ABOUT THE AUTHOR
WILL LEVATINO
Restaurant owner, chef, Spearo, fisherman, and forager. With 25 years in the restaurant industry, I use what I’ve learned to showcase what’s possible with off cuts, underutilized species and bycatch. My specialty is stretching the catch and getting the most with very little.
Smoked whole Porgy
Bycatch is the term for all the fish you might unintentionally catch when trying to target a specific species. Frequently, by caught fish are thought to be less desirable and are often thrown back; this mostly happens with rod and reel fishing because you never know what’s on your hook until you bring it to the boat. These fish aren’t any less delicious, but for a commercial boat, it can affect profitability. Unfortunately, the catching process can be traumatic, and many fish won’t survive being thrown back.
In spearfishing, you get to pick and choose your target, so there typically isn’t a lot of bycatch. However, we can learn something by opening our minds to lesser-known and underutilized species! For instance, everyone wants to shoot big hogfish. Many people think it’s the best fish on the planet! No offense if it’s your favorite, but trust me when I say there are much tastier fish out there. (Also, way more fun and challenging to hunt!)
Take porgy, for example. It’s one of my favorite fish in the ocean! They are skittish and intelligent fish, with meat that is white and flaky and very mild to the taste. When I see a spearo with a porgy on the end of their spear, I’m a bit more impressed than when I see just another hog. Let’s face it, hogfish are dumb and will stand still and wait for you to get a good shot. Porgy, on the other hand, will lead you on a crazy cat-and-mouse chase. You’ll probably get more “likes” on your hogfish photo, but those in the know will give you major props for landing a nice porgy.
I was on a fishing trip recently in Key West with John Ippolito of Koah Spearguns, and Capt. Aaron Young (Key West Waterman). With these famous spearfishers on board, you’d think we’d be underwater, but they wanted to go deep-drop fishing. Deep dropping might seem boring to most, but the real excitement comes when the fish reveals itself.
We were fishing depths from 500 to over 1000 feet using an electric reel, hefty weight (5-12 pounds, depending on the current), and five hooks baited with squid. Because of the depth, any fish strike on the bait looks like the tiniest little tap on the very tip of the rod. Sometimes it happens almost instantly when the weight hits bottom, and other times it’s a waiting game.
On this day, we were targeting golden tile or blue line tile. On the first drop, almost immediately, the rod tip twitched. John hit the “reel up” button on the electric rig, and we all waited with excitement for the big reveal. Sure enough, one of the biggest blue line tilefish we’d ever seen appeared from the depths!
It’s always a good day on the boat when you catch the target species early on. But the next several drops led to disappointment when we realized we were bringing up red porgies. This was our bycatch. We could chance it and send the fish back down, but we’d never know whether or not they would survive. So, we decided to keep and cook them. Porgy is an incredibly versatile fish, and when you catch one large enough, it can feed as many as three people.
Like hogfish, the meat is very mild and will take on pretty much whatever flavors you cook with. It’s excellent whole, filleted, and even with the skin on. I decided to coat these porgies whole with a chipotle rub, smoke them, then finish with an herb butter topping. I served the fish over broiled asparagus, and it was one of the best fish l’d ever eaten! Juicy, flaky, and delicious.
Spearos: pass up bragging rights and step outside your comfort zone. Go after species a little less familiar to you, and you might surprise yourself with a new favorite. Plus it’s always good to give some species a break from constant pressure. Underutilized species (often bycatch) are genuinely some of the best, such as cero mackerel, yellow jack, porgy, and, dare I say, grunts! Give it a try- your tastebuds will thank me.
