The California scorpionfish. Sounds quite menacing.. and it should be. Related to the infamous stonefish, which is deadly to humans, living off our sun drenched coast is its cousin that does indeed pack a doozy of a sting. I have seen people put their hands down on these well concealed fish, only to scream, or whatever you call it when you exhale massive amounts of bubbles underwater, as the venom surges through their body. While our scorpionfish is not as worrisome, it is not something I care to experience. So yesterday while out fishing on the Monte Carlo, I hauled in a few keepers that made their way into my burlap sack. I have heard wondrful things about the flavor of these fish and was excited to give them a try.
On the boat I had the deckhand filet them for me, except for one that I did myself when I returned home, so the spines were not an issue as I jostled around the kitchen tonight. Supplies were getting a bit thin on the $5 per day diet, and luckily I had a few things that made this meal just downright lip smacking. The fish… I kept simple… just some salt and pepper. But I had a can of white beans and some bacon, so I sort of came up with an idea to serve the fish simply over a bed of white beans, bacon and onion… all things I had in the pantry and fridge.
I fried up the bacon in a cast iron pan and when crispy, put it into another skillet with some of the grease and added half of a diced red onion and sautéed till the onion was turning golden. I tossed in some garlic and a can of white beans and let that all suck up the bacon grease love! With the rest of the bacon fat and a bit of butter, I fried the scorpionfish filets till they took on a golden color, which was only a moment in the pan. The beans needed some tang so I squeezed some lemon juice in and wow. The fish just popped.
There is something special about catching your own food. I used to hunt with my father as a boy, and when I lived in Alaska I ate more things from the wild than I did from a feed lot, but as of late I have drifted away from that side of me. So I had some great satisfaction eating a tasty meal that is as fresh as it gets and caught with my own effort. Many people shy away from hunting. Maybe it is because they cant pull ther trigger when bambi is giving them the sad eyes, but a fish is different. It has a cold stare that never seems to make a personal connection with those people who yank them from the water. But being a fish biologist I know they are some of the most amazing animals on the planet and they do indeed have a personality that is unique to each and every fish… just in their own cold blooded special way. So tonight as I reveled in my primeval manliness at being able to provide for my family, food-wise, I paid homage to the last wild food that is commonly plied for our great planet. Fish! Thank you ocean!
p.s. as i was baiting up my hook i did kick a burlap sack and sunk two scorpionfish spines into my big toe. I stood there , semi-freaking out about the explosive pain that was sure to come… sure to come… sure to come. What? Nothing but some blood dripping onto the deck. Well I guess when these guys die they lose their ability to inject poison…or… I am just super tough. Probably not.
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