# stingray meat?



## Bustin Chops (Feb 3, 2008)

Someone on here just posted about wanting stingrays. I have caught many stingrays as most of us have. I have heard of people eating them but dont know of anyone who does. So would someone who knows what to do with one after you catch it, please tell me how to clean it and how it can be cooked? I might want to try something different. Is it good meat or mushy? Taste like fish or chicken?


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## kelly thomas (Jul 10, 2007)

http://www.corpusfishing.com/ray.htm


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## Trouthappy (Jun 12, 2008)

We racked up a bunch of stingrays with bows on Tampa Bay, and the guide cleaned them. He cuts off the wings, throws the rest away. It's easier to cut through the wings with sand underneath, or grass, than a fish-cleaning table. The cleaning table in the photo here is metal, but he made the first cut just to for the camera. He gave us some wings to cook, but they sat in my fridge for a week, we just couldn't cook them. Found a bunch of recipes online, but didn't try it. People eat stingray all over the world, apparently. I wrote a story about it and it will supposedly be in the January Florida Sportsman magazine.


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## matagorda_castaway (Apr 14, 2009)

we caught some in rockport one time and decided to try and cook em....first off, its friggin ridiculous slaughtering those things-- they bleed more than anything else in the sea i think! second, we tried "fileting" the wings, but theres a membrane or cartlidge or something between a top and bottom layer and its super hard to get the meat off.


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## FireEater (Jul 31, 2009)

When I do fish fries, everyone loves stingray and the meat feeds so many.

I take out the shoulders as that is where I have found the largest section of whole meat to be. I just fillet them out on both sides.

There is a tool and you can also make one out of a piece of stainless pipe that you use to make scallops from the wings.

HERE is an example of filleting the shoulders.

THIS LINK shows some of the meat that looks like string cheese. Though most of the shoulder meat is solid meat, the string meat is on the upper and outer part of the Ray.

There are several ways to clean them and lot's of videos on YouTube. I usually only keep the ones 3 to 4 foot across to eat, but it looks as though lot's are keeping smaller ones to eat.

One we took last year at the end of the Jetties.


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## CoastalOutfitters (Aug 20, 2004)

we used to scrape the skin with a knife top and bottom on the little dinner plate sized ones and then cut the wings off parallel to body, season and flour and fry and eat whole wings


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## aggiemulletboy (May 31, 2006)

I love eating rays. Save a few for shark bait, the others go into the pan. The rays that are round taste better than the others that are more angular such as cownose, IMO.


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## JohnAkaB (May 31, 2010)

Am I the only one looking at the wife in the first picture?


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## TxAdam (Jun 28, 2007)

Had a customer in here the other day talking about using ray wings as scallops. Had a punch that would cut those wings right out and look just like a scallop...said you could serve them to a crowd and no one would know the difference. I'm gonna have to try this sometime.


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## bud1971 (Aug 10, 2009)

What I have been doing lately and I have gotten fairly quick is this....

First rinse really good...they are SLIMY. I cut the wings off following the contour of the body. Next, I cut the outside edge off where it is too thin to eat.

Now you have to filet the skin off both sides. Also, they tend to be easier to filet if they are cold. Start at the thick portion and work your way towards the thinner end. When you have gotten approximately half way, put one hand over the meat that is exposed (to keep the skin from pulling it away) and you will be able to just pull the rest of the skin off.

As far as the cartilage in the middle, don't worry about it...it gets soft when you fry it. Cut it into bite size pieces. To cook, we coat with mustard, then cornmeal or fish fry product of your choice and fry. REALLY good stuff IMO.

Edit: I have also figured out a pretty safe way to get them in the boat and get the barb off. We net them, cut the line, stand back and put them in the cooler...the tail will usually be sticking out. Shut cooler somewhat, grab tail with pliers and pull out till you see barb and cut tail off.


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## HonkyFin (May 28, 2004)

soak stingray fillets in Buttermilk in a roasting pan overnight,,,next morning ,get up , throw out Buttermilk and Fillets and eat roasting pan.


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## That Robbie Guy (Aug 11, 2009)

Eat 'em. 

... but then again I am Korean. hahaha.


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## InfamousJ (May 21, 2004)

seriously


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## gordaflatsstalker (Jul 3, 2008)

I heard people say that they were good so one night while gigging flounder, I stuck a big ol' ray. It was one of the round ones. I've heard people say that they use the wings like scallops. So, I cleaned that thing, which wasn't too hard but a slight pain and cooked it. It smelled up my whole house. I figured I'd at least try it and it was terrible. Maybe I should have fried it? Either way, I will never try it again.


