I like fish! The only thing that makes me think twice about having it lately has been the way the price per kilo of my favourites types of fish have gone up , up, up ! Snapper at $40 kg just sticks in my craw. There was always gurnard of course. I have always enjoyed gurnard, and felt that those who screwed their nose up at it, completely under- valued it and because it was always considerably cheaper, people often eyed it with suspicion I think. "What is wrong with gurnard ?" Nothing really, until now. The price of that has shot up so much as well , now that everyone who couldn't afford snapper, turned to buying gurnard instead.
Well, I went craving for fish yesterday to my local big fish market -late in the day I'll admit, fancying a nice Hapuka steak. To heck with the price, I was going to have one ! Sold out.
Snapper $42 kg.
Stick it ! And then, I noticed a tray of skinned and boned fish fillets that looked rather a lot like snapper, but the sign said "Alfonsino ."
Never heard of it. It was cheap too. Wondering if it had been fished out of the Mekong River or something , I asked about it and was assured that it was definitely caught in NZ waters. Very prized by the Japanese, apparently, and was assured it was a lovely flavoured fish and very rich in Omega. I bought a nice sized fillet, plenty big enough for a meal for myself for $3.00.
Well, now I know that it is more important to feed the Japanese than it is to ensure that our own people have access to affordable fish for their tables. But, I still cannot help wondering how on earth I got to be the age I am without ever having heard of this Alfonsino fish before, let alone getting the chance to taste it before it was all flogged off to foreign shores ? I was shocked recently when I learned that this country had been importing Mekong River catfish and that was what was being battered and sold in takeaway shops , or made into frozen fish cakes etc. I have seen, and smelled that river. Have our food and health standards dropped so low, that it has become OK to eat garbage fish ? But I digress.
The Alfonsino fish I bought and battered, was absolutely delicious . Yum , Yum !
I am interested to know how well it is known to any of you . Is it sold more in the South Island perhaps ? Wellington ? Australia. ? I was told that it is in fact known as Tasmanian Snapper, over there, but most of the catch is trawled between Chatham Islands and in our own waters. Anyway, a tip off, to all fish lovers,
it is definitely worth watching out for.
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