Reddit mentions of Hunt, Gather, Cook: Finding the Forgotten Feast: A Cookbook

The author and chef Hank Shaw talks about them in his book "Hunt, Gather, Cook: Finding the Forgotten Feast" and mentions (if memory serves me) that their cheek muscles are delicious. And, like, I'd trust anything that dude says about food. FYI.

https://www.amazon.com/Hunt-Gather-Cook-Finding-Forgotten/dp/1609618904?creativeASIN=1609618904&linkCode=w61&imprToken=Oa-OhVyETNZsB5TC0hJG3Q&slotNum=2

Hank Shaw has a really easy-to-follow, detailed recipe on his website. Pretty sure it, and a few other easy curing recipes are in his book.

Original post: Caught on Virginia beach pier.

Comments:

Author: sjhill Body: This post has been locked, as the question has been solved and a majority of new comments at this point are unhelpful and/or jokes. Thanks to all who attempted to find an answer.

Author: alangerhans Body: That's an oyster toadfish. Careful, they'll take a finger off, my dad almost lost his thumb to one The edits were for grammar

Author: ElevatedMind84 Body: Hmm. A toad fish. I say... CATSLUG

Author: PotatoesRGodly Body: Toadfish. Don't touch - some are poisonous and most can take your finger off.

Author: sral03 Body: I have no idea what kind of fish this is- hope someone can help. Sorry for the bad picture.

Author: Fartagnan Body: They call them Oyster Crackers around my way.

Author: commoncross Body: I visited Virginia Beach pier (a lifetime ago), and happened upon a guy who had caught a large, beautiful, stingray. There was a crowd of people gathered round, one man standing on the stingy bit, and debate ensued about whether or not you could eat a stingray. Not knowing anything about such matters I just observed the debate as it proceeded for several minutes. No consensus emerged, but the general feeling was that, if you could, it probably wasn't worth it. The stingray, of course, was unaware of the discussion, focused as it was on an unsuccessful attempt to survive. It died, and was eventually pushed off the pier into the sea.

Author: saucity Body: I was on a dock in Chincoteague, VA, and I caught one of these Toadfish. There was a grizzly old fisherman there as well, and he told me what it was, and showed me his hand with a half-missing finger!! They have several rows of teeth and really are no joke!

Author: None Body: [removed]

Author: sral03 Body: Solved! Thanks everybody!

Author: Unlucky13 Body: We call them Toadfish. I used to fish the James and York River all the time. I'd catch many of these things almost every day. People warning of it being poisonous and taking a finger off, etc, are being a bit overdramatic. They can bite, sure, but I handled them as a kid pretty often and never had any problem other than trying to get the hook out of its massive clenched jaw. They are a pest to oyster beds and fishermen, so I was instructed by my father and my uncle to always stab them or stomp them to death before tossing them back.

Author: Baristax Body: OP, are you alive?

Author: einsibongo Body: In Iceland we call it Marhnútur... Ocean knot

Author: Ravenfurr Body: A toadfish also known as an oyster cracker, they can crack open oysters with their mouth so be careful where you put your fingers.

Author: finch32ful Body: We always called them mother-in-law fish.

Author: FKDotFitzgerald Body: The jaws on these things are insane.

Author: FireHurtingJuice Body: That is one ugly ass fish.

Author: None Body: [removed]

Author: fuck Body: I’d call that a hacklehead (from Long Island).

Author: helenfeller Body: We call them oyster crackers in Maryland.

Author: JoshtheFish0rman Body: My dad, and grandfather, and a lot of baymen on Long Island used to call them Mussolini's.

Author: dinoboyj Body: Cool fish, thanks for posting

Author: GloomyFudge Body: looks like a sea robin

Author: Dieabeto9142 Body: I think i caught one of these on a fishing trip in myrtle beach when i was younger. If i remember right the skipper on the boat said they survive by cracking through the shells of shellfish and eating them.

Author: sketchyplate17 Body: We call these mud toads, nasty buggers

Author: OddBob459 Body: Called them oyster crackers

Author: PM_ME_YOUR_BAN_NAME Body: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oyster_toadfish

Author: fyberoptyk Body: Angry. He’s angry. And he’ll do his best to kill you and everyone you love so watch your fingers.

