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Monkfish is an interesting angler-shaped fish. Monkfish and seafood salpicon What is the name of the fish with a lantern

These deep-sea fish differ from other representatives of Lophiiformes by the absence of pelvic fins. The skin is scaleless, glabrous, but in some species it is covered with transformed scales in the form of plaques and spines. The body color is camouflage: dark brown or black. There is a misconception that deep-sea fish have bloated bodies with bulging eyes and ugly shapes. However, in reality, they acquire this appearance after they appear on the surface and this happens due to excess internal pressure. At a depth of 1500-3000 meters, where these fish usually live, the pressure is 150-300 atmospheres.

A fish with a flashlight on its head or an angler fish.

Sexual dimorphism in deep-sea anglerfish is expressed in the fact that females are much more larger than males and differ not only in the structure of the body, but also in the way of existence. They have a huge mouth; sharp, slightly inward-curved teeth and a stretchable stomach that allows them to digest prey larger than them own weight. The first ray of the dorsal fin in females, called the illicium, is located above the mouth in the form of a “fishing rod”; at its end there is a luminous “bait” - an esca, which serves not only for hunting, but also as a landmark that helps the male find the female.

Illicium in individuals of different species may have different shape and size, and is also equipped with skin appendages. The glowing esca is a special gland with mucus that contains bioluminescent bacteria. By expanding the walls of the arteries that supply the gland with blood, the female Ceratioidea can cause bacteria that need an influx of oxygen to glow, or, conversely, stop it by arbitrarily narrowing the vessels. Glow in the form of a series of successive flashes for each type of these deep sea fish happens in different ways. The male angler fish has neither a “fishing rod” nor a “bait”.

The female Galatheathauma axeli, which lives at a depth of about 3,600 meters, has a luminous escutcheon in its mouth, allowing it to hunt while lying on the bottom. Adult female anglerfish feed on deep-sea fish, crustaceans and cephalopods; males prefer bristle-jawed crustaceans and copepods. The gluttony of female anglerfish sometimes leads to their death. Capturing very big catch, she will no longer be able to release the victim due to special structure its teeth, so it dies with a fish stuck in its mouth.

Anglerfish - reproduction and characteristics of sexual dimorphism.

Approaching the female, the male recognizes her, in which the structure of the eski, the color and frequency of its flashes play an important role. The male clings to the female with his sharp teeth from the side. Soon the male's body is reduced in such a way that he fuses with the female's tongue and lips, and his jaws, teeth, eyes and even intestines shrink so much that he turns into her sperm-producing appendage. One female can carry up to three males at the same time. Such a male feeds on substances contained in the female’s blood, since their blood vessels also grow together.

Once attached, the male completely loses independence, which is important biological significance for deep-sea fish and is associated with the difficulty of mature individuals finding each other, as well as with the limited amount of food on great depths. Despite the fact that at a depth of two to three thousand meters there are practically no seasonal changes, the angler fish reproduces in spring-summer period. Spawning occurs at a fairly large depth, where females spawn from one to four million small eggs, the diameter of which is no more than 0.5-0.7 millimeters. Gradually the calf rises upward.

The larvae appear in the surface layer at a depth of thirty to two hundred meters. The average length of a Ceratioidea larva is two to three millimeters. Their food is copepods and bristlejaws. By the time the juvenile begins to transform into a different form and acquire a new appearance, it manages to descend to a depth of more than a thousand meters. At the level of 1500-2000 meters live anglerfish that have already reached sexual maturity and gone through metamorphosis. This vertical migration of angler fish has important, because in the near-surface warm layer, sedentary larvae can fully feed and accumulate nutrients for the upcoming metamorphosis.

The depths of the ocean hide a large number of unusual creatures. They have a scary appearance unusual behavior. A fish with a flashlight on its head is called a monkfish. She has a very repulsive appearance, which does not prevent her from eating meat of this species. In European and Asian countries, this fish is considered a delicacy. She received such recognition for her high taste qualities.

Monkfish has a very repulsive appearance, but is still used in cooking

General characteristics

There's one more thing the name of the fish with a flashlight on its head is an angler fish. This is a predator that belongs to the order of anglerfish and the class bony fish. Lives at the bottom of the sea. It reaches two meters in length. Average weight- 20 kg. Large individuals weighing 57 kg are also known.

