Ratfish or frogfish

With the scientific name Uranoscopus scaber, its name alludes to its appearance, which for some is not very graceful. It has a thick and flat body, with a kind of large and square head, and with a vertical mouth directed upwards. It is related to spiders and like them it has spines on each side of its body which, fortunately, are not poisonous. In the Maó area it is known as saltabardissa or salsaverdissa.

Its white and firm meat has an exquisite taste and is not usually missing in fish stews, soups and boiled fish.

It lives in sandy areas and muddy bottoms, between twenty and one hundred meters, and is fished by trolling. It lives buried in the sand and has a very strong spine on the upper part of the operculum that can do a lot of damage. It has an electric organ behind its head.