It amazes me how cheap the fish is in Chinatown. This week I got two mystery snappers and two big squid hoods for $7.50. Some of the shops are fresher than others, so you have to practice your freshness tests to find a reliable one, looking at the eyes, the scales and so on to make sure that the fish is in good shape. The easiest way I think to know which shops are good is to follow the old Chinese ladies. They've been buying fish here for decades, and don't settle for anything less than the best. So I go to the same shops as they do. They seem to avoid the clutter there on Canal street and stick to the shops on Mott, north of Canal. There are a couple on Grand and Chrystie that I like a lot too - bit brighter and easier to poke around than the Mott street bunch.
So I got the mystery snappers home and made up a stuffing for them. I cooked up a little onion til it was soft, threw in some breadcrumbs and then mixed in chopped black olives, pine nuts, lemon zest, raisins, chopped parsley and rosemary and capers. Whatever didn't fit just went on top. The fish was doused in a bit of salt and lemon juice, and roasted for about 20 minutes at 350F.
If you're looking to identify a fish, of any kind, you can give
this site a try. It's very comprehensive, to the point of being seriously overwhelming.
Here's where I found what I think the mystery fish was: a yellow lined snapper. I think somewhere there must be a great 'How to identify fish in Chinatown' site somewhere. I must have a rummage.