The body is flattened, compressed in the abdominal direction. The mouth is several times larger than the head.

The anglerfish's jaw is inactive, the mouth is several times larger than the head

Distinctive feature monkfish is a slightly protruded lower jaw. She is inactive. The mouth is decorated with sharp teeth that are slightly curved inward. The jaws have flexible and thin bones that allow the anglerfish to swallow large fish. There are small eyes at the top of the head.

A separate process grows from the dorsal fin. It is shifted to the upper jaw and represents a fishing rod. There is a leathery formation on it - it serves as bait and is a bag of mucus, in which glowing bacteria live. The angler can turn off the light for a while so as not to attract the attention of large predators.

The habitat of deep sea flashlight fish is varied. It can be found in countries such as:

  • Canada;
  • Japan;
  • Korea.

Some representatives of the species are found in the waters of the Black and Yellow Sea. It can live at different depths.


Angler fish can live at different depths

Main representatives of the species

Ichthyologists distinguish several varieties of anglerfish. In addition to the American monkfish, the European anglerfish is also distinguished. His body is flattened from back to belly. It grows up to two meters, its weight exceeds 20 kg. He has a huge crescent-shaped mouth. Powerful pectoral fins allow it to bury itself in the sand. The most common individuals are brown in color. Lives only in Atlantic Ocean.

Black-bellied anglerfish are similar to their closest relatives. They have a wide head and small body size (individual length 50 cm). Characteristic feature is wide abdominal part. Painted in gray or beige colors. There is no rod on the head.

The Burmese monkfish is distinguished by its flattened head and short tail. The length of the individual does not exceed one meter. The body is covered with leathery fringe. The lower part of the body is white, the upper part is dark.

The terrible appearance of anglerfish has given rise to a lot of superstitions. Many people believe that monkfish attack swimmers. During periods of hunger, fish rise to the top layer of water and can bite a person. At other times, the anglerfish lives on the bottom and does not collide with the drivers.

Due to high taste qualities Monkfish meat has become popular, so environmentalists have proposed a ban on fishing to preserve the species. It has been illegal to harvest anglerfish in the UK since 2007.

Nutritional Features

A fish with a flashlight on its head is a predator. Therefore, its main food is other marine inhabitants. The monkfish rises to the upper layer of water, where herring and mackerel become its prey. Ichthyologists noted a case when an anglerfish attacked birds that landed on the water.

The anglerfish is a predatory fish that feeds on other types of fish.

Basic diet:

  • cod or sand lance;
  • stingrays;
  • sharks;
  • acne;
  • crustaceans;
  • shellfish

A fish with a lantern on its head is an ideal hunter. She can sit in ambush for hours. Natural coloring allows you to blend in with the soil or plants. The monkfish puts out its fishing rod and waits for its prey. As soon as the fish grab the bait, they immediately swallow it. A special feature of the anglerfish is the ability to hold its breath for several minutes.

Reproduction of anglerfish

Representatives of this species are distinguished by special reproduction. Females and males are very different from each other and ichthyologists have long considered them to be different fish. When the male reaches the age of sexual maturity, he goes in search of a life partner. A large olfactory organ and huge eyes help him in this.

Ichthyologists do not know how long the search takes. Once a female is discovered, the male latches onto her with his jaws. His tongue and lips completely grow into the bride's body. She takes him into complete dependence and supplies him with nutrients through ingrown vessels. The male's intestines, jaws and eyes atrophy. The gills and heart work in his body - they supply the body with oxygen.


Females and males of the anglerfish long time considered representatives of different species

During spawning, the female lays eggs, and the male inseminates her with milk. This happens in winter and spring. The caviar comes out in the form of a strip. Its length can reach 9 meters. Young fish switch to a bottom lifestyle when their body length is 6 cm. Before this, they live in the upper layer of water and feed small crustaceans and fry. It is noteworthy that females can carry up to four males at a time.

Monkfish is a fish that can easily eat a person! But at the same time, cases of attacks on people are not frequent. Monkfish belongs to the anglerfish family.
Anglerfish are large, sedentary fish with a large flattened head, a huge mouth and a large stomach. These fish live on the bottom, often at considerable depths, in tropical and moderately warm waters of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans Three species of this family have been found in Russian waters. In the Black Sea it is also found, among others.

