Purple Goatfish

[pickalily]

Recently I went to Prague and one of the restaurants"Metamorphis" was serving purple goatfish.None of us was brave enough to try it. I have since looked it up and it is akin to red mullet quite rare but not endangered.Anyone ever tasted it and did I miss out ?

[Narolines]

Are you sure it was actually purple goatfish ( a pacific species)? I only ask because many of the goatfish family can appear purplish and might be thus advertised on a restaurant menu - especially when you consider the names of fish in various countries constitute a minefield of confusion, with the same name being used in diffent countries for entirely different fish. Having said that, the purple goatfish isn't particularly rare, just not often caught and sold. Here in Birmingham we get loads of Caribbean goatfish in the fish market, and very nice it is too - as you say, not unlike red mullet. If you've had red mullet, snapper or gilthead bream it's not a lot different.

I like Metamorphis - not the cheapest place in town, but good value considering where it's situated and very pleasant at this time of year to be able to eat outside and watch the world go by. Hope you had a good meal anyway, whatever you ordered!

[Narolines]

That should be "different countries" of course.....!

[lamb balti]

It actually said purple goatfish on Menu so I presume so.
Meal was lovely but we were downstairs with the piano man.It did warm up on the Friday but beginning of week I was wearing a wooly scarf.

[Narolines]

Really? It's usually pleasantly warm in the Spring - I've sat outside Metamorphis & other places in late March before now. Maybe the Czechs haven't been getting the warm weather we've had - or maybe "recently" was more than a couple of weeks ago! Haven't had the purple variety, but as I said, don't beat yourself up - you haven't missed anything if you've had other warm-water sea fish! I wonder if they're trying to outdo the Fish Market Restaurant just across the way....?

[pickalily]

So the "Fish Market " Restaurant was across the way?!
Never spotted it and we did search ...honest. (P.S. I keep accidently getting logged on as lamb balti -my son's user name-must remember to check)

[Narolines]

Yes - if you stand with your back to Metamorphis, facing along the Ungelt towards the Tyn Church and The Old Town Square, it's on your right. You can almost reach out and touch it from the Metamorphis terrace! In Czech it's called Rybi Trh, and I don't think it has the name up in English, so maybe you saw it and it didn't register. We had a wedding anniversary meal there a couple of years back - very expensive, but also extremely good food and upmarket service.

[pickalily]

Next time!