Salt Crusted Menhaden (Bunker) with Lemon Ramp and Fennel Sauce
Today is the one day this week where we’ll be having warm and non-rain-y weather so my husband and I packed up the children and decided to go fishing. After all, if we didn’t get out soon, the great Coronatine of 2020 would have us cannibalizing each other by the end of it. I didn’t really expect to catch anything, as it’s kind of early in the year and the Great South Bay is just waking up. We had seen some Perch swimming upstream in the nearby canals, but unfortunately all the places we could fish fall on private property. I had a small container of salted clam that I keep in the freezer, so off we went to the local docks.
The dock itself has long been fenced off to prevent people from gathering there, but you could fish off sections of the parking lot too. We bought lunch (Wendy’s), ate it, strung up their rods, chucked them in and waited.
A few other people were fishing near us, dutifully separated 6 feet+ to maintain social distancing. Lo and behold, my 4 year old daughter squeaked that something was pulling on her line and she reeled and reeled and reeled it in with all the strength she had in her chubby little arms. Almost at the same time, my 7 year old shouted that something was on HER line and she also began to reel as quickly as she could.
Up popped two fish that, while the same species, I had no knowledge of. I was expecting some small striped bass or bluefish snappers (or even a sea robin or flatfish), but instead, up came the pair with a blunt face and a black dot behind the gills, as if someone painted it with a calligraphy brush. A quick google search came up with Atlantic Menhaden, also known as Bunker. Both were 12+ inches so we plopped them in the bucket and called it a day. I was perturbed—as far as I know, you can’t catch bunker on a hook and reel since they are filter feeders that eat plankton, but here they were, in our bucket.
On the way back home, I grew increasingly dismayed as site after site spoke of the disgusting smell of this bony “trash” fish that’s from the same family as anchovies. Only a few mentioned historical instances of it being regarded as a fish for eating. Otherwise, it’s prized as bait for bigger fish, or for its precious oil.
I would hate to have wasted them so I decided to give it a try anyway. For strong flavored, oily fish, acid and salt and herbs are the way to go. My ramps and bronze fennel have come up beautifully in my garden, and bronze fennel is a gorgeous herb to pair with seafood. Flavor undertones of dill mixes with anise for the perfect foil to strong flavored fish. My salt preserved lemon puree was just what I needed to cut through the possible grease, Quickly cleaned (the innards went to my ducks who delighted in fighting over them), salted, and thrown into my air fryer with very little fanfare, then removed and quickly covered in the herb mixture… but… how did it taste?
Calling it a “trash” fish is unfair to the sweet and firm but tender flesh. I suppose if it wasn’t fresh and had been sitting out for a few hours dead, it would quickly go rancid, but should you ever have had fresh herring or bluefish, there is no trace of any “fishiness.” Just a delicious fish fit for my table with a brightly flavored sauce that lit up our palates. The only unfortunate issue is that it does have a lot of bones, which for those unused to picking out fish bones would be a great turn off. I hold no such prejudice. However, any smaller than these and it likely wouldn’t be worth the work unless we are in more dire situations. I am slightly disappointed I did not catch a few more to smoke, as I imagine smoked menhaden should be a great treat.
As food security comes into question, I look at the things both mother nature and my little slice of Eden provides and I know the meaning of gratefulness.
Ingredients
- 2 twelve inch Menhaden (Bunker) cleaned and descaled, skin intact
- 1/2 cup flaked sea salt
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 4 tablespoons salted preserved lemon puree (Or zest and juice of one lemon)
- 1/4 cup ramps, minced
- 1/2 cup bronze fennel, minced
- 2 tablespoons sake or white wine
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Combine the olive oil, ramps, fennel, lemon, sake or white wine, salt and pepper together and set to the side.
- Salt the menhaden generously and place in an oven preheated to 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 12-15 minutes, until a salt crust has formed on the fish and the fish is cooked through.
- Quickly pour the sauce over the fish and serve, piping hot. Watch for bones!