poor quality of in edible fish that the harbour had to offer. Obviously tandoori flathead hadnt been invented yet in pommie land :shock: :shock:


----------



## goanywhere (Feb 22, 2011)

well they weren't sent to South Oz so they didn't know about King George writing.


----------



## RedPhoenix (Jun 13, 2006)

Unfortunately, due to the change in ownership of this web site and the lack of response by the owners to my requests to remove my email address from all administrative-level notifications and functionality, I have decided to remove my posts on AKFF. Thank you for the great times, the fantastic learning experiences and the many many fish. If you are desperate for the old content of this particular post, it is available below base64 encoded and bzip2 compressed.

Red.

----

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


----------



## goanywhere (Feb 22, 2011)

I reckon we should consider a monthly prize for the best 'non conventional' fish recipe. Perhaps thinks like 'puffer fish pie' or 'stone fish soup' might get the saliva flowing. :lol: :lol:


----------



## wopfish (Dec 4, 2006)

Sounds good on the recipe ideas !


----------



## Junglefisher (Jun 2, 2008)

RedPhoenix said:


> I make it a point to try just about every fish I catch; from fork tailed catfish, through scorpionfish, grinner, Sgt Baker, yellowfin pike, salmon, slimy mackeral, gar and slatey bream. It's extremely rare that I find a fish that I can't turn into something pretty reasonable. (My grinner soup is pretty bloody good, my family keep asking for red-rock cod mornay, sweet chilli catfish wasn't too bad, and the ginger and fish-sauce pike stir fry had the kids coming back for thirds).
> 
> The only real exception I've come across so far, are some members of the blubberlips group. The slatey's have an undeserved reputation as a MIL fish, but the gold spotted blubberlips, (http://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/454), is unfortunately, forever safe from my plate.
> 
> ...


Interesting Red. I've eaten them and found them quite palatable. 








We're certainly not fussy when it comes to fish, I'll give anything a go too.


----------



## RedPhoenix (Jun 13, 2006)

Unfortunately, due to the change in ownership of this web site and the lack of response by the owners to my requests to remove my email address from all administrative-level notifications and functionality, I have decided to remove my posts on AKFF. Thank you for the great times, the fantastic learning experiences and the many many fish. If you are desperate for the old content of this particular post, it is available below base64 encoded and bzip2 compressed.

Red.

----

QlpoOTFBWSZTWUmt4k0AACtfgAAQUIWACggyEAo/7/+gMAEGARU/BU9GnoU0NN6U0ekNNBg00aaYTEyYCBpg0EyKeTTTRT0mZEGmyi0EuHjc+z/LNBU0M52017rhsWyiyPKULjLWJUb88iYeM8QhFGasUpeoHcI52vQ8xcqmBOComOQzAd/qhV1ZFkfpfXcS7f2467Yvg7mxKIEaBZ15wfiDML2yYUvwJ7eY0KU5HvAOGKzEmi4MECUO4ChEMY1RJIZBT2RBkzVGnX4hFgeJ1xFtZaW6YUNztF7vQGBUBBESRiCar4ELF0rPVmUuMWoL31iHqgc/P7nXOJ+0IQO6Q37e76SOtBZCnODjdb5pESjIQcYI5E8TCqXR5DvtzOnKhMo0NUFjp/i7kinChIJNbxJo


----------



## sbd (Aug 18, 2006)

I'll eat most things, but I draw the line at (before) numbfish. If anyone has any cunning ways with wirrah, I'm all ears.


----------



## Ado (Mar 31, 2008)

Wrasse are generally delicious.


----------



## Junglefisher (Jun 2, 2008)

sbd said:


> I'll eat most things, but I draw the line at (before) numbfish. If anyone has any cunning ways with wirrah, I'm all ears.


One of the few fish I've caught but never tried. I doubt I've caught any over legal size anyway - 38cm.
Tarpon is another I've been convinced not to eat - by someone who has actually tried them. I have ued them for crab bait though.
I've caught a lot of Jungle perch but never eaten them, despite a lot of people telling me they taste awesome. I think I was worried they really would taste awesome and I'd want to bring my bag limit (1) home each time.


----------

