The Piscivore: Cooking the Clown Knife
Many aquarists are drawn to big predatory fish. It seems to be a phase that is outgrown at about the same time that the fish outgrow the tank, or perhaps the cost of feeding the bruiser becomes a burden. For a time though, many aquarists go through this phase and purchase a big mouth with fins, such as a snakehead, a red tailed catfish, an arowana, or a clown knife. That is fine, but soon the aquarist has a huge aquatic appetite swimming around in a tank that is rapidly becoming too small for it. What is to be done with the beast? Often pet shops will not take in such an unwanted giant, and it can be difficult to find another aquarist to take on this eating machine. Many aquarists at this point briefly toy with the idea of eating their pet; after all, it has grown bigger than many fish one might catch by angling local waters.
It is for those aquarists who purchased a clown knife (Notopterus chitala) and now find the care and upkeep of the animal to be burdensome, and who toyed with the idea of eating their pet, that I write this month's column. Why not eat the beast? You have fed him, so let him or her feed you! Besides, in the clown knife's native range it is considered a delicacy. Don't have the slightest idea on how to prepare it? Well fear not, This month's recipe comes straight out of Laos, where this fish is known as Pa tong.
Before I present the recipe though, a few words of warning are in order. I will undoubtedly not have tried this recipe at home. I am given to understand that this species has numerous small bones. These small bones however are so tiny and delicate that pounding or grating the flesh of the animal will eliminate the need to remove them. I would be cautious about eating fish that have been recently medicated. Some medications may be absorbed by the flesh of the fish, and therefore may be present in the animal regardless of when last medicated. Cooking may eliminate such potential dangers, or not, so use some judgement. Some notes concerning unusual ingredients will follow the recipe. It may be necessary to obtain these unusual items at a specialty market.
So, with the above cautions in mind, I invite those owners of large clown knives (or those who see one to be had cheaply at some pet shop) to consider the following recipe, a tried and true favorite among the Lao people:
Mok Pa Fok
A kind of steamed fish pâté
½ kilo Pa tong
2 Shallots
4 white peppercorns (or nearly 1 teaspoonful of prepared white pepper)
2 eggs, beaten
½ cup coconut cream
1 teaspoonful salt
½ teaspoonful MSG
2 teaspoonfuls nam pa (fish sauce)
2 or 3 small chilli peppers
some sprigs of dill
- Scale your piece of Pa tong. Remove the flesh, discarding such bones as you can but ignoring the fine ones. Chop up the flesh and then pound it very fine.
- Pound the shallots and the white peppercorns and combine them with the fish. Add the beaten eggs, the coconut cream, the salt and the MSG. Mix the whole well, so that it is of a smooth and creamy consistency and put it in little banana leaf baskets. Steam these for about 15 minutes. Or, if you wish, you may roast them on a charcoal fire.
- Decorate the fish pâté (which is to be left in its banana leaf baskets) with thin rounds of chilli pepper (produced by slicing the peppers crosswise) and tiny feathers of dill leaf.
The above recipe seems relatively straightforward, and should not be too difficult to follow. It has the advantage of not requiring too large an amount of clown knife flesh. One large specimen might just be enough. Not many aquarists have two or more of these brutes, as they are territorial. Additionally, it appears as if this recipe might lend itself well to being performed on a barbecue grill, or on the fire when camping. The two ingredients that I perceive may cause some difficulty are the nam pa, and the banana leaves.
Nam pa is a fish sauce that receives wide usage in Laos. Virtually every fish recipe calls for it. It is unique to Laos, differing from the fish sauces of neighboring countries, e.g. Nuoc mam from Vietnam, Tuk trey from Cambodia, Nam pla from Thailand, Ngan-pyaye from Burma, etc. It is a fermented liquor (likened to a peaty Scotch whisky), brown in color, that is produced by placing fish in brine for a long period of time. Typically both freshwater and saltwater fishes are utilized in the production of nam pa with the ratio being 80% freshwater species, and 20% saltwater species. Traditionally it is kept in an earthenware jar. Hopefully this will be available from a local Lao grocer, as I have no advice on how to make this important ingredient other than what I have related above. As to the availability of banana leaves, I have no idea. Perhaps corn leaves can be utilized instead, in a manner similar to certain Mexican recipes.
If any adventuresome aquarist does happen to attempt to prepare this month's recipe, I would be curious to hear (or taste) the results (take note refreshments committee members), and to know how you conquered the nam pa dilemma. E-mail me your findings (normane@hevanet.com) if I am not around to sample your dish. Oh, yes, one final comment. The fish being marketed as a royal clown knife, which has stripes instead of spots on its silvery body, is not suitable for this recipe. Apparently it has a higher bone count, and does not acquire the large size required. It can be smoked whole though...
References:
Davidson, Alan. Fish And Fish Dishes Of Laos. 2nd ed. rev. Rutland and Tokyo: Charles E. Tuttle Co., Inc. 1975.
