Pompano
Everywhere in the world I go, I try to find out what the locals believe to be their best fish. I've enjoyed a lot of different fish that way.
But after I did, my belief that pompano it's the world's most delicious fish is reaffirmed. At least as far as my palate is concerned.
Pompano is not for everybody. Pompano makes a statement. It's full-flavored, and on the high end of the fat category. I hate the word "oily" to describe a fish, but pompano is so oily that when you clean one your hands come out feeling like you've rubbed them with shortening.
You don't have to clean it much. Once the fish is gutted, it's ready for cooking. The whole fish, placed on the grill with the help of a fish basket, cooks just fine. Even if you fillet it and remove the head, leave the skin on. The scales are so fine as to be edible, and if you don't want to eat the skin it comes right off. Still, it tastes a lot better when the from the skin penetrates and adds flavor and tenderness.
Pompano has an unusual texture. It doesn't really either flake or shred. Nor is it meaty like tuna. All the adjectives and comparisons that come to my mind don't do it justice, so I won't use them.
The flavor is the flavor of fish. I know that sounds nutty, but too many of the fish we are fed don't have that taste. The general preference is for blandness. Pompano detractors describe it as "fishy." So do I. That's what I like about it.
The axiom to follow when cooking pompano is to keep it simple. Broiled or grilled, with a touch of lemon butter, salt, and pepper--that's the ultimate. The natural flavor of pompano stands alone. Anything further detracts rather than adds.
The all-time worst use is pompano en papillote--at least when done in the traditional way, with a thick seafoody sauce. The sauce and the preparation are good, but they overwhelm the taste of the fish.
The problem with pompano is that it's seasonal, and the seasons are peculiar. As I understand it, pompano move back and forth along the Gulf Coast, from Florida to Mexico. We get the fish when the schools pass in front of us. With the advent of better shipping of fish, however, we've had pompano much more than we once did.
It's even a pretty fish to behold, with its silver-lamé skin. It's a member of the jack family, and has that wide shape with what looks like a too-small head. The ideal size is between a pound and a pound and a half.
Some of the best restaurants for pompano are Galatoire's (the grilled pompano meuniere is my nominee for Best Fish Dish in New Orleans), Andrea's (his version with pesto cream sauce is especially good) and K-Paul's (they do a blackened pompano now and then that's always been terrific).
