YourPotluck.com     Living & Eating on Long Island's East End 
Sea Robins: Too Ugly To Eat?


My name is Monique.
I'm a 2-time Emmy Award winning TV Producer.
Having been in the business for over 15 years I've produced my share of live tv cooking segments, but never had much time to devote to cooking myself.

Last year when I got married, I moved out of New York City to the east end of Long Island, to ...wait for it...The Hamptons.

Now before you roll your eyes, there's more to the Hamptons than mansions and celebrities.

The Hamptons have some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, miles of productive farmland, plus a rich clamming history that continues to this day.

When I moved out east and realized I was surrounded, not just by the bounty of the sea, but also local farms and vineyards, I couldn't wait to explore and sample my new environment.

That's what this blog is about.  Cooking, living, exploring and sharing those experiences.

You'll notice that my blog is a little of this and a little of that, kind of like a potluck meal.


 






























































Can a food be too ugly to eat?  That was the question when my husband went fishing one day and came back with some fish that looked like characters from a Muppet movie.

"What are those?" I asked. "Sea robins", he explained, as he plopped them down on the kitchen counter.

They were almost comical looking with bulbous eyes and pouty expressions. I half expected them to sit up and start talking.

One of my favorite childhood movies came to mind, "The 
Incredible Mr. Limpet." It starred Don Knotts as a man who 
turns into a fish during World War II and helps the U.S. Navy 
battle Japanese submarines. The film combines real-life film
with animation and I just loved it as a child. That's what these 
fish looked like and I couldn't imagine eating them.




Sea robins are bottom-feeding fish. They get their name from
their large pectoral fins, which open and close like a bird's
wings, when swimming. Called gurnards in Europe, they are
often used in bouillabaisse.

After filleting them, we dipped the sea robins in some bread
crumbs, salt and pepper and fried them up. They were 
delicious, the flesh white and tender, very much like monkfish.

If you are offered something to eat that looks a little scary, 
give it a try at least once. Too often people turn their noses up
at food because it looks 'strange' and miss out on amazing 
dishes, so let's all be more adventurous out there.





























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