The Mast-Head: Can’t Beat ’Em? Cook ’Em

A recipe in The New York Times for shrimp broiled with honey and hot pepper caught my eye the other day, and as I read it, it occurred to me that the approach would be worth trying on sea robin. Yes, sea robin.

From what I can tell (at least off the bay beach where I live in Amagansett), sea robins are the dominant fish along the shore this year. At dusk for the last couple of weeks, they have been rolling in the shallows, chasing smaller baitfish, breaking water like bluefish. 

Because they are aggressive and hungry, they are easy to catch, and this has gotten Ellis, who is 6, suddenly interested in fishing. His enthusiasm has been so unshakeable that it survived a hook snagged near his elbow. It was easy to remove, though his howls echoed to Barnes Landing, I am sure.

Ellis is less interested in eating sea robin than in catching them and looking at them. Twice, he has filled an old washtub with seawater and added some sand and rocks as habitat for his live catch. Since he hates throwing them back, that they stay alive in the tub is a good thing; as night falls, I quietly tip them back into the bay as he heads up the stairs to the house.

Since sea robin is an essential part of a proper bouillabaisse, I’ve long thought that it deserved more attention from cooks. Video how-tos on skinning and filleting them can be found on the Internet, but there’s a lack of specific recipes or cooking tips. 

The Times shrimp thing is not much more than an interesting marinade of lime zest, ginger, garlic, and cayenne, with the shrimp — or searobin if I get around to it — baked briefly in a very hot oven. Since sea robin fillets, like monkfish fillets, are substantial, I’d say they are likely to hold up well on the grill, too, and you could forget about the oven. Dealing with them like this might be a good way to deal with their slightly gelatinous quality — essential in a French fish stew, but maybe a bit tricky for a traditional preparation.

All this is speculative, but with its abundance this year, plenty of house guests, and long days just right for experimenting in the kitchen, sea robin is going to have a place at the table before too long. I’d be curious to know if readers have any advice on the subject.