Trevally-Karang

The trevally or karang is a deep-bodied fish, with a greenish patch on the upper half and silver underneath. Markings and size vary according to species. It is a fish that is fairly seasonal in the waters of the Seychelles and are salted when in abundance. Most trevally have firm and dense flesh with no overpowering flavour.

Small Bludger Trevally- Pti Karang Balo

There are many types of trevally that are fished around the islands, the most common being the Bludger or karang balo, which is the most prized as if has an oily and moist flesh. The Bludger is a large fish, growing to at least 90 cm in length and reaching a recorded maximum weight of 14.5 kg. It has an overall silver-green body as a juvenile, while adults have green-blue to olive green body above, becoming more silvery below.

The other types are less fatty and if overcooked tend to have a dry texture. These include the Yellow Spotted Trevally or Karang Plat, the Giant Trevally or Karang Ledan, the Bluefin Trevally or Karang Ver and the Golden Trevally or Karang Saser.

Yellow Spotted Trevally- Karang Plat

Yellow Spotted Trevally or Karang Plat, is distinguished by its distinctive golden spots which give the fish its name.It is a large fish, growing to at least 1.2 m in length and reaching a recorded maximum weight of 18 kg

Giant Trevally- Karang Ledan

The Giant Trevally or Karang Ledan is the largest member of the genus Caranx, with a recorded maximum length of 170 cm and a weight of 80 kg. Giant Trevally is a silvery-grey fish, with the head and upper body slightly darker in both sexes. The Giant Trevally is considered one of the top fly fishing game fish of the outlying islands especially around Alphonse and Farquar islands because of its has outstanding strength, speed and endurance once hooked.

Blue Fin Trevally- Karang Ver

Bluefin Trevally or Karang Ver is easily distinguishable by their electric and vibrant blue fins. This is a stunning fish to view underwater. The upper body is a brassy colour lightening down the body to a silvery white colour on the stomach. Black spots are found on the adults on the upper areas with the fish developing more spots as they age. The Bluefin Trevally is a large fish, growing to a maximum known length of 117 cm and a weight of 43.5 kg

Golden Trevally- Karang Saser

Golden Trevally or Karang Saser is a relatively large fish, growing to a maximum recorded size of 120 cm in length and 15.0 kg in weight. The Golden Trevally’s colour is the species most prominent distinguishing feature, and for which it acquired its common names. Juveniles are a bright golden yellow colour over their entire body and all fins, with 7 to 11 black vertical crossbars all over their body. These bars generally alternate between broad and narrow. The caudal fin lobes have dark tips and there is a prominent black edge to the operculum. As the fish grows, the body becomes more silver to silvery golden and the cross bars fade or disappear, often replaced by dark blotches. The fins remain yellow, often with greenish tinges. The dark edge of the operculum also fades with age.

Salted Trevally-Karang Sale

On the outlying islands, in days gone by, when the trevally was caught in big quantities, they were salted and taken to Mahé. The Karang Balo, because it is a very oily fish and its large size, was salted differently to the rest of the trevally. It underwent a process called press-piling. The karang is cut in rondin across the grain of the flesh. In culinary language this cut is called a ‘darne’. A darne is a cut generally relating to round fish that is cut directly across at 90 degrees across the backbone that includes the meat at both sides of the fish. This cut allows easier movement and distribution of moisture when pressed. The fish is salted and pressed because they would otherwise take longer to dehydrate if the process is not assisted. The surplus moisture, if not removed in time from the flesh, can cause the fish to rot. I will cover the technique of press-piling salted karang in a future post.

Buying and storing

Buy trevally with bright eyes that is firm without a harsh fishy aroma. Make sure whole fish is scaled, gilled, gutted and cleaned thoroughly. Lay whole fish or fillets in a single layer on a plate and cover with plastic wrap or place in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. The flesh softens quite a bit when thawed, so freezing is not recommended.

Preparing and cooking

Although in some countries the trevally is regarded as a poor table fish , in Seychelles they are all highly regarded. It depends a lot on how they are cooked.

It is recommended, that in order to obtain peak quality, to always bleed the karang immediately after capture. Some people like to remove the bloodline. I do not mind it although the texture is different to the other part of the fish. I guess it is an acquired taste. Some trevally have scales that can be removed with a fish scaler or a knife and some have tiny scales that almost impossible to remove and the best thing to do to peel the outer layer of the skin. Not an easy process for the uninitiated.

Trevally is ideal fish for fish cakes or boulet. They are also good cooked in curry or grilled with spices.

If you wish you can just cube the flesh and fry, and top it with an onion dressing and chilli sauce and eat it with plain rice and tomato salad. Trevally is also ideal for the daube or ladob, because the sauce keep the fish moist. If you want to make a letoufe then go for the the Karang balo.

The stomach or panse of the karang balo is also cooked. I must admit it is also an acquired taste but takes very good in a coconut curry or kary koko.

The flesh of all trevally is good for children to eat because it does not have small bones. All bones are quite big and are easily removed.

Some reminiscing!

As a young boy, growing on Praslin Island, I used to enjoy fried latet karang or fried trevally head, prepared by Danielle, a charming lady who used to assist us around the house. She would chop the head in pieces, wash them thoroughly, season with salt and cracked black pepper and fry the pieces in freshly made coconut oil. I would eat my fish head with freshly crushed bird’s eye chillies. The lips and cheeks were my favourite parts!