Species sheet · The Edible Ocean

Humphead wrasse

It listens to you with slightly suspicious patience.

Steamed with ginger and spring onion, Cantonese style
Filleted with a light soy sauce
In a clear broth

Humphead wrasse in its natural habitat, Umay image — *Cheilinus undulatus* · Umay image, generated from a reference photograph — Jean-Paul Boerekamps, CC0

Protected species

It is eaten in some cultures. It is also a protected species, and we have no wish to encourage that.

In French: Napoléon
Scientific name: Cheilinus undulatus
Status: Protected species
In the water: Indo-Pacific coral reefs, from the lagoon down to 100 metres, usually alone.
Season & buying: An endangered species listed on CITES Appendix II. Its trade is tightly controlled.
Common length: ~120 cm
How to identify it: Pronounced forehead hump in adults
Very thick fleshy lips
A maze of fine lines around the eyes

On the plate

White, firm flesh, served live in high-end restaurants across South East Asia.

Avoid: Buying it at all. Restaurant demand is exactly what emptied the reefs.

It is born female and some turn male around nine years old. It lives thirty years, breeds late, and one male rules a wide territory, which is three reasons fishing erases it so fast.