Snapper & Grouper Throats

[SamFamAustin]

Half-A-Hamian is always talking about eating fish heads, so I thought I would tell of the wonders of grilled or fried snapper and grouper throats.

The main edible parts of a fish head are the cheeks behind the eyes, not much there, the belly of the throat, which is pretty dinky too, and the throat. The throat is very large on snappers and groupers because they use it to grind up whatever they swallow, and on a larger specimen over 4-5 pounds, can be as large as a chicken breast. It is a true delicacy - as shown on Andrew Zimmern's "bizarre food" TV show but known for at least 50 years as being the best part of the fish.

I usually cut to the chase - literally, with a pair of sharp shears and a large knife. The area you want is behind the eyes, under the gills, and in front of the pectoral fins. Thus you don't need the jaws, top of the head, gills, or any of that stuff - process of elimination and no, I am no expert except I know good food. You'll know when you end up with a fist-sized portion of meat that is usually cut in half so it cooks easier. Just cut as much stuff away that doesn't look like meat and you'll be fine. You'd be surprised there's a bunch of beautiful white meat.

In Florida, grouper and snapper throats are a real big deal, hard to get outside the state unless you do it yourself. Often served with conch and a side in the old-timer Florida seafood restaurants. True, you have to work at eating throats a little, since there is a little cartilage in there, but no worries, Patti, it is no where near as gross as frying those exploding calf you-know-whatsis. :eek:

Be adventurous. Give it a try sometime.
-sammie

[HALF-A-HAMIAN]

On triggerfish, the gills and liver are saved. Great stewed.

[Sapelo Son]

We always keep the cheek's, throat's and backbones. Usually we smok'um for "Fish Smack" (Smoked Fish Dip). My crew will fight ya for'um! My Grandaddy used to say "likes, liver and lungs, essholes, hearts and tounges, times for me were tough, don't waste nothin son!"

[vharrison]

My Grandaddy used to say "likes, liver and lungs, essholes, hearts and tounges, times for me were tough, don't waste nothin son!"

Spoken by a true Southern Gentleman.

[DaGoose]

On the left coast we call them collars. Great stuff smoked.

On halibut, the cheeks are the best part of the fish!!!!

Rick

[AbacoBoy]

That is a real nice cheek Rick. Actually, you can get some just as big on a 10 pound plus Grouper. They will remind you of a large Scallop...and just as tender!

[PELLUCID]

At the NC Maritime Museum in Beaufort where I visited yesterday, they had a funny looking wooden stick with a bulb on the end that was used to extract the fishes' swim bladder right through their mouths, without cutting them open.

Apparently they were considered a great delicacy in the northern markets a century ago. When NC fish were mostly salted or pickled before being shipped north, they got cut open to be cleaned, so the swim bladder was easy to get. When the market went to fresh fish, they were shipped whole... minus their swim bladders, which got popper out through their mouths!

[Sapelo Son]

Just made a fresh batch of "Smoked Fish Dip" aka "Smack".

Smoked Fish (usually stuff you'd throw away, throats, backbones, cheeks)
Cream Cheese
Grated Cheddder Cheese
Vidalia Onion (Raw)
Seasoning Salt
Old Bay
Hot Sauce
Tony Chacheres Cajun Sesoning

http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/ll239/timharris2008/Throats.jpg

[Abacobrad]

Grilling the whole fish. Go to a few town picnics and shore lunches you soon realize that gutting, scaling and grilling is a great way to do Yellow Tail, Grunts and all kinds of reef fare. I have not done Grouper whole, but do know all about Grouper cheeks. I make sure not to let them become chum for the Sharks... I need some fresh fish on the grill, its cold here in Georgia.

Brad

[mccrackenville]

cheeks are the best. throw em in a pan with butter and tony's.

[Patti Puzo]

cheeks are the best. throw em in a pan with butter and tony's.


