Foodstuff

So swordfish is off your fish wish list because it's endangered. Same with Chilean sea bass, which is really Patagonian toothfish and has been overfished to the point that boats have to roam the Antarctic Sea for it. And you're just plain sick of snapper, grouper, and dolphin. What's a...

By Jen Karetnick

October 12, 2000

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So swordfish is off your fish wish list because it's endangered. Same with Chilean sea bass, which is really Patagonian toothfish and has been overfished to the point that boats have to roam the Antarctic Sea for it. And you're just plain sick of snapper, grouper, and dolphin. What's a fish lover to do? Head over to the Left Bank (214 S. Federal Hwy., Fort Lauderdale, 954-462-5376) and check out the latest finned creature set to become all the rage: the Amazonian shovelhead catfish. This freshwater fish, a denizen of -- you guessed it -- the Amazon River, grows up to sixty inches long and features five-inch whiskers, so don't expect a pleasant mug. What you should anticipate, says executive chef Michael Bennett, is a texture that's a cross between swordfish and sea bass, and a clean flavor reminiscent of largemouth bass. So far, Bennett notes, the Left Bank is one of the only restaurants in the U.S. utilizing this fish. But it probably won't be the last -- unless chefs decide to serve it whole. Those five-inch whiskers are hardly as appetizing as the flavor of the catfish

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Jen Karetnick is an award-winning dining critic, food-travel writer, and author of the books Ice Cube Tray Recipes, Mango, and The 500 Hidden Secrets of Miami.

Contact: Jen Karetnick