Luderick sounds like a character from Blackadder. Here in Australia it's often called blackfish. You don't see it in fish markets very often. It's not a species that's fished commercially. It lives in estuaries and bays and mostly eats seaweed. Occasionally worms. My grandfather used to fish for this down the road from his home in Sydney's Drummoyne. I was surprised to see our local fishmonger have this on his blackboard this morning. My guess is that a local fisherman caught more than he needed and sold them to the fish shop. Anyway, it's a great fish to cook simply like this. The fish was marinated for a half hour in a mix of light soy, palm sugar, fish sauce and tamarind water. Then patted dry inside and out before being deep fried in a wok of peanut oil. The oil was almost smoking. This ensured that the skin crisped up and the flesh virtually steamed inside. A squeeze of lime juice and a sprinkle of chopped saw-tooth coriander (culantro in Mexico, where it's also used). A salad of watercress with an Asian dressing. A crisp young riesling. Heaven.
WHOLE FISH WITH SAW-TOOTH CORIANDER
Forgot to mention. Other species that would work well with this treatment are bream and small snapper
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