Delicious Australia – (05)May 2019

(Comicgek) #1
Searchdelicious.com.aufor‘pan-seared
leatherjacket with sauteed zucchini’.

ILLUSTRATION

ALICE CLEARY

BUYINGBuywholeif possible,or
onthecage(notfilleted), head and
gutremoved.
STORINGIf buyingwhole,
immediatelyremovegutandgills.
Wrapinmuslinorfreezerfilmand
placeina plasticcontainerwitha
layeroficeonthebottomandthefish
restingona driptray.Seallidand
placeatthebottomofthefridge.
Filletjustbeforecooking.
COOKINGBaked,pan-fried,
curried,smoked,barbecued.
CATCHINGMETHOD
Trawl,trap.
SUBSTITUTIONS
Mahimahi,swordfish.
ACCOMPANIMENTSLemon,
capers,potato,fennel, olives; loves
Thai curry flavours.

Fas owing
anda undant,
leatherjacket
areanideagreen
choice,says
John Susman.

LE ATH E RJACK ET

ALONGWITHRICKfrom
TheYoungOnes, Monkey
fromMonkeyMagicand
BillOddiefromThe
Goodies, oneArthur
Fonzarelli(TheFonz!)from
HappyDayswasa majorinfluenceonmy
earlychildhood.MiniHuckwouldstrut
around,proclaiming“ayyyy!” every time
hewalkedintoa room.
Inhisleatherjacket,whiteteeandLevis,
TheFonzwasthecoolest,andalthough
I’dtrytomimichisswagger,in reality,
I wasprobablymuchmorelikeRalph
Malph.Anyway,eversince,I’vewanted
a leatherjacket...and,despitea wardrobe
fullofblack,I’veneverachievedit.
Unless,ofcourse,it wasfordinner–
somethingall-roundfishfiendandowner
ofFishtalesJohnSusmanrecommends.
“Ireckonthegreatestopportunitywith
leatherjacketis withtheskin...tanned,it
wouldbeperfectasa bikini,orfora pair
ofcowboybootswithchiselled toes and
Cubanheels!”helaughs.
Indeed,if youbuythefishwhole,be
suretoremovetheskinbeforecooking–
it’searneditsnameforgoodreason.In
fact,thewholefishis prettydistinctive,
witha smallmouth,sharpfusedteeth
thatlookmuchlikea beak,smallgills
anda serratedspineontopofitshead
that can deliver a painful sting.


AnthonyHuckstepfinallyrealisesa childhooddream,evenif
it comes in the form of a fish that’sfarbetterenjoyed‘naked’.

But,saysSusman,don’tletitstough
exteriorstopyouexperiencingits
versatilityandenjoyableeatingqualities.
“Theleatherjacket,likeMexicancuisine,
hasbeenthe‘nextnewthing’in foodfor
years,”hesays,“butthis‘rabbitofthe
sea’is trulya recessionbuster– plentiful,
inexpensive,consistent,firm-grained and
witha greatshelflife.”
Theydietonalgae,crustaceans,
molluscs,fishandevenworms,andare
currentlyin near-plagueproportions on
theeastcoastofAustralia.
You’llcommonlyfindthemskinnedand
headless,butstillonthebone.“Easyto
fillet,thefleshis mildflavouredandhas
analmost‘chickenability’in regardsto
howit canbecooked,”saysSusman.
Superbin curries,theleatherjacket
alsoexcelswhenbaked,grilledandeven
poached.Susmanprefersthem“cooked
onthebone,wheretheyremainsoftand
juicy,andabsorbthe rich flavour of the
bonestructure”.
Whydon’tyoutryoneonforsize?
Whoknows,maybeyou’ll enjoy some
happydays,ayyyy!

delicious.com.au/food-files
Formoretipsonbuyingand
storing fresh seafood.

@huckstergram @anthuckstep

CATCHOFTHED


42 delicious.com.au

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