Monkfish

Gill-net or trawl, Atlantic, US

If you can't make it to Nantucket for a seaside lobster roll, here is your opportunity to save money and experience the next best thing: monkfish "lobster" rolls. OK, you can prepare your monkfish anyway you want to. It is good in risotto, stews, braised, or bacon-wrapped and baked.

Once widely considered a "trash" fish, monkfish looks positively prehistoric. Its huge, gaping mouth and hideous teeth are complemented by an odd-looking, dangling apparatus on its head that some say looks like a fishing pole and bait. Its tail though is "seafood gold," with a texture and density similar to that of lobster. Seafood Watch rates it a "Good Alternative." Low mercury level.

-- Crispy Monkfish with Capers (Daniel Boulud / Food and Wine)

-- Roasted Monkfish with Melted Leeks (Thomas Keller / Ad Hoc At Home)