Monchong

Monchong (Taractichthys steindachneri) Bigscale or Sickle Pomfret French: Castagnole Fauchoir; Cosmopolite German: Brachsenmakrele Italian: Pesce Castagna Spanish: Castenete; Japuta; Palometa Negra Japanese: Monchong; Hire Jiro Monchong Hawaii names: Mukau

I. Biological Description

Two species of pomfret, also known as monchong in Hawaii, are harvested in small quantities by the tuna longline and bottomfish handline fisheries. The predominant species is Taractichthys steindachneri, known as the sickle or bigscale pomfret, because of the forked shape of its fins and large scales. Longline fishermen from Japan refer to monchong as "utopia fish." The large black scales covering the entire body of this species distinguish it from Eumegistus illustris, or lustrous pomfret, which has bronze skin color, larger eyes, and a thicker body. The lustrous pomfret also has a scaleless area behind and above the eyes lacking in the sickle pomfret. The lustrous pomfret accounts for less than 5% of monchong landings in Hawaii.

Monchong are usually caught in deep waters (greater than 150 fathoms), often in the vicinity of seamounts. The lustrous pomfret has been caught on seabed slopes over 250 fathoms deep. Not much is known about the biology or habitat of these species.

II. Of Special Interest For Buying/Distributing

Availability And Seasonality: Only small quantities of monchong are available because it is not usually targeted by fishermen. The largest supply is the by-catch from the tuna longline fleet, especially boats which fish deep waters around seamounts. There are no well-defined seasonal trends in availability. Monchong can range from about 4 pounds to over 25 pounds, but the prime market sizes are fish over 12 pounds.

Like several other species harvested in Hawaii
primarily as by-catch, monchong has gained
an identity as an exotic fish which can add variety to restaurant menus.

Distribution: Monchong are landed and marketed fresh. Most of the catch is sold at the Honolulu fish auction to a few primary processors who are experienced in marketing pomfret. Restaurants are the primary customers for monchong in Hawaii and the rest of the U.S.A.

Substitution: Monchong can be substituted for deepwater snappers, such as opakapaka, onaga, and uku. When ocean conditions are unfavorable for bottomfishing and restaurants face rising prices for premium snappers, demand often increases for monchong landed by the longline fleet.

Fishing Methods: Most monchong are taken as a by-catch by tuna longliners. Fishermen using handlines for bottomfish also catch monchong at great depths (over 200 fathoms), but it is not a primary target species. Targeting by a few handline fishermen has shown that monchong is a limited resource.

III. Of Special Interest For Preparation/Quality Control

Shelf Life And Quality Control: Monchong has an excellent shelf life as a fresh product, lasting up to 3 weeks after capture with proper handling. Fish are landed and iced whole until final processing. It is not uncommon for parasites to occur in monchong. This condition may render the adjacent flesh unusable for aesthetic reasons, but simple trimming can correct this problem.

Product Forms And Yields: Most monchong is sold to restaurants as skinless fillets. The large, hard scales make skinning the only practical product form. The yield of skinless fillet from the whole weight is about 45%. A thick rib bone which covers a large portion of the belly flap is trimmed off fillets.

Small monchong are sold whole or gutted, as are some larger fish.

IV. Of Special Interest To Consumers/Foodservice Personnel

Color, Taste, Texture: Monchong has clear, white flesh with pinkish tones. It is firm in texture and moderate in flavor. The highly transparent flesh, high oil content and good shelf life makes this versatile fish very attractive for restaurant use.

Preparations: Because of its high oil content, monchong is well suited for grilling but it can also be broiled, sauted, or baked, Monchong has been well received as a white-flesh sashimi, but is rarely used in raw fish dishes in Hawaii.

Ono

Ono (Acanthocybium solandri) Wahoo French: Thazard Batard German: Peto, Wahoo Italian: Maccarello Striato Spanish: Peto Japanese: Kamasu-sawara Hawaii names: Ono Malani

I. Biological Description

Ono (Acanthocybium solandri), commonly known as wahoo, is a close relative of the king mackerel. Unlike true mackerel, ono rarely school, but groups may be found around fish aggregation buoys. Surface catches indicate that ono associate with banks, pinnacles and flotsam. However, longline catches suggest that this species is also widely distributed in the open ocean. Ono may grow to more than 100 pounds in round weight, but the usual size of the fish caught in Hawaii is 8 to 30 pounds in round weight.

II. Of Special Interest For Buying/Distributing

Availability And Seasonality: The supply (and price) of fresh ono is as limited and erratic as that of locally-caught mahimahi. Not an especially abundant fish, ono is most available in Hawaii during the summer and fall (May-October).

Fishing Methods: About 80% of the commercial ono landed in Hawaii is caught by trollers. The remainder is caught on longline gear. Among sport fishermen, ono is popular as a light-tackle gamefish.

Distribution: Troll-caught ono is marketed through fish auctions in Honolulu and Hilo, through intermediary buyers on all major islands, and directly to restaurants. The longline catch is sold primarily through the Honolulu auction.

Substitution: It is not possible for restaurants to offer fresh mahimahi throughout the year, so chefs have looked to other white-fleshed species, including ono, as substitutes. Thus, ono often keeps company with mahimahi as a popular entree on the menus of restaurants in Hawaii and the U.S. mainland. Although ono is used as a substitute for mahimahi, mahimahi is more moist and sweeter than ono.

III. Of Special Interest For Preparation/Shelf Life And Quality Control:

Shelf Life And Quality Control: The shelf life of fresh ono is relatively short -- 10 days when properly cared for (see Table 3). Ono keeps longer if stored whole (especially if hung head down) and not filleted until shortly before use. When the fish is headed and gutted, the collar bone and belly areas are exposed to bacteria which can then cause accelerated deterioration of the remaining flesh.

The first external evidence of deterioration in a whole ono is discoloration of the skin around the head and gill plates and a general softening of the flesh. In a dressed fish, discoloration of the flesh exposed around the collarbone would indicate a loss of quality. Poor quality fillets have opaque, milky flesh or they may be cracked.

Product Forms And Yields: Local fishermen market their ono as fresh, whole fish. Most is purchased by up-scale restaurants in Hawaii and on the mainland. Some restaurants buy fillets from intermediary suppliers, but others prefer to receive the fish headed and gutted to retain better quality. About 60 to 65% of whole fish weight can be recovered as fillet (see Table 5). Although one of the best fish for smoking, ono is too expensive to be put to this use in Hawaii.

IV. Of Special Interest To Consumers/Foodservice Personnel

Color, Taste, Texture: Ono flesh is whiter, flakier, and has a more delicate texture than the meat of other fast-swimming, pelagic species.

Although ono may make oceanic migrations as far as those of tuna and marlin, it contains less of the strong-tasting "blood meat" muscle that the latter species use for long-distance swimming.

Preparations: Although ono is versatile in its uses, cooking methods suitable for "lean" fish (those with low fat content) are recommended so that the flesh does not dry out when cooked. One way to retain moisture in a lean fish is to poach.

V. Historical Note

Ono is a Hawaiian word meaning "good to eat." The ono was said by the ancient Hawaiians to be the parent of the opelu, a mackerel scad of great importance to the subsistence of the early Hawaiians.

The European explorers who first mapped the Hawaiian Islands found ono to be plentiful off the island of Oahu. Maps of the time indicate that a very common spelling of the word "Oahu" was "Wahoo," and this is believed to be the origin of the fish's other name.