Banded Morwong

When Caught

Year round. The banded morwong fishery closes in Tasmania during March and April.

Important Features

Wild/Farmed: Wild
Habitat: Saltwater, Found in shallow to moderately deep water on reefs or adjacent to rocky bottoms, where they feed at night
Recovery Rate: Fillets (skin on, wing off): 34 38% from whole morwong (gut in)

Banded Morwong Research

FRDC provides a comprehensive search of the latest research papers and images on Banded Morwong

Remarks

Banded morwong is sent live from Tasmania to Asian restaurants in Sydney and Melbourne.

Imports

New Zealand:: mainly jackass morwong chilled and frozen, whole and fillets

Common Size

40-55cm

Overseas Names

USA: banded morwong; GB: red moki; USA: red moki

Grading

Grading can vary by supplier and region. An example of a grading system for whole morwong is presented below.

Banded Morwong (Cheilodactylus spectabilis)

Photograph by CSIRO

Nutrition Facts

per 100g of raw product

Kilojoules	475 (113 calories)
Cholesterol	19mg
Sodium	98mg
Total fat (oil)	0.7g
Saturated fat	38% of total fat
Monounsaturated fat	21% of total fat
Polyunsaturated fat	41% of total fat
Omega-3, EPA	25mg
Omega-3, DHA	99mg
Omega-6, AA	32mg

Cooking Ideas

Bake	Boil	Deep Fry
Grill/barbecue	Poach	Raw
Roe	Roe & Milk	Salted
Shallow Fry	Smoke	Steam/microwave

Note: Cooking Ideas identified by dark bold text are relevant to this species

Morwongs have creamy flesh with a distinctive flavour and they are ideally suited to frying, baking, steaming or barbecuing whole (gilled and gutted).

The size of these species makes them excellent for presentation especially if deep-fried whole and served with a coriander, chilli and lime dressing. Alternatively, wrap the finfish in foil and bake with lemon and fresh parsley, then douse with a warm vinaigrette of lemon, virgin olive oil and toasted sesame seeds. Score flesh on both sides before cooking to allow for even heat penetration.

Morwongs also marry well with the flavours of teriyaki, chilli, basil and coconut milk, when used in fragrant seafood curries.

Morwongs can be used in place of snapper or red emperor as an inexpensive centrepiece for a buffet.

Flavour: Medium, Distinctive flavour
Oiliness: Low to Medium
Moisture: Medium, can be dry
Texture: Medium to firm
Flesh Colour: Creamy pink
Thickness: Medium fillets
Bones: Best to remove rib and pin bones before serving
Price: Morwongs are generally medium-priced finfish, but banded morwong can be high priced when sold live. Grey morwong is higher priced than jackass morwong. Prices vary a little between states.

Suggested Wines

The distinctive flavour of morwong flesh allows the accompaniment of the more intensely flavoured, cool climate rieslings.

For the banded morwong recipe from Stuart Prosser of Prosser s On The Beach in Hobart (p. 310), young, zesty rieslings accentuate the flavourings, while cleansing the palate of any oiliness from the dressings.

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