Carpenter

**Chris Shelton** · 13-05-08

Anyone heard of this fish? Even better, anyone cooked one?!! I believe they are good eating. If you have any recipes to share, I would be most grateful if you would share them. Thanks!

**chris williams** · 13-05-08

I do know the fish, but from many years ago - will try dig out my old books a bit later on tonight.

I used to catch them over deep-water reefs I seem to recall (not reefers...)

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Perhaps they would do well steamed with Nick's reduced pencil shavings as a topping?...

**Byron** · 13-05-08

Yeah they are great eating.

Lots of ways to cook them

1. straight on a hot braai with a bit of rock salt (don't bother scaling the fish - if the fire is hot enough it will burn off the scales).

2. in foil on a braai - stuff with lemon, onion and a bit of butter - herbs and spice of your choice.

3. The smoke really well so if you have a smoker go for it (lemon, butter and maybe some fish spice or cajun spice).

pretty much any of your favourite fish recipes will work but in my opinion with seafood less is more, I prefer to keep it really simple and enjoy the flavour of the fish. Keep it on the bone too - these fish always taste better whole rather than filleted.

**Chris Shelton** · 13-05-08

Thanks a lot! Really appreciate the advice.

I think I will give the pencil shavings a miss though Mr Williams, but thanks all the same!

What you trying to do, kill me!?

**Lardbeast** · 13-05-08

If it's firm fleshed you can try a Portuguese Fish Stew.

Fry a couple of roughly chopped onions in olive oil until a golden colour. Chuck in a little thyme, couple of bay leaves, some chopped parsley and a couple of cloves of crushed garlic. Give it a quick stir then add chunks of the fish that's been filleted and cubed to around 3-4cm a side. Add four or five potatoes cut into quarters and three or four chopped tomatoes. Add salt to taste and a good dash of white pepper. Stir around on high heat for a couple of minutes then chuck in a bottle of cheap white wine like Graca or something similar. Bring to the boil then reduce heat and allow to simmer for 40 minutes. Thicken with cornflour or arrowroot, adding water as necessary, then serve over rice.

Chuck the fish heads in too to make the stock while cooking. If you're not a fan of vis kop sop you can remove them before serving.

**chris williams** · 13-05-08

Lardo,

Why is it when macho bait-fishers ask questions, the 'Gay Trio' of Byron, Nick and Lardo always crop up with fine recipes?

Seriously, great recipes, tremendous respek for you Lardo - Byron's and Nick's respective advances on fish-cooked-in-greasy-batter are equally spectacular!

My fast-diminishing brain cells give me the following options - with no option to call a one-grader:

Carpenter:

1) Someone who shaves wood off my trees and charges as though his dog was sniffling for truffles underneath?

2) Someone who didn't impregnate Someone Famous's Mum - and never got a klap round the head for creating religious wars - or for not opening up a trout dam in the Dead Sea?

3) Member of a three/ten 'family band'

4) The guy who gave a wooden puppet a 12 inch penis - without snake eyes and a strike indicator?

4) What I recall from my Beacon Island barman days a longlined/trolled deep sea fish with pink flesh and big eyes. Relo's of Jasper?...

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I do remember the carpenter, a fish deep-trolled/long-lined by fellow Williams's of a darker hue. They (the fish..) were called 'pinkies' and had a great value on the market as being very tender-tasting fish with a firm white (Ok, OK,) flesh

Nighty, nighty, OMR