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## aggiemulletboy (May 31, 2006)

gordaflatsstalker said:


> I heard people say that they were good so one night while gigging flounder, I stuck a big ol' ray. It was one of the round ones. I've heard people say that they use the wings like scallops. So, I cleaned that thing, which wasn't too hard but a slight pain and cooked it. It smelled up my whole house. I figured I'd at least try it and it was terrible. Maybe I should have fried it? Either way, I will never try it again.


Not sure what you did wrong, but I've never had that happen with rays ranging from small to over 50 or 60 lbs. Firm, white meat, although its appearance is a bit different.


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## monkeyman1 (Dec 30, 2007)

tried them fried once...better use is for shark bait, imo.


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## FireEater (Jul 31, 2009)

That Robbie Guy said:


> ... but then again I am Korean. hahaha.





InfamousJ said:


> seriously


That is what he said.....Korean.


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## beenfishingyet (Aug 16, 2010)

Is thread fake.....its all about the girl in the pic right?


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## Lone-Star (Dec 19, 2009)

TxAdam said:


> Had a customer in here the other day talking about using ray wings as scallops. Had a punch that would cut those wings right out and look just like a scallop...said you could serve them to a crowd and no one would know the difference. I'm gonna have to try this sometime.


Urban (rural?) legend. Only someone who has never had scallops could be fooled by this. Stingray meat is tough and the texture is nothing like scallops. Not worth the effort.

Yet to meet someone who tells the "stingray used as scallops" story who has ever actually tried it. The people who have know the story is hogwash.


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## aggiemulletboy (May 31, 2006)

Lone-Star said:


> Stingray meat is tough and the texture is nothing like scallops.


So are poorly cooked scallops. Most stingray I've had isn't tough.


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## Trouthappy (Jun 12, 2008)

This stingray got hit in the *** but wound up in the skillet....


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## JohnAkaB (May 31, 2010)

niiiiiiiiiiiceeeee


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## King Ding-A-Ling (May 28, 2010)

JohnAkaB said:


> Am I the only one looking at the wife in the first picture?


that is a strapping young lady. congrats to the owner


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## piratelight (May 2, 2008)

there are so many better things to eat


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## piratelight (May 2, 2008)

than stingray


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## FireEater (Jul 31, 2009)

Name a few then.


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## HonkyFin (May 28, 2004)

hairpie !!


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## King Ding-A-Ling (May 28, 2010)

FireEater said:


> Name a few then.


vienna sausage sandwich


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## FireEater (Jul 31, 2009)

HonkyFin said:


> hairpie !!





King Ding-A-Ling said:


> vienna sausage sandwich


Not really sure I would have posted a sausage answer right after a hairpie answer......kinda looks gay. :an6:


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## King Ding-A-Ling (May 28, 2010)

FireEater said:


> Not really sure I would have posted a sausage answer right after a hairpie answer......kinda looks gay. :an6:


sure are a lot of gay references lately.

Here a gay, there a gay, every where a gay-gay. Ole Mc Donald loved some gays. He's my- He's my HOE


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## Porky (Nov 1, 2006)

OMG ! We are going to overfish them.
Let's micromanage them with size & bag limits ASAP !
Hardheads too ! :spineyes:


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## HonkyFin (May 28, 2004)

FireEater said:


> Not really sure I would have posted a sausage answer right after a hairpie answer......kinda looks gay. :an6:


Yep, I think "Open Faced Roast-Beef Sandwhich" woulda been a better collision of words.


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## ReelFun (Feb 20, 2005)

I lived in Lyon France few a few years in the 90's and Ray was often on the menu in some nice restaurants. I also had it once in Spain. It was absolutely delicious. They were small rays and you scraped the meat from the cartilage. I could not get enough of it. I have never tried it once i got back to the states - i am sure its is a similar animal here so should taste the same.


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## Hooked Up (May 23, 2004)

It eats good. Like anything else, it starts with how you handle it from the beginning. My family ate on and enjoyed this one for about a year.


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## poppadawg (Aug 10, 2007)

You ever notice some people will eat anything. And if they go to the touble of cleaning it and cooking it they will say it's good no matter how horrible it actually tastes. Just an observation. Never eaten stingray. Haven't eaten hardheads either. Or a shoe.
Ate hairpie a few times. you have to make sure it is cleaned properly as well, otherwise it will stink up the whole house


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## bubbas kenner (Sep 4, 2010)

poppadawg said:


> You ever notice some people will eat anything. And if they go to the touble of cleaning it and cooking it they will say it's good no matter how horrible it actually tastes. Just an observation. Never eaten stingray. Haven't eaten hardheads either. Or a shoe.
> Ate hairpie a few times. you have to make sure it is cleaned properly as well, otherwise it will stink up the whole house


well put its shark bait unless im starving to death.by the grace of God im not.


