The Crystal Sea catches this fantastic meaty fish all year round, the monkfish swims around the Cornish coast all year round but in the winter months it can be found much deeper off, but by late spring it starts to work its way back closer to the shore, so by early autumn it’s a lot closer to the coast. We catch the monk fish by using what we call a tickler which is a light piece of rope which we tow in front of our trawls which tickles the monk fish and when they jump up from the seafloor they are then in our net hopefully.
The monk fish wouldn’t win an award for looks but it scoops all the prizes for taste It uses a barb on the top of its head with what looks like a worm dangling on the end of it to lure its prey close to its huge mouth then and the right moment it springs open its huge jaws and traps the prey in its mouth. The monkfish must be a successful predator, as it can grow up to a huge size with some we catch being over 3feet long and weighing over 40kg. The meatiest part of the monk is the tail but the monk’s cheeks are also a great tasting part of the fish. The liver is also another part of the fish that can be used and makes a fine fish pate.
Storing the catch
When the catch comes aboard the Crystal sea we sort then gut the fish, then we cool the fish a quickly as possible by dipping them in slushed ice sea water to bring the tempreture down as quickly as possible to ensure the fish retains its just from the sea look. We then send the fish down to our re-fridgerated hold where we place each fish in a box on a layer of ice and when each box is full it has a layer of ice placed on top then it is safely secured in the hold. We keep our fish hold at a constant plus 1 degree Celsius to ensure the fish arrives in the freshest condition for auction at the market.