The European anglerfish, or monkfish, got its name due to its very unattractive appearance. Yes, he is far from beautiful It has a huge, wide head, flattened from top to bottom, making up about 2/3 of the length of the entire body. The mouth is very large, with a protruding lower jaw and a retractable upper jaw, armed with a palisade of strong sharp teeth. At the very end of the snout there is an illicium with a spherical thickening or blade at the end, behind which there are two more separate spines. The three remaining spines of the first dorsal fin are located behind the head, on the back. The second dorsal and anal fins are short, located near the caudal fin. The pectoral fins are wide, with gill slits located behind them, and the ventral fins are located on the throat. The body of the anglerfish is naked, with numerous leathery outgrowths. Its upper part is usually chocolate brown, often with spots, and its lower part is white. The monkfish reaches a length of 2 m, usually 1-1.5 m, and a weight of more than 20 kg.

The European anglerfish is widespread in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Europe: from Iceland, Great Britain and the Barents Sea to the Gulf of Guinea and the Black Sea. In Russian waters it is sometimes found in Cherny and Barents Seas. Surely it can compete with the intimidation of people.

The anglerfish (monkfish) lives within the shelf at a depth of 50-200 meters. Most of he spends time hiding at the bottom and lying in wait for his prey. There it is almost invisible, because it has a color that changes to match the color of the bottom. This fish is also well camouflaged by the numerous fringe of leathery appendages along the lower jaw, on the sides of the head and body. While waiting for prey, the monkfish is absolutely motionless and even holds its breath, inhaling every 1-2 minutes. And only the “bait” at the end of his fishing rod flutters invitingly over his closed mouth, like a small flag, attracting an unlucky victim. As soon as a fish or some other animal approaches the bait, the devil’s huge mouth opens and immediately closes again, swallowing the victim. These movements are performed with such lightning speed that it is simply impossible to follow them. Voracious predator in large quantities absorbs bottom fish (cod, flounder, gobies, sand lances, small sharks and rays, eels and others) and large invertebrates (crabs). Sometimes it rises into the water column to feed, and then its victims can be not only fish (herring, mackerel), but even waterfowl. Usually, attacks on birds sleeping on the surface of the water end sadly for the predator: there are known finds of dead anglers choking on too large prey.

Anglerfish for spawning ( monkfish) migrate to significant depths - 400-2000 meters. Caviar is spawned in the southern regions in February, and in the northern regions in March-May. Large eggs, with a diameter of 2.3-4 millimeters, one or two at a time, are enclosed in one layer in mucous hexagonal cells, interconnected in a long ribbon reaching a length of 10 meters, a width of 0.5 meters and a thickness of about 4-6 millimeters. One such ribbon, swept by the female into the water column, contains from 1.3 to 3 million eggs. Gradually, the walls of the tape are destroyed, the eggs are released and develop in a free state, kept afloat thanks to the fat drops enclosed in them. Hatched larvae also remain in the water column. They are completely different from their parents: the larvae have a high body, large pectoral fins, and the anterior rays of the ventral fins and spiny dorsal fins are greatly elongated. After a complex metamorphosis, lasting about four months, the larvae turn into fry and, having reached a length of about 6-10 centimeters, settle to the bottom at considerable depths. Near the shores, juvenile anglerfish appear when they reach 13-20 centimeters in length.

After spawning, adult individuals approach the shores and stay here until autumn, feeding intensively. Anglerfish go to the depths for the winter, followed by juveniles, which apparently do not go very deep.

Despite its repulsive appearance, monkfish has some commercial significance, since the meat of this fish has an excellent taste.

A closely related species is very rarely found in Peter the Great Bay - Japanese monkfish (Lophius litulon), and an anglerfish (Lophiomus setigerus) is also found here.