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## FireEater (Jul 31, 2009)

poppadawg said:


> You ever notice some people will eat anything.


Yea, kinda weird huh?



poppadawg said:


> Ate hairpie a few times. you have to make sure it is cleaned properly as well, otherwise it will stink up the whole house


This is the year 2010 and you people still have to eat hairpie? I'll stick to mine without the hair, so much nicer.


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## aggiemulletboy (May 31, 2006)

poppadawg said:


> You ever notice some people will eat anything. And if they go to the touble of cleaning it and cooking it they will say it's good no matter how horrible it actually tastes.


Ever notice how people shoot off their mouth without trying something? :slimer:

And hardhead tastes the same as channels or other cats, just for the record.


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## saltwatersensations (Aug 30, 2004)

And hardhead tastes the same as channels or other cats, just for the record.[/QUOTE]

x2 I didnt notice a difference.


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## danmanfish (Jun 17, 2010)

rays are great to eat... don't knock it till you try it.. and yes it will pass for scallops when done properly... not tough like some state... awesome sauteed with butter and lemon pepper..


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## great white fisherman (Jun 24, 2008)

Kind of like the story of using nylon rope as a lure and catching gar. There teeth is supposed to hand in the nylon rope. Never ever seen someone doing that, rays are not anything like a scallop sorry that is bull. A scallop is a scallop and a ray is a ray. Maybe they taste like chicken-LOL


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## poppadawg (Aug 10, 2007)

I have a queation for you guys that eat hardheads, have you ever caught, cleaned, and cooked anything that you thought tasted bad? If so what was it?


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## elpistolero45 (May 9, 2010)

JohnAkaB said:


> Am I the only one looking at the wife in the first picture?


I'm betting NOT!

But, that little girl is a QT 2!


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## V-Bottom (Jun 16, 2007)

Small rays, cut wings off, take that layer of cartilidge out of the center of the wings, U will have a top layer and bottom layer of meat. Think of a sandwich, as the cartilidge being the meat!!, Take piece of one inch pipe and punch some balls out of the meat. Cajun batter is good...try it.....u will like it...ONLY small rays tho..


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## aggiemulletboy (May 31, 2006)

poppadawg said:


> I have a queation for you guys that eat hardheads, have you ever caught, cleaned, and cooked anything that you thought tasted bad? If so what was it?


Certain ducks. Ladyfish (couldn't keep it together long enough to even try it). Poorly handled fish such as sharks (not caught by me). Not a huge fan of kingfish either. I'd put both ray and hardhead way above it. Apparently since you haven't even tried ray or hardhead, you should have no say in this topic.


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## poppadawg (Aug 10, 2007)

aggiemulletboy said:


> Certain ducks. Ladyfish (couldn't keep it together long enough to even try it). Poorly handled fish such as sharks (not caught by me). Not a huge fan of kingfish either. I'd put both ray and hardhead way above it. Apparently since you haven't even tried ray or hardhead, you should have no say in this topic.


Whoa there Jr, no reason to get your panties all bunched up. I was just curious. I have never heard of anyone actually targeting Hardheads to eat. I have been told Gar were good (they are not), Sharks make good table fare ( The don't have a uretha, so they pee thru their skin. Pee Pee marinade-tried it, and it sucks). Gaftop -Slimy and blood, some white meat- but not worth the disgusting mess.
So when someone tells me something is delicious and ten people say it is disgusting, I tend to question it.


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## monkeyman1 (Dec 30, 2007)

Poppa, you're a quack. Blacktop, if bled properly, is one of the best fish I've eaten. Gafftop is too...much better than speckled trout or redfish. I rarely keep gaffs because of the slime, but I have.


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## Capt. Hooky (May 24, 2010)

I have never eaten ray. I always just take them and use them for shark bait offshore!


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## monkeyman1 (Dec 30, 2007)

I tried ray, didn't like it...I keep them for the surf now.


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## poppadawg (Aug 10, 2007)

U knock yourself out Monkeyman. I'm just not a fan of urine soaked meats. Would you like a side of feces to go with that?


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## 032490 (Jul 25, 2007)

JohnAkaB said:


> Am I the only one looking at the wife in the first picture?


I noticed her too. She's hot!!!
Ken


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