How would you like your record-breaking, 6ft, 9 stone monkfish? Stuffed, please

A RECORD breaking monkfish with an enormous fanged-mouth big enough to swallow a person is to be stuffed — not for dinner, but for display.

The beast from the deep has been saved from the pan and is in deep freeze while plans are finalised to put it on show in the Natural History Museum.

The female was caught by David Sharkey, skipper of the Clogherhead, Co Louth-based Rose of Sharon trawler, on the Labadie Bank, 80 miles south of Cork Harbour last Thursday.

Gutted, it tipped the scales at 55.5kg (nine stone) but fisheries officers in Howth confirmed its total live weight at 68kg.

It is believed the 1.86 metre (six feet) specimen has set a new Irish and British record, smashing a 25-year record set in 1985 when an angler caught a 43kg monkfish in Belfast Lough. However, it is somewhat smaller than the 99.4kg European record which was caught in February by a Norwegian trawler. It was bought for €400 by well-known Dublin fishermongers, Doran’s of Howth, last Friday.

Owner Seán Doran said they had planned to fillet it for the Quay West seafood restaurant in Howth but felt it was “of too much scientific importance to be simply sold off”, he said.

“We’re celebrating 50 years in business next year and this is the biggest monkfish I’ve ever seen. It’s six-foot long and in the freezer at the moment.”

Mr Doran contacted with the Natural History Museum who have now agreed to find a specialist taxidermist to preserve it for display in the museum.

Its age will be established during this process by examining bones in its head.

Monkfish can grow to a length of more than 1.5 metres (five feet) but the most common specimens are about one metre (three feet).

Thy have a strongly flattened body with a large head and an enormous, tooth-filled mouth. Their eyes are protected by horny protuberances with a “fishing lure” located behind the upper lip.

They are bottom-dwelling fish, living in sand, mud, and broken shell bottoms, in depths up to 800 metres (2,300 ft).

They are voracious predators and eat prey nearly one-half times their size.

There are also reports of them capturing waterbirds on the surface.

They are sometimes known as ‘all mouth’ since the fish is mostly head and the head is mostly mouth.

This large, extremely ugly fish is low fat and firm textured, and has a mild, sweet flavour that has been compared to lobster.

The only edible portion of this impressive fish is the tail, which is suitable for almost any method of cooking.