John Dorry Fish – Don’t judge a book by its cover, weird looks but delicate taste

Origin of the name and nickname of John Dory.

The John Dory or the Dory fish is called a Matoudai((的鯛、馬頭鯛) マトウダイ in Japanese and 달고기 in Korean. Some say that the John Dory originates from the French word dorée that means a thin layer of gold or the French term Jaune dorée that means golden yellow. Some suppose that the term John may have been added later after a song of a captain named John.

 

 

The John Dory is also called the St. Peter’s Fish or the fish with St. Peter’s spot because of the origins of the Bible Matthews Chapter 17. The fish that St. Peter has caught from the lake was a John Dory and the unique dark spot of the John Dory was the mark of St. Peter’s touch by legend.

Matthews Chapter 17 The Temple Tax

27 “But so that we may not cause offense, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours.”

 

 

Characteristics of John Dory Fish

The John Dory Fish has a unique appearance where in the public, it is also referred as an ugly fish. A John Dory has a thin and flat body with a distinctive Thumbprint like black dot pattern with a spine that protrudes from its body.

 

 

The dark spot of the John Dory is believed to be a fake eye to intimidate predators while legends say that the spot of the John Dory originated from the touch by Saint Peter from the Bible.

This spot is also referred as Saint Peter’s fingerprint. A John Dory could grow up to 70 cm which is about 2.2 feet and weigh up to 6 kgs which is about 10 pounds. John Dory would prey on smaller fish and small crustaceans.

 

 

Habitat of John Dory

John Dory would live in throughout the world except or the west Atlantic and east Pacific while especially more of them reside in the North Atlatnic region and the South Pacific region worldwide

 

 

Why is a John Dory expensive?

John Dory have a low yield compare with other white-flesh fish of its flesh when filleted. Also, John Dory tend to act alone in the wild instead of forming school with other John Dorries. Thus, it is difficult to conduct a large-scale commercial fishing of John Dory.

Most of the John Dory that is released to the market are more of byproducts of commercial fishing that targeted other species of fish. Also, John Dory usually dwell in the deep sea where the depth is impossible for commercial fishing boats to reach.

 

 

Thus, the low flesh yield and the difficulty of commercial fishing while there not many options are available to substitute the unique texture and flavor of the John Dory made the John Dory a rare and expensive fish.

Ironically, the perception of the John Dory varies by country and even region, so some people tend to treat the John Dory as a bycatch nameless fish while in other regions, John Dory are treated as a rare valuable ingredient.

 

 

Taste of John Dory and Cuisine

The John Dory Fish is a white-flesh fish with low fat contents but full of protein. John Dory can maintain a firm texture and the flesh doesn’t break so much while it isn’t tough and rather has a buttery soft texture when chewed.

The John Dory has a relatively higher umami flavor with much flavor than other white-flesh fish due to the relatively higher proportion of Glutamate or Glutamic Acid which is responsible for the umami flavor.

 

 

Along with the umami flavor, John Dory has a mild flavor that doesn’t overpower other ingredients.

John Dory Fish thus serve as the perfect fish for high-end Fish and Chips while it could be grilled, made with soup, broiled fried or served as sashimi etc due to its unique texture and flavor while it doesn’t overpower other ingredients.

 

 

John Dory is not a Tilapia

There is a general misunderstanding that the John Dory is a Tilapia but they are completely different fish and don’t share anything common except for the fact they both have white flesh. John Dory would only live in the sea while the Tilapia lives in fresh water or brackish water.

 

 

Because both legends of St. Peter's fish refer to both the Tilapia and the John Dory, people may have confused the Tilapia is the same with the John Dory.

There is a higher possib8ility that the Saint Peter's fish is a tilapia by the fact it was from a lake but the lake may have been a metaphor in the bible and both fish are referred as Saint Peter's fish so it is hard to tell. One thing for sure is that John Dory is not a tilapia.