blowfish (or pufferfish), the English names for numerous species of fish in the families Lagocephalidae and Tetraodontidae (but for the latter see also triggerfish). All have hugely inflatable stomachs, and powerful beaks which can bite through a crab shell or a fishing line. Many are edible, subject to the stringent precautions which apply to some of them, especially the Japanese fugu, which is the best known. Others which are eaten include Sphoeroides maculatus, found in W. Atlantic waters as far north as Long Island, also known as northern swellfish and marketed as ‘sea squab’. Zachary (1969) provides fuller advice than other authors on how to prepare and cook this delicacy.
