Monkfish (agwi)

Agwi is the blackmouth angler, Lophiomus setigerus, a flattened bottom fish with an enormous mouth, a lower jaw that juts past the upper, and soft skin covered in small fleshy flaps instead of scales. Like other anglerfish, it carries a long first dorsal spine that works like a fishing rod to lure prey. It lives on rocky or weedy sea floors off Korea's southwest coast and the southern East Sea, and spawns in spring. The Korean Food Composition Table also lists a related species, the yellow goosefish (hwang-agwi), and agwi liver.

The fish already appears in the early 19th-century natural history Jasan eobo, written by Jeong Yak-jeon in exile on Heuksan Island, as josaeo ("fishing-line fish"), with agueo ("hungry-mouth fish") as its common name. Jeong described the two rod-like spines on its head and the bait-like tip it twitches to draw fish into its jaws. Because valuable fish were sometimes found whole inside its stomach, a coastal proverb about eating agwi and flounder together means getting two benefits at once. The Encyclopedia of Korean Culture adds that the innards were thought even tastier than the flesh.

Agwi is best known through agu-jjim, which the Encyclopedia of Korean Culture describes as a local dish of Masan in South Gyeongsang. In the traditional version, dried agwi is cut into pieces, softened in water and simmered in strained doenjang broth; a heap of trimmed bean sprouts goes on top, followed by chili flakes, minari, green onion, garlic and a starch slurry, and the whole is turned and thickened into a hot, spicy braise with very little liquid. Fresh agwi is now common too, and the fish also goes into clear and spicy soups.

• Very lean protein: Raw agwi has about 14 g of protein and well under 1 g of fat per 100 g, with niacin and phosphorus.
• Mercury: The FDA/EPA advice on eating fish lists monkfish as a "Good Choice," one serving a week during pregnancy and breastfeeding, rather than among the lowest-mercury "Best Choices."
• Fish allergy: Fish is one of the nine major food allergens under U.S. law.
• Cook it through: The FDA advises cooking fin fish to 145°F (63°C), or until the flesh is opaque and separates easily with a fork.
• The braise is salty and spicy: Agu-jjim is seasoned with doenjang, chili and soy, so portion the sauce with care if you are watching sodium.