The groupers are more popular in Florida than in Louisiana. But groupers are commonly caught in Gulf waters, and show up ever more frequently on local menus. Groupers come in a number of species, some better than others. The best of them is Warsaw grouper, a large (as much as forty pounds) fish with enormous flakes. I've seen individual flakes of it served, interleaved with other seafood or vegetables for a handsome effect. Yellowfin grouper--a smaller fish--is more likely to be the one offered as the fish of the day on New Orleans menus. The color of cooked grouper is very white. That has a lot of appeal to most diners, which is one reason chefs like it. As does another characteristic of the fish--its mild flavor. Groupers can be a little too mild for my tastes, but I've also had groupers with a lot of flavor. Not often a lot of fat, though. For that reason, whenever grouper comes my way I always marinate it a few minutes in olive oil, give it a good crusting of Creole seasoning, and either grill or broil it. More polite methods of preparation will result in the very subtly-flavored fish preferred by those who say they don't like their fish to taste "fishy." (What a thing to be thought of as undesirable!)
