Bluebarred Parrotfish

Disclaimer: If you don't like the sight of fish, this post might not be for you.

As some of you have already heard, Joe and I went to the Awase Fish Market on Saturday. I forgot to bring the camera to the market, but we do have some photos of our "catch".

The Awase Fish Market is about a 10 minute walk from our Apartment. They open at 10:30 everyday -- and we were there right at 10:30 on Saturday. We were the only Americans there, and I'm pretty sure we might have also been the only people purchasing fish for personal use. There are so many local restaurants in the area -- I have a feeling most people purchase the fish for the restaurant. At least, they were choosing / picking up the fish with a bit more determination than we were.

Anyways, I let Joe pick the fish this time. He chose a beautiful blue fish, which we figured out was the Bluebarred Parrotfish. (When you see photos of the fish's head, you'll know why). As we were waiting in line to have the fish cleaned and filleted, many local ladies kept coming up to Joe and his fish-in-the-basket and smiling, poking the fish and looking at him with either (a) amusement or (b) happiness at his choice. (We found out while waiting in line, that we made a good choice -- a local Okinawa man was trying to tell Joe how to cook the fish and that it makes good sushi).

Anyways, we got the fish home and decided we would make a fish head soup , poached parrotfish fillets and a vegetable couscous for dinner. After some online research, we figured out the best way to make a fish head soup would be:

- Lightly fry the fish in sesame oil, garlic and ginger

- After the fish is browned, transfer into a pot of boiling water. Boil for about a hour, to make a broth. Add vegetables (greens, leek, green onion, carrot, mushroom) for additional flavor.

This made for a lovely dinner. The fish head soup was great and the poached fillets were delicious!