Updated on 13 October 2026. The original 2007 post is kept below.
Ugly face, tasty tail
The monkfish (also called anglerfish or goosefish) is famous for its face. It’s basically a huge flat head with an enormous mouth full of needle-like teeth, attached to a skinny tail. It lies on the sea floor and waves a fleshy “fishing rod” on its head to lure prey within reach. Then: gulp.
The good news is that the ugly part isn’t the part you eat. Monkfish tail is firm, dense and almost boneless, with a texture so close to lobster that it’s been nicknamed “poor man’s lobster”. In Japan the liver is a prized delicacy called ankimo, served steamed with sushi or as a pâté.
Cooking tip from US fisheries experts: peel off the thin blue-grey membrane first, or the meat will curl and go tough. As for the title of ugliest fish in the world: strong contender, delicious loser.
More sea monsters: very fresh sushi and surströmming.
From the 2007 original
I spotted this rather scary looking Monkfish at a local fishmarket in Portimao, Portugal.
Could it be the ugliest fish in the World?