And......Welcome to the FUN Forum!!!:)

[grouperdawg]

Well...yesterday I decided to take the advice of this thread & cut out some grouper cheeks. I was thinking of making ceviche out of it but I may just saute them like scallops. Has anyone ever done ceviche, seems like it would make sense b/c not that much meat. It does look like really nice & am anxious to try,. I was surprised that the grouper I had in the 20 - 30 lb range did not have that much bigger cheeks than the smaller fish.

[SamFamAustin]

Naw there isn't hardly anything there, for all the raves and praises - a couple of bites on a 20-pounder as you say. Have you seen this video?
http://www.expertvillage.com/video/105485_cutting-out-grouper-cheeks.htm

I don't know why, but we always did snapper throats and grouper cheeks, and didn't mix them up, never grouper throats or snapper cheeks. And snapper throats can be disappointing because of the cartilage around the throat bones - it's not a big ole chicken breast if you're expecting that.

The cheeks and throats do taste very sweet, for all that work.

[grouperdawg]

That video was really good, i used the knife to skin the cheek off & looks like he just pulled it off with his fingers.

The other video on the throats was also good, I have always never bothered doing any of that in the past b/c it is so time consuming to clean a mess of fish after a long day of fishing and you have so much good meat already.

Two trips ago at the cleaning station a guy thought I was crazy for leaving the throats & took all my carcusses so that peeked my interest & then reading this thread, the cheeks really do not take that long to get out so gave it a shot.

[Charlotte Couple]

Sapelo Son, how does that Smack recipe compare the the Smoked Fish Dip at Cracker P's?

[Sapelo Son]

If you drink enough, you'd think you were there! No, just kidding, however I did get the idea from them to heat mine up and eat it almost melted. We first found the stuff at a little fish market in Fort Pierce years ago where you bought it cold. We have eaten it like that for years untill my first trip to first Cracker P's last year. This last batch we ate some hot and it was great! Honey Baby said she liked it better like that.....

[SamFamAustin]

If you drink enough, you'd think you were there! No, just kidding, however I did get the idea from them to heat mine up and eat it almost melted. We first found the stuff at a little fish market in Fort Pierce years ago where you bought it cold. We have eaten it like that for years untill my first trip to first Cracker P's last year. This last batch we ate some hot and it was great! Honey Baby said she liked it better like that.....

Well it's a slow day at the orifice today so here's a cool link to the real roots of Florida smoked fish dip, which was made with mullet. Yup, mullet:
http://www.myoutdoortv.com/video/video.php?v=_Fc2A0_CCT4s5LUr6M9Hysh0IjuR5xUX

But any fish is good for smoked fish dip long at it doesn't get too dry. Notice that their Florida recipe is a little chunky compared to the kind at Cracker P's, which is more like "fish dust." No problem, you can use the processor or blender and duster-r-up if you so desire. I'm a chunky dude. :rolleyes:

I don't eat a lot of salt so I found that you don't need a lot for brining, and remember some of those spice mixes are loaded with salt in them as well, and that cheese is just animal milk fat and salt. And, I like salty crackers too!

The traditional Florida smokehouse was a very small fire in what looked like a wooden outhouse, and fish were placed and racks that could slide out the door. Now that we have those smaller electric smokers, it's not an all day ordeal, and rather fun actually. -sam

[South Pause]

Bought some incredibly good smoked mahi mahi fish dip at Crown Liquors here in S. Florida last weekend. Brand is "Mrs. Peters" :). I found the website, and it seems the business has been around since 1931, in Jensen Beach, Florida. They have alot of other stuff too. I paid about $8.00 for a smallish container. Worth every penny.www.mrspeters.com.

[grouperdawg]

BTW...I lightly pan fried up the cheeks last week & also a piece of scamp. I did not tell my wife anything about grouper cheeks & asked her which fish she liked better. She liked the cheeks, I agreed, they were pretty good. I will probably do that again if they ever let us fish for grouper again in the gulf.