| Grouper belongs to one of the largest fish families in the sea, the Sea Bass family. Of the over 400 varieties the best known and most available grouper types are Red and Black. Other varieties such as Gag, Yellow Edge, Scamp and Snowy Grouper can be found in the market place but in limited quantities since smaller amounts of these species are harvested. Chances are if you have eaten grouper especially in a restaurant, it has been the red variety.
The grouper is found in the waters off Florida and the Mid-Atlantic States as well as South America, Central America and the Gulf of Mexico.
Groupers typically have a stout body and a large mouth. They are not at all built for long-distance fast swimming. Their mouth and gills form a powerful sucking system that sucks the prey in from a distance. They lie in wait for their dinner then inhale their prey and swallow it whole rather than biting it into pieces. They do not have many teeth on the edges of their jaws, but they have heavy crushing plates inside the throat. They eat other fish, octopus, and crustaceans and there is at least one record, from Mozambique, of a human being sucked in and killed by one of these fish.
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What Does Grouper Taste Like?
The Grouper fish has a mild but very unique flavor, somewhat of a cross between bass and halibut.
Red grouper is not quite as firm and has a milder, sweeter flavor than black. Many chefs and grouper connoisseurs prefer the red grouper over the black for this reason.
Cooking Grouper....
Grouper meat cooks up very firm, with big flakes and holds its moisture better than many other fish. Since Red Grouper is a leaner fish with generally smaller, thinner filets you might wish to baste it when broiling or baking it to prevent it from drying out. Probably the two most popular ways to cook grouper is grilling or frying it. Other choices are to poach, steam, bake, broil and sauté and don't forget that it is excellent for soups or chowders.
Whether you are baking or broiling grouper, stick to the general rule for cooking fish, which is 10 minutes per inch of thickness. Oven temperature should be between 400-450° F. Remember that your fish will be done when the meat becomes opaque and flakes easily with a fork.
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