Frozen Whole Spotted Grouper

A thick, heavy-bodied reef fish with mottled skin and flesh so dense it slices clean and holds its shape through a long braise. It is the fish to buy when the dish has to look composed on the plate rather than falling into flakes.

What It Is

Spotted grouper, sold whole and cleaned with head and tail on. Reef-dwelling and slow-growing, which is what gives the flesh its tight grain and clean, faintly sweet finish.

Where It Comes From

Hand-lined and trap-caught around reef structures in the Indo-Pacific, then landed and blast-frozen whole within hours. Nothing is filleted before freezing, so the frame stays intact and the flesh does not dry.

Specifications

• Cut: whole, cleaned, scaled, head and tail on
• Net weight: 2 kg per box
• Flesh: snow white, dense, low flake
• Skin: mottled brown and cream, intact
• Bones: thick central frame, few fine pin bones

Condition on Arrival

Raw and frozen solid in a sealed box with gel ice and an insulated liner. The skin should look glossy and the eye clear, with no white freezer patches on the body.

Storage

Keep at -18 C or colder. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator on a rack so any liquid drains away from the skin. Cook within 24 hours of full thaw and never refreeze.

Shelf Life and Cold Chain

Best before 18 months from the production date on the box. Held frozen from landing to delivery with no intermediate thaw.

How to Cook It

Steam whole with ginger and spring onion for twelve to fourteen minutes, then dress with hot oil and light soy. For a clay-pot braise, sear the fish first, then simmer in stock with garlic, shiitake and a little rock sugar until the sauce coats a spoon. Thick steaks cut across the bone are excellent pan-seared skin side down and finished in the oven. Because the flesh is dense, it tolerates a few minutes more heat than a soft-fleshed fish without falling apart.

Allergens and Compliance

Contains fish. Packed in a facility that also handles crustaceans and molluscs. Not suitable for anyone with a fish allergy. This is a food product and no health, medical or nutritional claim is made for it.