An Ode to Butterfish, by Talia

Have you ever wondered about the fish in the Fishadelphia logo?  (Shout-out to artist Oluwafemi for our logo design!)  It’s a butterfish (Peprilus triacanthus)!  Butterfish are lovely, small, flat, silvery fish, maybe the size of the palm of a hand.  Butterfish are interesting from both an ecological and a management perspective. 

Ecologically, Butterfish are often found in schools alongside longfin squid (Doryteuthis pealeii, aka Loligo squid), so they are often caught as by-catch (unintended catch) by fishing boats targeting the squid.

On the management side, butterfish and longfin squid each have an annual catch limit set by the National Marine Fisheries Service.  The limit for butterfish is often reached before the limit for longfin squid. Because these two species are often caught together, when the annual cumulative catch of butterfish approaches the limit, the fishery for both butterfish and the longfin squid fishery get limited or closed (even if the cumulative catch of squid isn’t even close to the limit!).  This makes butterfish what is called a “choke species” on longfin squid - butterfish catch can “choke” and shut down the squid fishery.

Even though our logo features a butterfish, I had never eaten one before this spring!  They’re sold whole in most of the Asian supermarkets in the region, and Chef Ange Branca (of Sate Kampar and also the new Mod Spuds spot) taught me how to cook them. 

• Salt it a little over night to extract moisture.
• Pat the fish dry so it doesn’t splatter.
• Deep fry until it is all crispy. If you plan to use the air fryer, oil the skin a little so it doesn’t stick. If you’re using a wok to deep fry, just gentle slide the fish into the hot oil and fry til golden and crispy. 
• Enjoy with a good chili sauce or tamarind dressing. Eat everything: bones, head, and all.  
  

They were delicious. I hope you can try a crispy fried butterfish one day soon! 

(You can read more about butterfish and longfin squid interactions here if you want to go nerdy, and about their commercial fishing regulations here.)