Grouper Part 2 : DNA Test Results

At six, we told you about the popularity of grouper. The white flaky fish is a favorite on the Gulf Coast. But if you go to a restaurant or fish market and order grouper, are you sure that's what you're getting? News 5 DNA tested grouper and our results are back.

As we suspected, something fishy is going on! News 5 DNA tested grouper from ten different restaurants and markets and we could only confirm one was the real deal? Maria's Fresh Seafood Market in Pensacola. General Manager Ray Boyer was pleased! "You wouldn't expect out of ten places you would check that we would be the only ones. I would expect somebody else to come back at least. I'm happy to hear that." The owners of the other places are not so happy.

We bought a broiled grouper entre at Roussos Seafood Restaurant in Malbis and a grilled grouper entr?e at Hall's Seafood Restaurant in Pensacola. Roussos came back as snapper. The owners immediately wanted to see what we bought. "I wanted to see your video because I could not believe you got snapper." John Roussos says it looked like grouper. His best guess is that there must have been a mix-up in shipping. "Somebody is labeling a fish one thing and sending something else that's the only thing that can come to my mind." Roussos changed suppliers since our results and welcome D-N-A testing at their Eastern Shore restaurant anytime.

The entr?e from Hall's Restaurant came back as red snapper. General Manager Hadi Navidi said that must have been a mistake. "But red snapper is more expensive than grouper! So, if it was done, it wasn't intentional. It wasn't done because of the substituting one fish for another one. It was either an error in cook crew or a server." He says they have come up with a method to make sure the mix up doesn't happen again!

We also DNA tested a grouper sandwich from the Giggling Grouper Restaurant in Orange Beach and a grouper po-boy from the BlueGill Restaurant on the Causeway. Both of these samples came back as emperor fish. That's a fish that swims with grouper in Indonesia and Australia. The owners of the Giggling Grouper told me they had no comment and the restaurant has temporarily closed because of an issue with the lease. The owner of BlueGill saw me after I purchased the grouper po-boy and emailed a letter before our test results even came back!

Owner Harry Johnson said, "I mentioned your story on grouper to my kitchen manager. He informed me that our house grouper would not pass a DNA. test. The person that made these changes to the grouper item is no longer employed by the BlueGill." Johnson declined our offer for an interview but let us shoot video of the changes he made on the menu. The word grouper is gone.

We also bought what was advertised as a grouper fillet at Spring Hill Seafood market on Spring Hill Avenue. Our DNA results show it was marlin! The manager wouldn't talk on camera but showed us the box labeled grouper. He says he has no way of knowing that it might be something else.

We went to Wings Sports Grille in Mobile and bought a fish sandwich. Grouper was not listed on the menu but the waitress told me it was grouper. We also bought a grouper entre at the Original Oyster House in Gulf Shores and a fresh catch grouper lunch at Felix's Fish Camp on the Causeway. All three of these samples DNA tested as Asian catfish.

Wings owner Bob Baumhower says they took the word grouper off the menu about a year ago. Now, they list another imported fish called basa on their menu board. "I think if you go to all our restaurants you'll see the menu board there the first thing it says is basa. If we're training our people right, they shouldn't still be saying grouper." He says the staff is being reminded that grouper is no longer being served.

No one from Felix's Fish Camp would talk on camera but their attorney told us their grouper comes in a box labeled white fish. He added that their customers love their grouper... even though what we DNA tested was Asian catfish.

Now to the Original Oyster House in Gulf Shores. Owner David Dekle agreed to talk about our DNA testing. "You would be upset because you've caught somebody in something that looks obviously wrong. It never fazed me all this time we had this product because we never knew it was anything else. It was an awesome product." Dekle admits he changed suppliers right after we called and told him our DNA results show his grouper DNA tested as Asian catfish. "Hopefully, we can get a good supply of grouper and call it what it is cause I don't want to have to get into grilling white fish."

So, how's that for a fish tale? We tested ten grouper samples and found six different kinds of fish!

The tenth grouper sample was from Mudbugs Seafood market in Mobile. The lab couldn't tell us what it was so it could be grouper but we have no way of knowing. We also contacted Jubilee Seafood in Bayou La Batre. They supply three of the places we tested. The plant manager changed his mind about an on camera interview but did say that all of his products get a federal stamp before he gets them so it's not his fault.