In addition, there is also American monkfish(lat. Lophius americanus) - sea ​​fish family of anglerfishes of the order Anglerfishes. The total body length reaches 120 cm, but usually about 90 cm. Weight up to 22.6 kg. Longest recorded life expectancy 30 years

Oceanic demersal (bottom) fish that lives in the temperate waters of the northeastern Atlantic at depths up to 670 m. Distributed along Atlantic coast North America from Quebec and Newfoundland (Canada) to northeastern Florida (USA). In the northern part of its range, the American monkfish lives at shallow depths, and in the southern part (south of North Carolina) it is rarely found in coastal waters, adhering to significant depths. Lives in waters with a wide temperature range from 0 to +21 °C. It is found on the bottom covered with different types of soil: sand, gravel, silt, clay, fragments of mollusk shells

The American monkfish is an ambush predator. It spends most of its time waiting for prey, completely motionless, hiding at the bottom, almost merging with it, as can be seen in the photo below. It feeds mainly on various fish and cephalopods (squid and cuttlefish), occasionally eating carrion

The body length of the monkfish is up to 2 meters, usually 1-1.5 meters. Weight - up to 20 kilograms or more. The body of the anglerfish is naked, covered with numerous leathery outgrowths and bony tubercles. On both sides of the head, along the edge of the jaw and lips, fringed pieces of skin hang down, moving in the water like algae, which makes it hardly noticeable on the ground.
The body is flattened, compressed in the dorso-abdominal direction. The head is flat, wide, flattened at the top, making up approximately two-thirds of the length of the entire body. The mouth is large, in the shape of a semicircle with a protruding lower jaw and sharp, hooked teeth. The eyes are small. The gill openings look like two small slits located just behind the pectoral fins. Soft skin without scales; numerous skin fringes along the edge of the body.
The anterior dorsal fin of the monkfish consists of six rays, the first three rays being separate. The very first ray of the dorsal fin is transformed into a “fishing rod” (illicium) with a luminous “flashlight” (esca) at the end. The length of the illicium reaches 25% of the body length. The second dorsal fin (10-13) and anal (9-11 soft rays) fin are located opposite each other. The pectoral fins are greatly enlarged and widened at the end. They can commit rotational movements, which allows the fish to crawl along the bottom. Pelvic fins located on the throat.
Coloring; the back is brownish, greenish-brown or reddish, with dark spots. The ventral side is white, except for the black posterior edge of the pectoral fins.

The monkfish has the fastest throw of all animals. It takes only 1/6000 of a second. Watch the video with the monkfish:


Despite its terrifying appearance, monkfish is well prepared by amateurs! Here are a few recipes for preparing sea devil:

Recipe “Monkfish baked with vegetables” from the cook’s website.

They say in Spain sea ​​devil held in high esteem

Monkfish or “rape”, as they call it in Spain, is one of the most expensive fish, dishes made from its meat are considered delicacies. You can cook monkfish in dozens of ways and each of them will give an excellent result, since its meat is juicy, tender and almost boneless.

Monkfish dishes fit perfectly into the Mediterranean diet. Fish meat is rich in vitamins A and D, sea ​​salts, protein, contains a large amount of amino acids and little fat. In addition, with certain cooking methods (for example, baking in parchment, steaming), monkfish dishes are suitable when following a low-calorie diet for weight loss.

Ingredients:

4 shrimp

200 g monkfish meat

1 onion

1 red pepper

1 green pepper

1 boiled egg

12 caper buds

Parsley

Olive oil, vinegar, salt

Preparation:

Cut the onion, pepper and boiled egg into small pieces, add capers. Season olive oil, vinegar, salt.

Boil shrimp and monkfish meat cut into small pieces in salted water. Clean the shrimp. Mix with vegetable mix, season with parsley and serve.

Ingredients:

Monkfish meat for two servings

50 g black olives

2 tomatoes without peel and seeds

2 eggplants

Parsley

Olive oil, vinegar

Preparation:

Clean the monkfish and place on a baking tray to cook in the oven. Season with spices and drizzle with olive oil. Bake in the oven at 180 ºC for 10 minutes.

Chop the tomatoes and olives and simmer. Separately, fry the sliced ​​eggplants with basil, garlic and vinegar.

Place eggplant slices on a plate, top with monkfish meat and tomatoes and olives.

Ingredients:

1 kg monkfish meat

2 shallots

1 clove of garlic

2 carrots

½ leek

4 sinks scallop

250 g sea urchin

250 g seaweed

100 g shrimp

Fish broth

4 sheets of thin baked unleavened dough

1 teaspoon coffee with salt

4 tablespoons olive oil

Preparation:

Place a saucepan with olive oil on the fire and add chopped garlic. When the garlic is fried, add all the finely chopped vegetables and fry a little. Add fish broth and cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and strain.

