Triggerfish - New to You?

I don't have an amazing, earth-shattering recipe to share today. In fact, last night I did something I rarely do - I used a pre-packaged spice mix (Jamaican Jerk). Rather, I wanted to share with you this fish.

I discovered it by accident. I stopped by Whole Foods to purchase grouper only to discover it was $18.99 a lb. Seriously??? For that money I will be purchasing lobster, thank you very much! Instead, the fishmonger recommended Triggerfish. And just my luck, they were sampling it. And I loved it.

'Cause Im very picky about fish!


It can't be too thin or dry and definitely not too fishy! Pretty much I have stopped with Tuna, Salmon (I'm working on this one) and Mahi because in the past I have been able to eat them with a smile on my face. Triggerfish reminded me of the Mahi - it was a thick and meaty fillet, tender and moist and easy to cook without overcooking. And it doesn't taste fishy. Of this I am positive because the sample I tried had been cooked with just salt and pepper and a touch of oil.

SOLD!

I wanted to share this amazing find with you. I also cooked it simple - with the jerk seasoning, in a cast iron pan with a light covering of canola oil. I sprinkled the spice on both sides of the fish, then preheated the pan to very hot, adding the oil right before I added the fish (adding it away from me in case of spatters). Immediately I turned down the heat to medium and cooked the fish for 4-5 minutes until I saw the edges turning white.

Turning the heat back up to medium-high (for another wonderful sear), I gently flipped the fish and covered it. After 1 minute the heat was turned back down again for another 4 minutes. A tiny slit in the middle of the fillet showed a bit of pink so I covered it for another minute before taking it off the flame and letting it sit for 10 minutes to finish cooking.

It was moist and tender in the middle while having a nice crust on the outside. Yum!

If you haven't tried this fish, I highly recommend it!