Local names:
Malay: Kerapu merah
Cantonese: Fa meen sing baan
Hokkien/Teochew: Ang gau
Mandarin: 花面星斑
Most red groupers are known as star groupers in Cantonese and Mandarin as the many spots are said to resemble the numerous stars in the night sky. Fa meen sing baan translates to striped face star grouper in reference to the many blue stripes on this fish's face.
Fisheries information:
Countries of origin: Indonesia, Malaysia
Fishing methods: Hook and line (Indonesia and Malaysia)
Culinary usage:
Steamed, Soups, Fried, Asam pedas/Gulais
Groupers are particularly revered in Cantonese cuisine and are the top fish of choice for Cantonese/HK steamed fish. This species is not as highly revered as the other red groupers but is still considered to be a good eating fish. In our opinion, it is just as tasty as the others.
When table-sized they are steamed whole. For larger-sized groupers, the fish is either butterflied or filleted before steaming. The fillets can also be sliced to be used in sliced fish soup. Groupers have plenty of collagen and the bones and head are used to make soup.
They can also be served fried. In Malay cuisine, groupers are often cooked in asam pedas or other gulais.
How to identify:
Bright red grouper. Has distinctive bold blue stripes on the face with blue spots and dashes on the body. The tail has a crescent-shape compared to the more truncate or rounded tail shapes of other red groupers.
The spots and dashes on the body are more obvious on some individuals.
Highfin coral groupers with some leopard coral groupers (Plectropomus leopardus). Note the very obvious differences in patterning.