Preparation of monkfish:

Cut the monkfish into fillets, season with spices and wrap boiled shrimp in the fillet. Dip the fillet and shrimp in flour, fry a little, pour over the prepared sauce and put in the oven when the meat is almost ready.

Serving the dish:

Wrap in dough sheets seaweed and the remaining shrimp. Place on a plate along with the prepared monkfish fillet and cooked scallop shells. Pour over the sauce and serve hot.

Ingredients:

600 g monkfish meat

2 onions

2 green peppers

2 cloves garlic

1 sprig of parsley

1 sprig of mint

16 almond kernels

Fish broth

Bread toast

Salt, pepper

Preparation:

Finely chop the onion, garlic and pepper. Heat 4-5 tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan, fry the almonds in it, then remove the nuts and crush them. Fry the onion, garlic and pepper in the same oil, add the chopped tomatoes and fry over low heat for another couple of minutes.

Pour the fish broth into the pan, add parsley and mint leaves. When the broth is hot, add roasted and crushed almonds.

Cook over low heat for 10 minutes, covered. Add salt and pepper to the broth. Add monkfish meat, cut into small pieces, into the broth and cook for a couple of minutes.

Pour into plates over toast and sprinkle finely chopped mint on top.

Ingredients:“

1.5 kg monkfish meat

600 g peas

6 potatoes

For the garlic ajada sauce:

1 liter olive oil

2 heads of garlic

Vinegar, ground red pepper

For the fish broth:

750 g fish for broth (head, fins, bones, trimmings)

1 leek

1 onion

1 bay leaf

Preparation:

Prepare fish broth from all the ingredients listed for this.

Prepare garlic sauce ahadu. To do this, pour olive oil into a pan and add the heads of garlic, divided into two parts. Heat over low heat and cook until the garlic darkens and becomes soft. Remove from heat; when the oil has cooled, add ground red pepper. To prevent the pepper from burning in the warm oil and giving it a bitter taste, add a few drops of vinegar. The oil can take several hours to cool, so the ajada needs to be prepared in advance, perhaps the day before.

To prepare the main dish, you need to boil the potatoes, cut into medium pieces. When the potatoes are almost ready, add the peas and the monkfish meat cut into pieces. Continue cooking for 4 minutes, then drain.

Place potatoes, monkfish meat, peas and garlic from ajada sauce in a deep plate. Top with warm garlic sauce.

It must be cool to have such a fish in the... In the video they feed monkfish:

Monkfish is a predatory fish of the order Anglerfishes. This species received the name “monkfish” because of its very unattractive appearance. The fish is edible. The meat is white, dense, boneless. Monkfish is especially popular in France.

Whatever they call them - both monkfish and sea ​​scorpions, and anglerfish, and European anglerfish. However, there are also several varieties of this miracle fish. And in terms of originality of appearance, each of the types is not inferior to each other. People have never seen devils, but the sea monsters that have risen from the depths resemble creatures from the underworld.

It is worth saying that in aquatic fauna There is also another monkfish - a mollusk, but now we will talk about a representative of ray-finned fish.

In fact, it is just a sea fish - a predator fish with an amazing, unlike anything else appearance. These fish belong to the ray-finned fish, to the order Anglerfishes, to the family Anglerfishes, to the genus Anglerfishes. Nowadays, two species of monkfish are found in the watery depths of the earth.

Appearance

When you first look at this creature, a remarkable organ immediately catches your eye - the “fishing rod”. The modified fin really resembles a fishing rod with a luminous float. This ugly monster, sometimes reaching up to two meters in length and 30-40 kilograms, can itself regulate the glow of its float. But there is nothing supernatural about this. In fact, the float is a kind of skin formation, in the folds of which amazing bacteria live. In the presence of oxygen, which they draw from the blood of the anglerfish, they glow. But if the monkfish just had lunch and lay down to take a nap, he does not need a glowing flashlight, and it blocks the access of blood to the fin-fishing rod, and the float goes out until the start of a new hunt.

