# Are barracude edible?



## mredman1 (Feb 4, 2007)

*Are barracuda edible?*

I caught a 44-inch barracuda last week trolling and decided to clean it for a possible meal. The flesh is significantly "whiter" than king mackerel. The reputation of the barracuda is somewhat tainted because in tropical areas the diet of the barracuda can lead to poisoned flesh (ciguatera).

Of course, there are better fish to eat in the gulf but has anyone tried barracuda?

Mike


----------



## Blue Water Ho (May 21, 2004)

From everything I have ever heard I wont eat it. Though some will say its fine to eat if it is a smaller one, something to do with Mercury I belive. Good question, better safe than sorry.


----------



## BEER4BAIT (Jun 24, 2005)

eat it or I will they are great only the slime stinks not the meat. I save them for food and I had some last week. Got one more pack from a 4 foot long cuda


----------



## dallasrick (Jan 5, 2005)

I have heard that the ones that live and eat mainly around coral reefs are the ones to worry about, the get a poison in their system that origanally is generated by the coral, the smaller fish eat the coral, and are in turn eaten by the cudas. You cant freeze, cook, boil broil or microwave the stuff to kill it, and at times it will stay in your body for years before causing some severe problems, IE tooth and hail loss, intestional tract problems and more. Have heard the ones around here are OK to eat, but I aint about to try it, got a lot better table faire comming out of the gulf than those slimy critters.


----------



## mredman1 (Feb 4, 2007)

*Mercury levels*

According to a 2006 Oceana report, King Mackerel had the highest mercury content (3.76 ppm). Barracuda and ling were 1.66 ppm and 1.64 ppm respectively.

Mike

See article
http://www.pewtrusts.org/pdf/Oceana_Rodeoreport0206.pdf?wt.mc_id=nj


----------



## BEER4BAIT (Jun 24, 2005)

cigura toxin


----------



## CoastalOutfitters (Aug 20, 2004)

Ciguatera

http://www.emedicine.com/emerg/topic100.htm


----------



## wacker (Mar 22, 2006)

BEER4BAIT said:


> eat it or I will they are great only the slime stinks not the meat. I save them for food and I had some last week. Got one more pack from a 4 foot long cuda


Dude, If you need fish that bad let me know id rather give you mine than see ya going down like that, It just ain't worth the risk. Horrable poison right there.


----------



## mredman1 (Feb 4, 2007)

There has been one confirmed case of ciguatera poisoning in Texas, which occurred in 1998. The people who experienced symptoms ate more than one species of fish at the meal, which included barracuda (all recovered short term). It is possilble that migratory fish could injest high levels of the bacteria that cause ciguatera in tropical areas and then be caught in areas of the northern gulf. However, in Texas we have several fish that migrate from warmer waters.


----------



## wacker (Mar 22, 2006)

FYI, The northen most coral reef is in Texas, The flower gardens. and didn't someone get it from a grouper there this year?


----------



## BEER4BAIT (Jun 24, 2005)

More die from cars than from eating texas fish. I catch a LOT of fish I target grouper AJs and 4 snapper types but I do not throw away good meat like trigger cuda tripletail filefish and blue fish


----------



## Pktdeace (Apr 13, 2006)

Keeping cudas??? Why????


----------



## going_east (Aug 11, 2005)

Your probably better off bleeding out a little tuny in icy slushy sea water in your cooler than eating a Cuda, I've never had cuda but it can't be as slimy as an escolar, put that fish on the grill and you think your flipping oily hamburger patties, it tasted pretty darn good, very unique taste, untiled it settled in my stomach never again.


----------



## Seahuntress (May 1, 2006)

*Only The Very Small Ones.*

It should be Ok to eat the *very small ones. * We spear the little ones for grilling.


----------



## wacker (Mar 22, 2006)

going_east said:


> Your probably better off bleeding out a little tuny in icy slushy sea water in your cooler than eating a Cuda, I've never had cuda but it can't be as slimy as an escolar, put that fish on the grill and you think your flipping oily hamburger patties, it tasted pretty darn good, very unique taste, untiled it settled in my stomach never again.


