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Fished St. Marks yesterday with a buddy and his son. My buddy caught a large ladyfish. His 15 year old son gasped when I unhooked it and returned it to the water. He didn't know which species of fish it was and when he asked he asked me why we didn't keep it, I told him they're not considered good table fare. When he asked why, the only answer I could give him is "that's what everyone says." So, why aren't ladyfish edible? Or maybe I should ask why aren't they good to eat? Almost anything is edible if you're hungry enough. I was once told the same thing about jacks, but they are just fine blackened and grilled.

They have a very mushy flesh and bones in the skin( one of the reasons it works great as cut bait). There is a recipe floating around this and other sites on how to make cakes out of them. Basically scrape the meat of fillets mix w crushed crackers and spices and fry in balls. Give it a try and let us know. But if you target lady fish, then they will suddenly be hard to catch

We tried to eat one once and it wasn't worth a flip. Just my .02 But they make great bait, a cut ladyfish belly with all the scales coming off in the water drives trout crazy!

I've heard they are really good with Possum

Even I wont eat Ladyfish.
Their flesh has the texture of jello.

Well, y'all talked me out of even trying it

I keep a few every year to make fish patties with...
read this thread
http://www.bigbendfishing.net/phpBB3/vi ... g+ladyfish

Interesting! Wonder how they would taste smoked?

bman wrote:I keep a few every year to make fish patties with...
read this thread
http://www.bigbendfishing.net/phpBB3/vi ... g+ladyfish

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spothogg wrote:Interesting! Wonder how they would taste smoked?

bman wrote:I keep a few every year to make fish patties with...
read this thread
http://www.bigbendfishing.net/phpBB3/vi ... g+ladyfish

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The meat is pretty mushy. You may be able to smoke them on the skin( the scales will get everywhere)... but if you want to try them, I’d do the fish cake recipe. Plenty of other (trash) fish to smoke blues, kings, Spanish, aj’s and mullet( not trash )

It seems like whenever something is associated with cakes it’s not good for much else lol! I love a good fish cake or crab cake myself don’t get me wrong, but let’s be real it’s not because the meat in them steals the show. And sometimes there is as much meat in them as there is pumpkin in a pumpkin pie for the same reason. If none of this makes sense consider this - the people I know who eat Blackfish make them in cakes or balls (balled up cakes).

As for possum the same people I know who eat Blackfish also eat possum and they gave me a free sample and I wouldn’t have known it from roast beef had I not already knew. I’be been wanting to try Blackfish just to say I have. I cleaned several for an old man once and it didn’t look to bad lol!

I AM SURPRISED, I THOUGHT EVERYONE KNEW THAT LADY FISH ARE SO FULL OF ALL KIND OF BONES, EVEN IN THE SKIN YOU CAN HARDLY CHEW THEM UP WITHOUT GETTING BONES IN YOUR LIPS, TOUNGE, ROOF OF YOUR MOUTH AND YOUR HANDS , LIKE OTHERS HAS SAID, THEY MAKE GOOD BAIT.
PA
SEMPER FI

If you fish some of the large public fishing piers west of here in the panhandle, you'll find families of SE Asian fisherman all year long who will walk the pier taking ladyfish off people's hands before they can throw them back.

I've tried everything not listed as toxic at least once, including gar, bowfin, hardhead catfish, lizardfish, stingray, golden shiners, carp, armadillo, mudminnows, yellowtail jacks, and ladyfish.

Ladyfish was not worth trying more than once.

I've had them in Carribbean style stews a couple of times. The spicy kind that uses all sorts of bony fish and heads.

Just as good as any other fish meat in that context, but it's all overcooked and infused with tomatoes and spices at that point.

GaryDroze wrote:I've tried everything not listed as toxic at least once, including gar, bowfin, hardhead catfish, lizardfish, stingray, golden shiners, carp, armadillo, mudminnows, yellowtail jacks, and ladyfish.

Ladyfish was not worth trying more than once.

Say what????? you ate an armadillo? That is messed up Gary! You know they carry leprosy? What a about a pangolin.....