Heads Up

I'm embarrassed to note that it's been over a year since I've posted here. This is bad, since I've been feeding the homeless for over a year now and have come up with a lot of good recipes to feed large crowds on a budget. And given the economic circumstances, frugality will continue to influence my posts.

I generally recommend crimping for fish like salmon, but I always broil the fatty belly cuts; most people find the fatty texture unpalatable, moreover, broiling the fish produces a nicely browned and crispy skin.  There's another cut that's commonly broiled, though you seldom see it served anywhere outside a Japanese restaurant - the collar, or portion of the fish directly behind the gill (usually referred to as "kama"), which, when listed on the menu, generally retails a la carte at $7-8 a pop.

I was passing by the fish section of a neighborhood supermarket when someone came out with a tray of salmon fish heads, priced at $.75 a head. I promptly bought five of them, choosing the ones with the largest sections of collar behind the gill. I made fish head soup with two of them. (There are a couple of good blog posts about how to make salmon head soup Japanese style so I'm going to skip that and proceed to what I did with the remaining three fish heads.

Most people are generally very surprised when i tell them that one of the most tender pieces of a fish is the cheek. Some sushi chefs charge a premium for sushi/sashimi cut from the cheek area. Another delicacy is the eyeball, though not for the squeamish. Overall, there's a high fat content to be found in the head, so I decided to experiment and roast the head along with the collar section.

I have pictures posted on Facebook, which I've made public.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.3662559967726.165312.1386527020&type=3

Feel free to refer to them.

Check to see if there's a family resemblance (pic 1)

Dressing the head for broiling. It helps to have a good knife, preferably serrated (see pic 26)

The collar and gills are attached at the front. First disconnect the collar See pics 2-5

The gills are connected just above (pic 6)

Cut the membrane between the gill and the collar (pics 7-9)

Then disconnect the gills at the front (pic 10-11)

Remove the gills (you can leave them in, but it's like eating a used air filter. I'll pass.) pic 11.

The collar section to be removed from the head (pic 12)

Detach the two fins. (pic 13)

Remove the rest of the backbone by making an angular cut on both sides towards the front of the head, then cutting the back bone where it joins the head (pic 14 -16)

The head should then look like so: (pic 17)

Amuse yourself for a few minutes by playing with the fish head. If you're alone, you can just use your finger and pretend it's a tongue (pics 18-19) If someone else is home, you can work the jaw up and down and practice your bullwinkle imitation...

When you're done amusing yourself, then make a cut along the bottom revealing the inside (20-21)

Complete the severing of the head by cutting to either side of the extension of the spine (pic 22)

You now have another chance to amuse yourself by playing dueling fisheads: (pics 23-24)

Pat pieces dry and place skin side down on your grilling tray. (pic 25)

Sprinkle with salt and pepper (i used seasoning salt) (pic 27)

Broil in preheated oven for about 8 minutes.(you don't have to wear your won Secret Asian Men t-shirt, but I wish you'd buy one) (Pic 28) (and next time, remember to close the laundry curtain in the background)

Flip pieces and broil until skin becomes crispy, approximately 5 minutes. (pics 29-32)

Drizzle fish with a small amount of ponzu sauce and devour (pics 33-35). Be prepared to use your fingers and have wetnaps handy.

if you don't have ponzu (frankly, you should), ok. but even storebought ponzu typically pales in comparison with the ponzu you'll find in a sushi restaurant where the chef makes it himself. chefs are typically reluctant to share their recipes, but you can make your own and the following recipe i found online isn't bad:

http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/19/recipe-of-the-day-ponzu-sauce/

I found myself thinking, it'd be a waste to let the fish fat left on rack go to waste, so i trimmed the bottoms off a bunch of asparagus, topped it with a little minced bacon., and broiled that for about 5 minutes. It was pretty good. (pics 33-34)

So if you see salmon heads for sale, grab as many as you can, and enjoy.