All appearance the monkfish reveals him to be a resident depths of the sea. Elongated body, with an unnatural big head, everything is covered with some kind of growths, vaguely reminiscent of either algae, or tree bark, or some kind of twigs and snags.

The body length of the monkfish is about 2 meters, and the animal weighs almost 20 kilograms. The body has a slightly flattened shape. In general, the anglerfish is not a very pleasant-looking fish. It is all covered with some kind of leathery growths that look similar to driftwood and algae. The head is disproportionately large, the monkfish's mouth and mouth are huge and unpleasant.

Habitat

The habitat of this fish is considered to be the Atlantic Ocean. The anglerfish is found off the coast of Europe, off the coast of Iceland. In addition, monkfish were found in the waters Baltic Sea, Black Sea, North Sea and the Barents Sea.

The depth at which these fish usually live is from 50 to 200 meters. Most often they are found at the very bottom, because there is nothing more pleasant for monkfish than just lying quietly on sand or silt. But it is only at first glance that the angler fish is idle. In fact, this is one of the ways of hunting. The animal freezes, waiting for its prey. And when it swims by, it grabs it and eats it.

Nutrition

Mainly, other, usually smaller, fish serve as food for these fish. The monkfish menu consists of Katrans, Silversides, Kalkans, Stingrays and others.

In general, the monkfish is incredibly voracious and therefore boldly rushes even at a seemingly obviously unattainable goal. And in “hungry” moments the sufferer almost complete absence In sight, a large anglerfish rises to the upper layers of water from the depths and at such moments it is capable of attacking scuba divers. You can meet such an inhabitant of the deep sea just at the end of summer, after a grueling hungry spawning, the “devils” go to shallow water, where they eat intensively until the fall, after which they go to wintering in greater depths.

However, compared to sharks, barracudas and octopuses, true sea devils or anglerfish do not pose an immediate danger to humans. Be that as it may, their terrible teeth can disfigure the hand of an unwary fisherman for life. However, the monkfish does much more damage not to humans, but to others commercial species fish Thus, there are legends among fishermen that, having fallen into a fishing net, he ate the fish that got there while he was there.

Reproduction

Male and female anglerfish are so different in appearance and size that until some time experts classified them into different classes. Monkfish breeding is as special as its appearance and the method of hunting.

The male anglerfish is several times the size smaller than a female. To fertilize the eggs, he needs to find his chosen one and not lose sight of her. To do this, males simply bite into the female’s body. The structure of the teeth does not allow them to free themselves, and they do not want to.

Over time, the female and male grow together, forming single organism with a common body. Some of the “husband’s” organs and systems atrophy. He no longer needs eyes, fins, or a stomach. Nutrients are supplied through the blood vessels from the “wife’s” body. The male only has to fertilize the eggs at the right moment.

They are usually spawned by the female in the spring. The fertility of the anglerfish is quite high. On average, a female lays up to 1 million eggs. This occurs at depth and looks like a long (up to 10 m) and wide (up to 0.5 m) ribbon. The female can carry several “husbands” on her body so that they fertilize a large number of eggs at the right time.

It should be noted that a female monkfish can simultaneously lay a clutch of about three million eggs. After some time, the eggs are released and travel on their own. sea ​​waters. Turning into larvae, they live closer to the surface of the water for up to four months, and only when they reach a length of 6-8 cm do they sink to the bottom.

Monkfish are not able to compare the feeling of hunger with the size of their prey. There is evidence of an angler catching a fish larger than itself, but being unable to release it due to the structure of its teeth. It happens that a monkfish catches a waterfowl and choke on its feathers, which leads to its death.

Monkfish in cooking

Monkfish is suitable both for frying in pieces and for frying in layers on the grill, or cut into cubes and placed on skewers on the grill. Monkfish is boiled and stewed. The fish is especially popular in France, where the meat of its tail is prepared in many ways, for example with blackcurrant jam or sweet potato, and the head of the devil is used for rich, fatty, multi-spiced soup.

Monkfish meat is highly prized in Japan. Not only meat is eaten, but also liver, fins, skin and stomach.

The Chinese prefer to cook monkfish in a wok. The fillets are fried in oil with rice vinegar and soy sauce, sprinkled with ginger and chili. Then the wok is removed from the heat, the fish is covered with coriander and green onions, stir, serve with rice. Everyone who has tried this dish finds it slightly smoky. It's all a play on spices and the characteristics of the wok. The fish turns out tender and very juicy thanks to quick frying.

