There are four commercially available varieties of the kingklip; red, golden, black, and south. All four varieties are similarly shaped, and on the outside differ mainly in the color of their skin. Unlike most eels which are round in cross-section, however, the Kingklip is moderately compressed. This soft-bodied fish is rather slimy to the touch.

Origin
Kingklip inhabit a depth range of 20 to 800 meters, being mainly found in waters between 300 m to 500 m off the coast. They are found in Chili, the southwest Pacific waters of New Zealand and temperate Australia. They inhabit a variety of substrates from rocky ground to soft sand and mud, in which they burrow. It is available year round.

To buy
Buyers should be aware that the more expensive red and golden varieties can be substituted with the cheaper black variety.

Black kingklip meat is lighter, larger, and firmer than the meat of its more expensive cousins.

Preparing
With its very elongate body tapering to a point at the tail, it grows to 1.6 m / 5.2 Ft in length making its tasty fillets usually quite long and free of bones. It has pink to white flesh which is firm and forms dense, large flakes when cooked. Excellent fried, baked, poached, steamed or grilled.