Was that a little rough on the man flower? the nick name for escolar is ex-lax fish.


----------



## wacker (Mar 22, 2006)

BEER4BAIT said:


> More die from cars than from eating texas fish. I catch a LOT of fish I target grouper AJs and 4 snapper types but I do not throw away good meat like trigger cuda tripletail filefish and blue fish


How the heck eats cars????????


----------



## Snake (Aug 5, 2005)

have you ever watched survior man?

of course their edible


----------



## ReefDonkey (Jul 1, 2004)

Just for the record....I don't care what anyone says....Nothing goes in my mouth that smells as bad as a Cuda! Nothing!!


----------



## Solocast (Jun 13, 2007)

I spent 6 yrs in the USVI and know someone that suffered through a case of bad cuda ingestion. Personally, I'd rather toss back a cup of sour, luke warm mayonaisse.


----------



## BeeGee (May 21, 2004)

*Yup...target the smaller ones*

It is OK to eat cuda and in fact makes pretty good table fare.
Target smaller ones only...44 inches isn't a size I would risk!

Have eaten the smaller ones they and they are delicious!


----------



## Gary Long (Jun 16, 2007)

*Cuda*

I ate a couple when I was on vacation in Belize. The fishing guide gut the liver open and got a very small amount of the bile like stuff on his finger and barely dabbed it on his tongue. He advised me that if your tongue gets a kinda numb sensation (he said like Coca), don't eat it. 

It sounded kinda "Crocadile Dundee" to me but when I brought the fish to my hotel restaurant, the kitchen manager asked me if the fishing guide "tested" it. When I told him he had, he said he would cook it.

It tasted absolutely great to me!


Another time when I was in Cozumel, they (fishing guides) adivsed me you can run your hands against the scales, and if they flake off, then don't eat it. 


So, I have eaten and enjoyed it on several occation and I have had the big ones 4+ feet.


Just my experiences but take it at face value b/c I nor the fishing guides were biologists.


-Gary


----------



## Seahuntress (May 1, 2006)

Interesting I've never heard that!


----------



## Feelin' Green (Mar 8, 2006)

when the other fishies aren't biting, or you've got some first timers, cudas are a blast to catch. Like has been stated before, keep the smaller ones <10# and the likelihood of ciguatera is virtually zero. The meat is nice and white, it is almost cottony, but very good on the grill and we fried some up as well and it was dern good. heckuva lot better than a slimy ol' kingfish. But, they're obviously not near the top of the list when there are so many other pelagics that are o-so-tasty.


----------



## Tiny (Dec 19, 2006)

cuda is gooda in mya booka.... white flesh with virtually no fish taste, when fried, and I mean .... don't taste like fish....


----------



## BEER4BAIT (Jun 24, 2005)

right the smell is the slime and can be rinsed. The meat is fine flaky white I could prolly put it out on a plate with snapper and cuda would run out first if I did not tell them what it was. They are not just edible they are good, better than king and shark. We don't target them but will throw them in the box when we get bit.


----------



## Mustake (Jun 4, 2007)

Knowing that they can carry this poison, I wouldn't risk it.


----------



## mredman1 (Feb 4, 2007)

*Carrying poison*

Snapper, grouper and amberjack have also been documented to carry ciguatera. However, the incidence in Texan offshore waters is extremely low.


----------



## Rockport Russ (Oct 11, 2006)

I tried a barracuda once. She chased me around the office for months after that. It was a regular fatal attraction.

Uncle Russ


----------



## Pocketfisherman (May 30, 2005)

I would not eat one much over 10 lbs. The bigger they are, the greater likelihood they have accumulated toxins from eating reef fish with weed on toxic corals. Smaller ones have not had a chance to accumulate the toxin. I don't know if they migrate much, but I feel pretty safe with smaller ones caught inside 50 miles. They are delicious.


----------



## Ernest (May 21, 2004)

Great eating. I would not eat one from the Flower Gardens, but most other spots, simply great. Whole different league than Kings. Some would suggest better than snapper, although thats so subjective.


----------



## rf1970 (Jun 6, 2006)

Dont Eat It. Not Worth It>


----------

