FROM THE SEA
With its distinctive looks and sweet firm flesh, John Dory is a popular choice – and it’s available all year round too.
John Dory is a popular choice ... and it’s available all year round, too.
With a Latin name like Zeus faber you could be forgiven for thinking this fish was a celebrated movie star. Rick Stein, the famous seafood gourmet, even describes it as a “lugubrious-looking, big-jawed fish” which could be the same description used for a tortured, soulful actor. Whatever the similarities to stardom, the John Dory is revered around the world as one of the best white fishes to catch, cook and eat.
DID YOU KNOW
John Dory is part of the wider family called Zeidae and there are more than five related dory fish. The Maori name is kuparu, and in Spain it is known only as San Martino, although these names are not widely used as monikers for John Dory.
The name is thought to be based on the French words ‘jaune doré’, ‘jaune’ being yellow and ‘doré’ meaning gilded. Also called St Pierre or St Peter’s fish, this term is thought to have come from the original St Peter who was the patron saint of fisherman, as it is believed that John Dory was the fish that Peter as a disciple of Jesus was told to catch and and feed to worshippers. Some say the black circle on the side of the fish is the thumbprint of St Peter.
According to another legend, John Dory or kuparu was one of the fish that the Māori of the East Coast gave to Captain James Cook on his first voyage to New Zealand in 1769 on the Endeavour. So much fish was given, that several casks of it were pickled for use on the voyage to find the great southern land.
DESCRIPTION OF FISH
Like other fish in the family, John Dory is a distinctive broad, flat fish with the head and eyes at the top and each side. The John Dory has a strikingly obvious difference to most other fish, with the large black/brown spot which is prominent on each side.
A John Dory can potentially get to more than 3-4kg in size. They are thinbodied, big-jawed fish, approximately 30-40cm long. The body is so thin it can hardly be seen from the front when in the water and they have a spooky-looking top dorsal spine fin.
In New Zealand and Australia the fish is more likely to be muddy-brown to green-grey with wavy stripes and a distinctive blue ringed dot in the middle, whereas the Mediterranean
Agadashi Style John Dory with Green Tea Noodles Serves 4
2 green onions, chopped
1 long green chilli, seeds removed and
chopped
¼ cup coriander leaves
¼ cup sesame oil
Vegetable oil, to shallow fry
2 tbsp kewpie mayonnaise
150ml iced cold water
100g plain flour sifted, plus extra to dust
4 x John Dory fillets, cut into three
240g green tea noodles, cooked
¼ cup finely grated daikon
Green onion oil
Purple shiso, to serve
Bonito flakes, to serve
AGADASHI SAUCE
⅓ cup mirin
¼ cup soy sauce 1 tbsp dashi powder
To make the agadashi sauce mix the mirin, soy, dashi powder and 1½ cups water in a medium saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and keep warm.
To make green onion oil, place the green onion, chilli, coriander, sesame oil and ¼ cup of water in a small food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Season and set aside.
Fill a medium saucepan or wok three-quarters full with vegetable oil. Place over medium heat until it reaches 180°C on a deep-frying thermometer.
Mix the mayonnaise and iced water together using chopsticks in a medium bowl until combined. Place the flour in a separate bowl, add the mayonnaise and water mixture and mix with the chopsticks until just combined. Dust the fish in flour. Working in batches dip the fish into the batter and lower into the oil. Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until golden and fish is cooked. Drain on absorbent paper. Repeat with remaining fish.
To serve, divide noodles and agadashi broth between 4 shallow bowls. Top with fish and serve with daikon, green onion oil, shiso and bonito flakes.
fish are more golden-yellow with green lines. The large black/brown spot ringed by gold or sometimes green is prominently positioned on each side of the fish. This eye is thought to act as a deterrent to carnivorous predators.
There are no scales to note, just microscales that feature in a striped pattern at the very bottom of the fish.
WHERE TO FIND THEM
John Dory are found in warm coastal waters all over the world. While mostly found in the north-east of New Zealand, and the western and southern shores of Australia, they are also plentiful around coastal Japan, South Africa, the Mediterranean and other Atlantic shores. The fish is farmed in the Mediterranean and is grown to about 1.5kg in size for regular supply.
They are solitary fish and very unlikely to swim in large groups. They hang out on sandy bottoms, reefs and mud bottoms in as little as one metre and up to 150 metres of water.
They aren’t very good swimmers, due to their flat shape and large skeleton, which is an indication of why they hang out near coastal areas. They are more likely to inhabit the same areas as snapper and kingfish, which like to swim in schools together.
SEASON AND AVAILABILITY
The joy of John Dory is they are available all year round, although they spawn in summer, so there are some restrictions on taking large reproductive females. They grow rapidly – a small baby fish will look similar to an adult, and females are distinctly larger than the males at the same age. They reach maturity in three to four years with a probable life span of seven to nine years.
WHAT DOES IT EAT?
The John Dory’s thin profile front-on helps it sneak up on prey. Its large eyes at the front of its head give it exceptional bifocal vision, helpful in sizing up the whereabouts of the next meal. They are voracious predators, devouring small fish like mackerel, sardines, mussels and squid as they swim with their large telescoping mouth and extended jaw. They will often wait for a struggling fish to come along and so are often caught as a by-catch fish by recreational fishermen using live bait.
SUSTAINABILITY
John Dory is caught in mixed species trawls with snapper and tarakihi or by Danish seine trapping methods. The NZ and Australian stocks of John Dory are monitored by the Ministry of Fisheries in both countries using commercial catch rates and, in some areas, trawl surveys. In some areas, John Dory has fluctuated in availability. Cyclical patterns in abundance are evident in some regions, and as they only reproduce at three to four years old. The nontaking of females is recommended for sustainability.
REDUCE WASTE TIP
The skin on John Dory has minute microscales, but it appears like there are no scales at all. This means that John Dory is ideal for cooking whole and frying until the skin is crispy. The skin is rich in the essential omega-3 fatty chain nutrients essential for growth and repair. The frames and heads with gills removed can be used to make fish stock as a flavourful base for soups, risotto, chowder and sauces. Add herbs like bay leaf and thyme, and chopped vegetables like carrots, onions, leeks and celery.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN BUYING
John Dory can be sold as whole fish, freshly filleted or as frozen fillets. The fillets are often removed from the large skeleton frame to preserve the quality of the flesh.
When buying fresh John Dory fillets, check the flesh is glossy and semi-transparent. If it looks sticky or grey then it is not fresh.
When buying whole fish, look for lustrous, luminous, tight skin, shiny dark eyes and the whole fish should have a pleasant, fresh sea smell. John Dory is often falsely marketed to cash in on the popularity of the fish, so check that the skin of whole fish has a black ‘eye’ as an authenticity mark.
HOW TO STORE
Make sure a whole fish is gutted and cleaned thoroughly before storing on ice, and use quickly. Wrap whole fish and fillets in paper or place in an airtight container if storing in a fridge for up to two days. Refrigerate fillets for up to 3 days. Freeze whole fish for up to 6 months, and fillets for up to 3 months, below -18°C.
HOW TO COOK
John Dory is a delicate, mildly sweet flavoured fish. It has low oiliness with firm, dense, white fillets that are not too large, and often the perfect size for pan frying. The fresh fillet can be grilled or chargrilled quickly and also suits most methods of cooking. Avoid over cooking or baking as the flesh will dry out quickly. The fillets can be cooked frozen or semi-frozen to retain moisture and succulence.