Ingredients

Croakers and drums

Other Names: Atlantic croaker: Atlantischer umberfisch (German); corvinón brasileño (Spanish); grumbler; hardhead; iskine (Turkish); King Billy; ombrina (Italian);
golden croaker; guchi (Japanese); rabeta brasileira (Portuguese); tambour (French). Spot: Goody; Lafayette or Norfolk spot; punkttrommefisk (Denmark); roncadeira-pinta (Portuguese); spot croaker (Great Britain); tambour croca (French); verrugato croca (Spain); zebra-umberfisch (German). Yellow croaker: Guchi (Japanese); Japanese sea bass; yellow flower fish; yellowfish. Meagre: Bocca d’oro (Italian); corvina (Spanish); maigre (French); mayáticos aetós (Greek); sariagiz (Turkish). Corb: Corbeau, poisson juif (French); corvo (Italian); corvallo (Spanish); eskina
(Turkish); skiós (Greek). Red drum: Channel bass; redfish. Southern grunt: Croaker (Great Britain); corvina (Latin America). Drum: Adlerfisch (German);
oyster cracker; tambour (French). Corvina: Cagna chilienne (French); croaker (Great Britain); ronco chileno (Spanish); scienide (Italian). Freshwater drum: Bubbler; croaker; grinder; grunt; lake drum; sheepshead; thunder pumper. Suzuki mulloway: Butterfish; jewfish; mulloway; suzuki sea bass. California white sea bass: Corbina blanca (Mexico); king croaker; sea trout. Sciaenidae.

General Description: There are 270 species of the drum and croaker family living in temperate and tropical seas worldwide, noted for having large otoliths (wavy flat “stones” in the ears) and air bladders that males can resonate, producing a sound. Those called croakers make a croaking sound, and those called drums make a drumming sound when
they pop their heads above water. Drum and croaker otoliths resemble ivory and have been worn as protective amulets, made into jewelry, and traded.

Atlantic croaker (Micropongonius undulatus_) is the smallest member of the drum family and almost always sold whole; they are best pan-fried or broiled whole. These golden-silver fish, popular from New York to Florida, are inexpensive and tasty, with moderately firm, lean flesh, but are famously bony. Spot (Leiostomus xanthurus_) is the smallest member of the croaker family found at the market and has a spot right behind the gill opening. They are best pan-fried whole. Yellow croaker (Pseudosciaena crocea) is sought after in Asia, especially China, and is dried in Korea
as gulbi.

Meagre (Argyrosomus regius_)—a large, dark Mediterranean drum with a golden throat and white, bone-free flesh—may be cooked as for sea bass and tastes good both hot and cold. Corb (Sciaena umbra_), a small Mediterranean drum with a plump body, is good fried in slices. The red drum (Sciaenops ocellata_) got its fame from chef Paul Prudhomme, who used it for his Cajun blackened redfish. That one dish became so popular that a moratorium was placed on the fish. Today, large black drum (_Pogonias cromis) is usually substituted. Corvina (Cilus montti) is popular in Peru for ceviche and is found off the Pacific coast of South America.

The only freshwater drum, Aplodinotus grunniens_, is a bottom-dwelling species found in lakes and rivers. It is an important commercial crop on the Mississippi River. The suzuki mulloway (Argyrosomus hololepidotus_) is a farm-raised sashimi fish sought after in Japan. The fish are stunned and bled immediately for low-stress harvest and best quality. The prized California white sea bass (Atractoscion nobilis) is the largest member of the drum family found on the American Pacific coast. Most are sold to high-end restaurants. Regionally it is known as corbina and king croaker; the FDA-approved name is sea trout.

Locale and Season: Atlantic croaker is found along the coast from Cape Cod to Mexico, although in recent years it has not been as plentiful or widely distributed as the smaller
spot. It is in season from March through October. Red drum is now imported from Mexico, Argentina, Ecuador, and Central America and fetches high prices. Farmed red drum from Texas, Taiwan, and Ecuador is also available. Black drum is more plentiful and lower-priced and is found from Virginia to
the northern Gulf of Mexico, though restrictions have tightened supplies. Black drum is most abundant in cooler months. Suzuki mulloway is found in Japan and South Australia, where it is farmed in the cold, clear waters of the Southern Ocean. California white sea bass range from Alaska to southern Baja and are in season from June through September.

Characteristics: Atlantic croakers average 1 pound; the raw meat is bright white and may have a reddish tint. The cooked meat is lean, white, and full-flavored and similar to
the black drum; the skin is edible. Red and black drums have mild, sweet flavor and firm, moist flesh similar to red snapper. Market average for red drum is 1 to 2 pounds. The flesh of small, very fresh red drum fish has an almost emerald-green tint, while the meat of larger red drums is white with a red tint.

Black drum is the largest in its family and may weigh up to 30 pounds. The raw flesh of black drum is whiter in color than red drum, but both cook up snow white. Freshwater drums generally weigh 5 to 15 pounds, although they may become quite large in rivers. Spots weigh only about 1/4 pound. Suzuki mulloway has rich, white, full-flavored flesh with medium-firm and tight-grained texture. It weighs 1 to 10 pounds. California sea bass market weight is about 15 pounds;
the meat is moderately fatty, white, and flaky with fine texture. Yields average 40 percent.

How to Choose: Small puppy drums are considered sweeter and flakier than larger bull drums. While black and red drum can be used interchangeably, black drum is firmer and meatier. Red drums are smaller, with distinctive black
spots. Red drums have barbels on their chins; black drums do not. Choose small red drums with coppery sheen and pronounced scales.

Storage: Store whole drums and croakers in the refrigerator up to 2 days on ice and surrounded by ice. Store fillets 1 day in the refrigerator.

Preparation:
Pan-fry, deep-fry, pan-sear, “blacken,” smoke, bake, broil, grill, sauté, or steam.

Do not overcook. The low oil content means that fillets
dry out much more quickly than other, oilier fish.

Suggested Recipe: Panamanian Ceviche de Corvina (serves 4): Cut 1 pound well-trimmed California sea bass fillets into
very small cubes and place in a glass bowl. Mix with 1 cup lime juice, 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, 1/2 cup finely diced sweet onion, 1/4 cup finely diced celery, 2 teaspoons minced fresh green chile, and salt and pepper to taste. Leave in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 12, depending on how cured you like the ceviche. Serve with saltines.

Flavor Affinities: Bacon, celery, cilantro, cornmeal, ginger, lemon, lime, mustard, onion, paprika, rice wine, scallion, sesame, soy sauce, tarragon, tomato, white wine.

from Quirk Books: www.quirkbooks.com

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