Fish possess many culinary and health benefits, but overfishing has made them expensive and not always sustainable to consume. We need to move away from eating species like tuna, cod, and plaice, and learn to eat species that are not endangered and can be fished sustainably. This could include squid, line-caught mussels, Pacific oysters, herring, mackerel, ling, greater weever, and many more lesser-known species.
The greater weever is a very affordable fish relative to its quality. It is low on the food chain, so it is not filled with heavy metals and other harmful substances, and it has very firm flesh. The innards are located right at the front, so there is a lot of fine fish meat for the price. Help fishermen with bycatch of the greater weever, and do something good for yourself and your family with a very affordable feast.
There are two species of greater weever – a large and common one up to 40 cm (Trachinus draco), which is the one I acquired, and a smaller weever reaching 30 cm (Trachinus vipera), mostly found in the North Sea. Greater weevers reside along coasts from the Mediterranean to southern Norway, and the Danish population has grown in recent years due to warmer waters resulting from climate change. In Denmark, they are fished both in the Kattegat and Skagerrak.
In Denmark, we know the greater weever mainly as the “viper of the sea” because it has venomous spines in its fins, which can prick you, located on the back and on the gill covers. This makes it difficult to handle for both commercial and recreational fishermen.
It seeks its food on the sandy bottom at night in the form of shrimp and small crustaceans and often remains still on the sandy bottom during the day, where it can be difficult for birds and other predators to spot. It especially likes to stay in shallow, warm water during the summer, which can be a nuisance for swimming summer guests who risk stepping on its venomous dorsal spines. I have not experienced it, but reportedly, the greater weever’s sting is comparable to a wasp sting. It stings and hurts and can cause inflammation, and in case of allergic reactions, even cramps. In such cases, one should seek medical attention.
The flesh of the greater weever is tasty and especially delicious here in early spring when it prepares for spawning with roe and milt. There is no minimum size for greater weevers. The small ones can be grilled whole or cut into pieces for a fish soup; the larger ones can be filleted like other fish, but I prefer them whole if I can get them.
I acquired six freshly caught greater weevers and immediately clipped off the venomous fins with kitchen scissors before clipping off the rest of the dorsal and pectoral fins and cleaning them of innards.
They are quite easy to clean, as the anal vent is located right in front of the pectoral fin, which stretches from the tail almost all the way to the head. After clipping off the fins, I opened the fish from the anal vent to the gills and pulled out the innards with my fish tweezers. Then I scraped slime and scales off the fish, making it ready for the grill.
One fish per person is suitable. I froze them until they are to be grilled in the summer. In the spring season, they contain roe and milt. I left that in the belly so they can be eaten with them when I grill them.
Here are the kitchen tools I used for cleaning and preparation.
