It took a forklift and seven men to lift this 2m-long Queensland grouper, which was caught near Pedra Branca. Seafood restaurant owner Johnny Tan forked out more than $6,000 for the fish. -- PHOTO: SHIN MIN DAILY NEWS
A 2M-LONG Queensland grouper weighing 270kg has been caught by fishermen off Singapore's eastern-most point.
It took a forklift and seven men to lift the beast into the kitchen, and more than 10 hours of cleaning before Mr Johnny Tan, 52, owner of seafood restaurant Grouper King, could serve the giant to customers yesterday.
Mr Tan told The Straits Times that he received a call from fishermen, who caught the fish near Pedra Branca, at about 1am on Tuesday and went down to the Senoko fishing port personally to witness their catch.
He said it was the biggest grouper he had seen in his 20 years in the business, adding: "I was shocked to hear that such a big fish could be caught so close to Singapore.
"They're usually closer to Indonesia and I wanted to see it for myself."
He said the "good" parts of the fish, such as the head and the throat, were snapped up by customers almost immediately.
He added that the rest of the fish is enough to feed at least 700 customers, and is going for about $90 a kg.
"I won't have problems selling the fish, as almost all its parts are edible and we can even make dessert with it," said Mr Tan, who paid more than $6,000 for the catch.
"Even the groupers that weigh 100kg are rare. How could I not jump at this one?"
STACEY CHIA