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Often, ocean catfish are marketed as lobo, which is Spanish for wolffish.
They say only a wolffish could love another wolffish; and if you ever saw one,
you would agree. This fish is somewhat frightening to look at - it has lots of
teeth. Its color is somewhat dull, mostly gray, with some hints of blue, purple,
green or brown. Along the fish's sides are dark vertical bands. The wolffish is
a good-sized fish, for the fillets can be quite large. The fish averages just
under 3 feet and usually weighs less than 15 pounds. Wolffish are found from Greenland to southern New England. They are non-migratory and live on the ocean bottom in depths of 50-350 feet. In the Northeast Seafood Book, Susan Faria indicates that wolffish feed mostly on hard-shelled mollusks, crustaceans, and starfish. They are solitary in nature and not as abundant as the more commercially important species such as cod and haddock. They are harvested as part of the traditional bottom trawl fisheries. CULINARY DESCRIPTION As mentioned above, Atlantic wolffish can have somewhat large fillets. They are very white, and the bones can be easily felt and removed. If you've never tasted this fish, it's definitely worth the effort to keep an eye out for it and buy it whenever you see it. The meat, when cooked, is nice and light, somewhat sweet and firm, yet flaky like cod, but the flakes are not as large. It can be baked, broiled, or poached. Lobo is excellent baked lightly covered with an herb-flavored tomato sauce. |