In America, monkfish is cooked mainly on the grill. The fish is cut into pieces along with the skin and vertebral bone. Marinate with salt, olive oil and rosemary. The oil envelops the pieces of fish and prevents them from drying out. Monkfish is served with grilled vegetables, seasoned with lemon juice and olive oil.

In America, they prepare carrot puree with monkfish fillet meatballs. The carrots are boiled until soft, then simmered in heavy cream, chopped with the addition of coriander and salt. The monkfish fillet is crushed, mixed with salt and spices, and formed into meatballs the size of walnut, boil them for a couple. The puree is served in deep plates, with a dozen meatballs placed in each and sprinkled with fresh herbs.

In Korea they make it from monkfish national dish Heh and they cook a sweet and spicy soup, to which they add a lot of vegetables and fried monkfish (fillet) in batter. Monkfish meat, seasoned with hot spices, is placed in rice dough (pancakes) and fried in a large amount of oil. Serve fish with soy sauce.

In gourmet restaurants in a number of countries you can find dishes where monkfish is presented in the following form. The fish is fried and served, doused with sweet and sour sauce, poached fish is served with lemon and lemon zest, as well as poached and served with parsley or spinach sauce with cheese. The fish is fried with chili pepper, smoked paprika and ginger, simmered in white wine, cream sauce, milk, baked with tomatoes, fried, strung on rosemary sprigs.

Monkfish is baked in the form of a roll. The fillet is laid out in a layer on film, the filling is placed on top, for example broccoli, and rolled up. The ends of the film are tied, the roll in this form is lowered into water and the fish is cooked for 10 minutes at a temperature not exceeding 86`C. With this method, the fillet remains soft and juicy, but holds its shape perfectly. Served with fish cream sauce and fried potato medallions.

Monkfish are not often available for free sale, because... already mentioned above, the fish is under state protection and its catch is limited. Unfrozen monkfish can be found in large hypermarkets at a very high price during a certain season or on the market from private sellers (this is in Europe and America). The rest of the time, if fish is sold, it is frozen, but its price is just as high - 20 euros per 1 kg.

One of the most interesting inhabitants deep sea is an angler fish. Repulsive appearance unusual way hunting and relationships with the opposite sex significantly distinguish her from others sea ​​creatures. The habitat of fish at great depths did not immediately make its study possible. Currently, ceratiform or deep-sea anglerfish include a dozen families and more than a hundred known species.

These fish live deep at the bottom

Appearance and varieties

According to one version, the fish's inconspicuous and intimidating appearance, as well as its habitat, gave the fish its nickname, deep-sea monkfish. Some individuals can reach a length of up to two meters. The fish has a disproportionate spherical body, the head occupies more than half of the body. The color helps it camouflage perfectly. Anglerfish are dark brown and black, but their bellies are usually white.

The monkfish's mouth is huge, decorated with a row of sharp, inwardly curved teeth. There may be moving leathery folds around the mouth, which also help the fish to successfully hide in the algae at the bottom and wait for prey.

The fish has no scales, but in some species the bare skin is covered with scales transformed into spines. The anglerfish has a very poor vision and sense of smell, his eyes are very small. A fish raised to the surface looks completely different from what it does at its usual depth. A bloated body and bulging eyes are a consequence of excess internal pressure.


There are 11 families of monkfish

Anglerfish can be divided into 11 families:

  • Caulofrines;
  • Centrifrines;
  • Ceratiaceae;
  • Diceratiaceae;
  • Long probe;
  • Hymantolophaceae;
  • Linofrine;
  • Melanocetes;
  • Novoceratiaceae;
  • Oneiridae;
  • Thaumatichthaceae.

One more characteristic feature this type is a fishing rod (illicium). In fact, this is an overgrown dorsal fin, namely the first ray. The species Ceratias holboelli can hide the illicium by drawing it inside the body, while in Galatheathauma axeli it is located directly in the mouth.