Check me out at www.myspace.com/finalfire7
Many aquarists are drawn to big predatory fish. It seems to be a phase that is outgrown at about the same time that the fish outgrow the tank, or perhaps the cost of feeding the bruiser becomes a burden. For a time though, many aquarists go through this phase and purchase a big mouth with fins, such as a snakehead, a red tailed catfish, an arowana, or a clown knife. That is fine, but soon the aquarist has a huge aquatic appetite swimming around in a tank that is rapidly becoming too small for it. What is to be done with the beast? Often pet shops will not take in such an unwanted giant, and it can be difficult to find another aquarist to take on this eating machine. Many aquarists at this point briefly toy with the idea of eating their pet; after all, it has grown bigger than many fish one might catch by angling local waters.
It is for those aquarists who purchased a clown knife (Notopterus chitala) and now find the care and upkeep of the animal to be burdensome, and who toyed with the idea of eating their pet, that I write this month's column. Why not eat the beast? You have fed him, so let him or her feed you! Besides, in the clown knife's native range it is considered a delicacy. Don't have the slightest idea on how to prepare it? Well fear not, This month's recipe comes straight out of Laos, where this fish is known as Pa tong.
Before I present the recipe though, a few words of warning are in order. I will undoubtedly not have tried this recipe at home. I am given to understand that this species has numerous small bones. These small bones however are so tiny and delicate that pounding or grating the flesh of the animal will eliminate the need to remove them. I would be cautious about eating fish that have been recently medicated. Some medications may be absorbed by the flesh of the fish, and therefore may be present in the animal regardless of when last medicated. Cooking may eliminate such potential dangers, or not, so use some judgement. Some notes concerning unusual ingredients will follow the recipe. It may be necessary to obtain these unusual items at a specialty market.
So, with the above cautions in mind, I invite those owners of large clown knives (or those who see one to be had cheaply at some pet shop) to consider the following recipe, a tried and true favorite among the Lao people:
Mok Pa Fok
A kind of steamed fish pâté
½ kilo Pa tong
2 Shallots
4 white peppercorns (or nearly 1 teaspoonful of prepared white pepper)
2 eggs, beaten
½ cup coconut cream
1 teaspoonful salt
½ teaspoonful MSG
2 teaspoonfuls nam pa (fish sauce)
2 or 3 small chilli peppers
some sprigs of dill
- Scale your piece of Pa tong. Remove the flesh, discarding such bones as you can but ignoring the fine ones. Chop up the flesh and then pound it very fine.
- Pound the shallots and the white peppercorns and combine them with the fish. Add the beaten eggs, the coconut cream, the salt and the MSG. Mix the whole well, so that it is of a smooth and creamy consistency and put it in little banana leaf baskets. Steam these for about 15 minutes. Or, if you wish, you may roast them on a charcoal fire.
- Decorate the fish pâté (which is to be left in its banana leaf baskets) with thin rounds of chilli pepper (produced by slicing the peppers crosswise) and tiny feathers of dill leaf.
The above recipe seems relatively straightforward, and should not be too difficult to follow. It has the advantage of not requiring too large an amount of clown knife flesh. One large specimen might just be enough. Not many aquarists have two or more of these brutes, as they are territorial. Additionally, it appears as if this recipe might lend itself well to being performed on a barbecue grill, or on the fire when camping. The two ingredients that I perceive may cause some difficulty are the nam pa, and the banana leaves.
Nam pa is a fish sauce that receives wide usage in Laos. Virtually every fish recipe calls for it. It is unique to Laos, differing from the fish sauces of neighboring countries, e.g. Nuoc mam from Vietnam, Tuk trey from Cambodia, Nam pla from Thailand, Ngan-pyaye from Burma, etc. It is a fermented liquor (likened to a peaty Scotch whisky), brown in color, that is produced by placing fish in brine for a long period of time. Typically both freshwater and saltwater fishes are utilized in the production of nam pa with the ratio being 80% freshwater species, and 20% saltwater species. Traditionally it is kept in an earthenware jar. Hopefully this will be available from a local Lao grocer, as I have no advice on how to make this important ingredient other than what I have related above. As to the availability of banana leaves, I have no idea. Perhaps corn leaves can be utilized instead, in a manner similar to certain Mexican recipes.
If any adventuresome aquarist does happen to attempt to prepare this month's recipe, I would be curious to hear (or taste) the results (take note refreshments committee members), and to know how you conquered the nam pa dilemma. E-mail me your findings (normane@hevanet.com) if I am not around to sample your dish. Oh, yes, one final comment. The fish being marketed as a royal clown knife, which has stripes instead of spots on its silvery body, is not suitable for this recipe. Apparently it has a higher bone count, and does not acquire the large size required. It can be smoked whole though...
References:
Davidson, Alan. Fish And Fish Dishes Of Laos. 2nd ed. rev. Rutland and Tokyo: Charles E. Tuttle Co., Inc. 1975.
Check me out at www.myspace.com/finalfire7
