Kingfish

Friday September 19

Went down to Tony's fish market on a recommendation, and have to say I was not over-impressed. Not really someone to mong me some fish—just a nice enough hole in the wall Asian grocery with a somewhat limited supply. So I chose "kingfish." The problem with kingfish, beside the so-not-PC temptation to do the whole thing in Amos & Andy voice, is that the name is used for about 10,000 different fish, and without a marine taxonomist by you side to give you Genus and species you're pretty much on your own. This specimen was, I suspect from his general roundness (Yes, Your Roundness), a king mackerel. It looked like a smackerel and cooked like a smackerel, and I say it was a smackerel. In any case, nought to do with the kingfish we had in Indian restaurants in London.

So I marinated their royal fishnesses in a lot of lime juice with a little shot of cayenne and pepper. Then pan-fried, removed to hot plates, then swirled in some onion and tomato to cut the oiliness (I told you it was a smackerel). A few steamed wax beans made a pleasant side-dish when splashed with white balsamic vinegar.