The ugliest fish in New Zealand waters. And it knows it. The body is a massive, flattened, gelatinous blob tapering to a skinny, muscular tail. The head is enormous. It has a huge, downturned mouth full of needle-like teeth. The eyes sit on top of the head pointing upward. This gives a permanent look of surprised horror. This is because monkfish spend their entire lives looking up. They wait for dinner to swim overhead. Living mines. Monkfish bury themselves in the sand with a single violent wriggle. They leave only their eyes and a small fleshy lure on top of the head exposed. The lure is a worm-like appendage. They wiggle it to attract curious fish. When the victim gets close, the monkfish opens its mouth. It creates a vacuum so powerful that it can swallow a fish whole from several centimetres away. They will eat anything that fits. Fish, squid, crabs, even small sharks. The tail is the prize. While the head and body are a rubbery, unappetising mess, the tail contains two solid, white, boneless loins. These look and cook like lobster or scallops. This is the part that ends up in fancy restaurants. It is often mislabelled as something more glamorous. To eat monkfish is to eat the hidden gem. It is the ugly duckling that turns into a golden, buttery, seafood feast when you know where to cut. The fish makes chefs excited and home cooks nervous. It looks like a disaster on the outside but tastes like a triumph on the inside. In Māori tradition, the Monkfish did not have a distinct name. This is likely because it lives in deeper water. It was rarely encountered by traditional fishermen. European settlers called it the stargazer. This was for those creepy, upward-pointing eyes. Today it remains the fish that makes chefs excited and home cooks nervous. It is the one that looks like a disaster on the outside. But it tastes like a triumph on the inside.