In medieval times, gold-laden merchants along the trade routes dressed in cheap, ratty clothes so that bandits wouldn't discover them. Unfortunately for the merchants, the bandits studied the dining etiquette of the travelers as they tucked into communal meals in the inns. When fish was placed on the groaning board or buffet table, the ignorant peasants reached greedily, grabbing randomly at the sides of the fish. The rich merchants went straight for the cheeks, plucking them out and popping them into their mouths. The next day, the bandits knew which pockets to rob.

CHEEKS?  FISH HAVE CHEEKS?

The Cheeks, just as they sound, are the pockets of flesh right below the eyes. Cheeks are considered a delicacy and gourmets worldwide have always considered the cheeks to be the best part of the fish. Since introducing grouper cheeks here at Captain Jerry's we have seen a growing demand as our customers try them because of cost and return for more because of taste.

Back to the top  

Cutting cheeks from a fish is labor intensive in the extreme. One 10-pound fish will produce 4 pounds of filets, 6 pounds of head, tail, bone and skin "waste." and 2 ounces of cheeks, about 1 ounce apiece. It's all a matter of scale. You need a big fish head, because there isn't much cheek. Depending on the fish, cheeks can be anywhere from the size of a nickel up to 2 to 4 inches in diameter.

We have recently been fortunate enough to have grouper cheeks in the store and the first question most of our customers ask is how to prepare them. If you have a favorite way to prepare the "cheeks" that you wouldn't mind sharing I would love to hear from you.