Monkfish
Lophius americanus
Not Kosher
Description
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.
Monkfish is served in soups and grilled, and its firm flesh is often compared to crab or lobster tail. The liver is eaten in Japan as ankimo.
The American monkfish lives in the western Atlantic from Newfoundland and Quebec south to northern Florida, and it's more common north of Cape Hatteras. It's a seabed fish found down to about 2,000 feet on sand, gravel, shell, mud, and clay.
Also known as
- Anglerfish
- Goosefish
- Lotte
- Poor man's lobster
- All-mouth
- American anglerfish
- Bellows-fish
- Headfish
Monkfish in foreign languages
| Scientific | Lophius americanus |
| French | Baudroie d'Amérique |
| Russian | Американский морской чёрт |
| Chinese | 美洲鮟鱇 |
Gallery
Warnings & Kosher Issues
- It has soft, scaleless skin, so it is not kosher.
- Sometimes marketed as poor man's lobster, but it's not a kosher substitute for anything.
- Parasitic worms are sometimes found in the flesh, between the skin and the outer meat.