January 16, 2014 — Have you tried hogfish? The local catch tastes sweeter than grouper, is flakier than dolphin, and is as rich as scallops. "It's the perfect fish — not firm or tough. It just melts in your mouth," says Rebecca Franks, owner of Fish Fish Restaurant Bar & Market in North Miami and an Islamorada resident.
Indeed, hogfish would be perfect — if only catching it were easier. On clear days, divers spear Lachnolaimus maximus off coral reefs. But during bad weather, spearing becomes impossible. "When it's blowing 30 to 40 knots, a diver can't go into the water and get a hogfish," says Bobby Mongelli, who has owned Hogfish Bar & Grill on Stock Island for 12 years.
So restaurants get hogfish from another source. During lobster and crab season, it is caught in traps, and fishermen gain some valuable bycatch.
Read the full story at the Miami New Times