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Is Monkfish kosher?

No — Monkfish is not kosher under Jewish dietary law.

Not kosher. Monkfish have smooth, scaleless skin. Sometimes marketed as "poor man's lobster" — it is not a kosher substitute for anything.

Monkfish (Lophius americanus)

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Scientific name
Lophius americanus
Also known as
Anglerfish, Goosefish, Lotte, Poor man's lobster
Category
scaleless
Fins & scales
Fins ✓ , no scales ✗
Kosher status
Not kosher

About Monkfish

Bottom-dwelling fish of the order Lophiiformes, named for the fleshy "lure" they use to attract prey. Lophius americanus is a goosefish in the family Lophiidae, also called all-mouth, American anglerfish, American monkfish, bellows-fish, devil-fish, headfish, molligut, satchel-mouth, or wide-gape. It is native to the eastern coast of North America. Lophius americanus is a goosefish in the family Lophiidae, also called all-mouth, American anglerfish, American monkfish, bellows-fish, devil-fish, headfish, molligut, satchel-mouth, or wide-gape. It is native to the eastern coast of North America. Description The American anglerfish is unique in its appearance and has no relatives with which it can be confused in the areas where it is caught. A fish of lesser importance than other food fish in the region, such as cod, its various names suggest its unusual appearance - a very large mouth, more than twice the width of the tail, with several spines and strong teeth, enabling it to snare prey larger than itself. The body is flattened dorsoventrally to allow it to hide on the sea floor. The front of the head carries erectile spines, the primary of which has a flattened end to resemble a small organism or piece of algae. The pectoral fins are like wide fans behind the head, and the pelvic fins are like small hands below the head. The American anglerfish can grow to a length of 140 cm (55 in), but 100 cm (39 in) is a more usual size. The greatest recorded weight is 22.6 kg (50 lb) and the greatest recorded age is 30 years. ��2...

Kosher ruling

Not kosher. Monkfish have smooth, scaleless skin. Sometimes marketed as "poor man's lobster" — it is not a kosher substitute for anything.

Source: Orthodox Union, Chabad; Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0); Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0)

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