In most species, the fishing rod is directed forward and hangs directly towards the mouth, luring in prey. At the end of the illicium there is an esca or bait. The eska is a leather pouch - it is a gland filled with mucus with bioluminescent bacteria, due to which the bait glows. Usually the glow is a series of flashes. Fish can cause and stop glowing, controlling the process by dilating and constricting blood vessels, since the iron needs blood flow, and bioluminescent bacteria need oxygen.

Sexual dimorphism

Sexual dimorphism refers to differences in anatomy between females and males of the same species. This is especially pronounced in angler fish. For a long time scientists could not understand what a male angler fish looked like because they classified males and females into two different types.


Distinctive feature - there is illusion

The sizes of females vary from 5 cm to 2 meters, and their weight reaches 57 kilograms. These predatory fish They have a wide mouth and a highly stretchable stomach. They prey on other deep-sea fish. Compared to them, males are simply dwarfs, because they reach a length of no more than 4 cm.

Another difference is the presence of illicium. Only females of this fish have a fishing rod. The deep-sea anglerfish also holds other surprises. Unlike females, males have developed eyes and senses of smell, which they need to find a female.

Habitat and food

The deep-sea anglerfish lives in the waters of the World Ocean. The fish is adapted to live at depths of up to 3 kilometers. The anglerfish is especially common in the Atlantic Ocean, from the coast of Iceland to the Sea of ​​Guinea, preferring cool waters.

Females hunt other deep-sea fish - gonostomidae, chauliodae, melamphae, and also feed on crustaceans and sometimes cephalopods.

The hunting process looks like as follows. The angler fish lies on the bottom, hidden in the mud and algae. He turns on the glow of the eski and twitches it so that it looks like the movement of a small fish. To catch prey, the female patiently waits for it to swim to her. It pulls small prey into itself, sucking it in along with the water. It takes a few milliseconds to swallow a curious fish. Sometimes, using its developed pectoral fins or releasing jets of water through its gills, the anglerfish can jump forward, attacking prey.

The anglerfish is an extremely voracious fish; it can attack prey that is three times its size. Although the fish's stomach stretches to impressive sizes, such a meal ends in death for the fish. Since her teeth are curved inward, she cannot spit out her prey and gags.


Monkfish hunting methods are quite extraordinary

There have been cases when a species related to the anglerfish, monkfish, swallowed seabirds with the same outcome. As a rule, the monkfish floats to the top when it eats intensively after spawning. At such moments, he can attack a person.

  • Caulofrines;
  • Linofrine;
  • Ceratiaceae;
  • Novoceratiaceae.

Possessing good eyesight and sense of smell, males detect the female by emitted pheromones, which persist for a long time in the still water column. To determine whether a female belongs to their species, males visually evaluate the shape of the fishing rod and the frequency of flashes, which varies among all species. Having made sure that the female is of the same species, the male swims up to her and tightly clings to her side with his teeth.

Having attached itself to the female, the male anglerfish loses its independence. After some time, it fuses with the female’s tongue and lips. Its organs atrophy, in particular, the eyes, teeth, jaws, olfactory organs, fins, and stomach. He becomes one with the female, feeding himself through a system of common blood vessels.


Males find a female easily with the help of pheromones

Reproduction

Like most biological species, the deep-sea anglerfish breeds in the spring and summer, although no seasonal changes occur at greater depths. The ribbon of caviar can reach 10 meters. Millions of fertilized eggs rise to the upper layers of water, to a depth of no more than 30 – 200 meters. There the larvae hatch and for some time are eaten by crustaceans and bristlejaws, accumulating strength before the upcoming metamorphosis.

Larvae of deep-sea anglerfish thrive in warm waters. They can be found in tropical and warm temperate ocean zones where temperatures surface waters can reach 20 degrees.

By the time metamorphosis occurs, the fry descend to a depth of 1 km. Sexually mature anglers descend to their usual depth of habitat - 1500 – 3000 meters. Currents can carry anglerfish even into subarctic and subantarctic waters.

Eating

The European anglerfish or monkfish is a commercial fish species and is even considered a delicacy. Monkfish is caught in especially large quantities in Great Britain and France, but in general it is caught all over the world - in America, Africa, and East Asia.

The fish gained its popularity due to its dense, boneless meat, although quite tough. The tail part of the anglerfish is eaten, and soup is made from the head. The tail is prepared in many ways. Monkfish dishes are especially appreciated in France.

In this video you will learn more about this fish: