Now it's official: Zaharon Hador, delicious and strictly kosher.

Among our many guests in the Mediterranean Sea and on the beaches of Haifa in particular, in the last two years, and even more so, a fish - which we have mentioned here many times - "Zahron Hador" has joined. Which, as his name is, is beautiful and magnificent. But the harun has another feature, which is more relevant to the fish food lovers among us, the harun is considered a very tasty fish to eat, whose soft flesh melts in the mouth and is a real delicacy, especially if we add the right sauce to it (recipe later in the article).

To her and a thorn in her

As you remember, the modern haharon is a beautiful looking invasive species and now you also know - delicious! But to her and a thorn in her. Did we say thorn? more than one. How many spines carry venom that decomposes in the heat.

12 cm of spines full of venom

This is where the serious problem arises... to clarify: the hazron may not be as deadly as the habanon (for example) which is capable of killing. But the fact that he doesn't kill, doesn't mean that he doesn't hurt his victim badly.

Due to it being a migrant, Mediterranean fishermen will not always know the hahron, usually it will be more familiar to divers. The innocent fisherman who lands on his rod such a fish, which looks fat and beautiful, has scales and a fin, will think to himself, why not eat it? But first of all, it is very useful to know how to handle a fish whose spines are about 12 cm long and are full of venom.

Beware of the poison

Personally, I would recommend cutting the wire and staying away from it, because in order to clean it, you must first carefully cut off the thorns and make sure to put them away from the reach of humans or animals.

Now is also perhaps the time to mention that in order to treat a sea creature's venom injury, the first thing is to immerse the affected area in hot water, to break down the protein of which the venom is composed. The heat will break down the protein and thus reduce the pain. It works great in the Zaharon bite, less effective in the Havanon strike.

Where is it written?

After it was already clear that the hazron fish is already in our Mediterranean and is here to stay, the age-old debate began - is it kosher to eat or not? According to the known signs - fin and scales, many claimed that it was. But who is the determiner? Who will put the stamp?

Now it's official

Dr. Oren Sonin from the Marine Division of the Ministry of Agriculture took action and turned to religious authorities to get official approval for the hazharon's kosher. According to Sonin, the process took about two years, and lo and behold, in the last few days the long-awaited approval came and now we can bless the finished product. From now on they say: Hazharon fish - Kosher L'mehadrin!

capture Zaharon and remain intact

So now, with the kosher question removed, all that remains is to capture him and remain intact.
Fishermen have caught dangerous fish (they are also venomous fish) since time immemorial, the sting of dangerous fish is very painful, but the sting of the haharon is even more painful and even for a longer period of time, and yes, it can also cause serious side effects. Therefore, despite its kosherness and great taste, what is all this worth if it is dangerous to get hold of it? So for the fishermen among you, you should know the risks and decide what to do accordingly. It is important to emphasize that even a dead fish can sting badly, as long as the venom has not been decomposed.

Zaharoni in sauce

In any case, if you've already mastered the fishing and cleaning stage and if you're already a pro and have caught a few zahrons, I recommend you a sauce for a wonderful zahron stew that's very much worth trying.

First we will fry

First of all, deep fry the fish and then pour the sauce over it. Here is the recipe:
A third of a package of butter, half of crushed garlic, a package of chopped dill, a whole squeezed lemon, a glass of Kiddush wine, also known as "Patishim wine".

tasty!

Heat all the ingredients in a pot over low heat while stirring, until the butter melts. Cover the pot with absorbent paper for five to ten minutes and pour over the fried fish.
And you will have an appetite.

What awaits us?

So what will our fishermen see in the future?
Well, due to the warming of our planet, we will see more and more new fish in Israel, some are edible and some are not.

Already today there are marine-finish species that are found here and they are edible and kosher, we will certainly tell more about them later.

For every trouble…

Due to the speed of the spread of invasive species in the Mediterranean Sea, some of which are known to be poisonous, it would be good if fishermen had a thermos with hot water in their bag, just in case, and do not rely on the myth that urine will help treat a bite, since the protein decomposition temperature of which the venom is composed is above 40 degrees , so urine won't help here.

Are you hurt? Seek medical attention

We should also point out that the zahroon fish is not protected in the Mediterranean Sea, and lastly and importantly, according to the recommendation of the National Institute for Information on Poisoning, which is an authoritative body when it comes to injuries from venom and toxins - any zahroon injury requires a visit to a hospital.

Have a nice and tasty weekend to all of you!