Whole Spotted Grouper
Whole Spotted Grouper
A reef fish with a mottled, pebble-spotted hide and dense snow-white flesh that holds its shape in a clay pot.
What It Is
A whole reef fish, cleaned and left head-on, with a thick, cartilaginous head and a hide patterned in dark spots over a pale olive ground. The flesh is dense, white and tight-grained rather than flaky, which is why it survives long, wet cooking without collapsing.
Where It Comes From
Taken on hook and line over rocky reef ground in warm southern coastal water, then iced, cleaned and blast-frozen at the shore plant.
Specifications
| Pack size | 2 kg, vacuum-sealed |
| Form | Whole, cleaned, head on |
| Skin | Pale olive ground with dark spots |
| Flesh | Dense, snow-white, tight-grained |
| State | Raw, frozen |
| Grade | A |
State on Arrival
Arrives frozen hard. Check that the belly cavity is clean and the skin is unbroken; the pack should not show any soft spots.
Storage & Thawing
- Keep at -18 °C or colder, in the sealed pack.
- Thaw overnight in the refrigerator on a rack so the fish drains as it defrosts.
- Wipe the cavity dry and score the thickest part of the flank before cooking.
- Do not refreeze once thawed.
Shelf Life & Delivery
Best within 9 months at -18 °C; cook within 2 days of thawing. Shipped frozen with gel ice in an insulated box on a cold-chain service — freeze on arrival.
How to Cook It
- ('Steam: 10–12 minutes with ginger and spring onion, then dress with hot oil and light soy.', 'Clay pot: sear the fish, then braise in stock, soy, garlic and a little rock sugar for 15 minutes.', 'Pan-sear: cut thick steaks across the bone and sear 3–4 minutes a side.', 'Poach: slide into barely simmering stock and hold for 6 minutes; the flesh stays firm.')
Allergens
Contains fish. Packed in a facility that also handles crustaceans and molluscs.