Grouper Skin

This weekend I had the chance to spear a huge Mangrove Snapper and a Grouper that made it look small. After kama maguro (grilled halved tuna heads - large) in Japan, I have been obsessed with grilled fatty fish heads, and have found grouper to be the best of our carribean fish for the dish.

I always thought salmon heads would be great, even though (embarassingly) I have never gotten a salmon head fresh enough to try, but the similarity to salmon got me thinking: what about the fattiness of the skin?

Everyone in Miami skins their grouper fillets, but I found them relatively easy to scale, and since I was grilling, I thought I would take a chance to see if the skin was exceptional.

It was divine. I had chosen to powder the fillets with ground fennel and salt, and adored the crisp fat during the multiple meals that glorious fish provided.

I don't know if we'll ever figure out how to do it systematically, like we did at Bea's graduation salmon BBQ in Washington, where mom, Bea, and I ate grilled salmon skin (whole fillet) after grilled salmon skin, as our friendly Americans stood shocked nearby (eating the inferior flesh), but I am looking forward to trying!

It has gotten to the point where I serve fillets to everyone else, and grilled heads, collar bones, rib cages, and now skin to myself. How long will it take for them to catch on?