Written By Joe Espiritu
Columnist
Bohol Sunday PostWhy is it that if we state preference for some fishes, we would be starting a fad?
And when a fad starts the fish, which was disregarded even to the point of abhorrence becomes so popular that their prices rise dramatically. In the fish stalls where only the American frog and tangkig are cheap, the cost for those previously disregarded species went through the roof. Well, the American frog is not a frog at all but a toad of the genus Buffo. Some say that it could be edible if skinned properly. Thank you Mac but we would not touch it. We would prefer the tangkig, the water snake, a miniature anaconda, but only when we are at the last stages of starvation in a survival course.
When we came home from our wanderings for good, that was at the time sanga fishing was not yet banned. Big boats go drift fishing with oversize gillnets to catch Pacific manta. Manta were caught along with big game fishes such as yellowfin tuna, Pacific sailfishes or liplipan, assorted sharks and the broadbill swordfish scientific name Xiphias gladius, locally called ihong digho. The rest of the catch enjoyed high prices except for the sharks and the ihong dugho, which was thought to be shark specie.
The dugho was sold dirt-cheap. They did not know that swordfish steak is a specialty served only at the high-class restaurants at tens of dollars per plate in the Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco. We bought a few kilos for grilling and those who had tasted it appreciated it so much that the price gradually rose in the fish stalls of Jagna market. Finally, the better class Tagbilaran hotels found out that the dugho could be bought in Jagna, they paid premium prices for them and now the dugho is served there at dollar prices. The poor slobs have to be contented with the fins, tail and entrails of the dugho of their catch and buy ginamus rather than serve dugho in their tables.
Another fish that was once passed over by buyers was the dolphin or dorado, scientific name Coryphaena hippurus. It was a custom in the homecoming of successful fishermen to give away fishes to those who help beach their boats.
Since dorados can hardly be sold at that time, those were given away. Some say the flesh is tasteless or whatever. When they appeared at the Jagna fish stalls their prices were lower that the rest of the fishes.
Addicted to shashimi, a Japanese dish of raw fish flavored with wasabi and a special kind of soy sauce, we surveyed the stalls for yellowfin tuna. If we find none, we have to settle for substitutes like striped or dogtooth tunas or dorado.
Kinilaw aficionados, who would eat anything raw as long as they are flavored with vinegar, hot chili pepper, yellow ginger, Tahitian lemon or bizasong, found out that the dorado could be a good kinilaw fish. Lately, we found out to our horror that dorado prices are trying to poke a hole through the roof. Few people know that the dorado is considered gourmets' delight, highly appreciated in Hawaii. There they are called mahimahi. There are restaurants, which cater to tourists serving mainly dorado.
The dorado is not only a good food fish but also a prized game fish. Alive, it is beautiful with colors ranging from blue to green to golden yellow and is most glowing when excited. They grow from two to four feet or more but cannot weigh much for their length because they are slender. The males can be recognized by the heads, which are high, almost vertical. They lurk among clumps of Sargasso weeds, driftwood or any large floating objects. When fished with light tackle, whether fly, spinning or spin casting gear, they up a good fight. They rush at the bait and when hooked, execute spectacular leaps out of the water and would put up a terrific struggle, never giving up until it its dead.
There are other fishes, which would become food favorite. There are those, which are tops for kinilaw and - or sinugba. Some are so ugly that it would not look edible. They are considered trash fishes yet no fisherman would part with it. Only a few would find the way to the fish stalls. To keep their prices low, we would not reveal their kind. We would not recommend the tangkig and American frog, which is not American at all but someday they will command high prices in Jagna.
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