Author: BeneGesseritFucBoi Body: The author and chef Hank Shaw talks about them in his book "Hunt, Gather, Cook: Finding the Forgotten Feast" and mentions (if memory serves me) that their cheek muscles are delicious. And, like, I'd trust anything that dude says about food. FYI. https://www.amazon.com/Hunt-Gather-Cook-Finding-Forgotten/dp/1609618904?creativeASIN=1609618904&linkCode=w61&imprToken=Oa-OhVyETNZsB5TC0hJG3Q&slotNum=2

Author: Unenthusedman Body: This is my r/newfear

Author: BlueBingoDye Body: Damn! I caught a baby one of those before! They're so weird looking when they're big!!

Author: NickNail5 Body: In RI they are called Toadfish, or Sea Robin. I've never tried, but recently heard they are incredibly tasty. Because they are typically bottom feeders they often come up in quahog rakes, and often injured, so I only used them as bait (when mortally wounded) but I'm excited to try the next one I catch.

Author: Big_Bag_Of_Nope Body: Toadfish!

Author: rixxy249 Body: at first i thought it was a wet leopard with far too big a head

Author: SuddenlyCelery Body: Thank you for posting, /u/sral03! You've solved one of my greatest childhood mysteries!

Author: ctk041289 Body: One night in the Little Choptank (Eastern Shore MD) I caught one of these. I swore it was a mutant fish - though the locals did tell me the tail is delicious!

Author: Tombre Body: Caught too many toad fish in the Outer Banks, nasty fish

Author: Tims5life Body: kinda looks like a sculpin

Author: xXAllhailmegatronXx Body: I live in Delaware and we call those croakers.

Author: cuttlefish_tastegood Body: Used to catch these. It was the worst when you thought you actually caught something. Lots of people just let it dry out in the sun and die since it was a crappy fish.

Author: mashedpotatoes2001 Body: Looks like an irradiated pleco tf

Author: kapow Body: Taste great.

Author: Juggernaut78 Body: And my friends make fun of me for not going into water without jeans and boots on.

Author: munificentmike Body: Locals call them “ mother in law fish”.

Author: dropegron Body: Idk if it's a regional think but we call them sally growlers, caught them all the time by hand off my dock in NJ. Looking at the comments its seems like I'm not the only one to be bit before haha those suckers don't let go

Author: netvor0 Body: You're fishing in Virginia beach? Don't eat anything you catch.

Author: Shizzy813 Body: Growing up we called them a dog fish

Author: Blo0dbath Body: Fun fact, oyster toadfish (Opsanus tau) are incredibly common in estuaries all over the US east coast, esp from VA up to NY. Northern toadies (such as in the Hudson) tend to be a bit larger than those in the Chesapeake area. They’re one of the most numerous benthic fish around NYC! PM me for cute pixxx of toadfish

Author: KlossMaster Body: Another reason I’m afraid of VB waters. Water isn’t clear so you don’t know what the hell is around you

Author: horseshoein Body: I think my Grandpa used to call them " mother in law fish"

Author: algerrr23 Body: I know it's solved but it looks like a freshwater sculpin. Only these guys are harmless and don't take off your fingers. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mottled_sculpin

Author: jwood555 Body: I catch them all the time on the Yorktown pier.

Author: T-butylhydroquinone Body: That looks like a monkfish . Might be wrong tho

Author: mr_jasper867-5309 Body: My grandfather would just knife them in the head then taken em off the hook. The jaws on these bad boys are no joke.

Author: Ohmannothankyou Body: https://www.adventuresportsnetwork.com/wildlife/scary-sea-creature-buried-sand-prompts-warning-surfing-group/ Northern stargazer?

Author: rxvxrse Body: Rockfish?

Author: 19juu89 Body: People in Hampton Roads have always called them mudtoads when I go fishing.

Author: Moth_man96 Body: Monkfish aka toadfish aka stargazer. They can grow to big bois

Author: ThePaulDam Body: Good news, my hometown gets mentioned. Bad news, its because of some monster fish

Author: Pfunk4444 Body: Could it be a monk fish?

Author: lamenameduser Body: Call them croakers here in Charleston sc. fun little freak of nature that'll take your finger off if you let em.

Author: GorillyGrodd Body: You have no idea what this is, and no idea whether you're going to eat it because you're not sure if it's edible yet you we're going to not throw it back in the water? You suck OP.