How edible are Skipjacks?

[Joeseminole18]

I'm heading out to Ft Walton Beach next weekend and figured I'd do some hardcore fishing off the Okaloosa Island Fishing Pier. Their report for the week says catches of bonito, skipjack, poons, kings and spanish, flounder, etc etc. I'm wondering how just edible are bonito and skipjacks?

[EddieJoe]

I'm heading out to Ft Walton Beach next weekend and figured I'd do some hardcore fishing off the Okaloosa Island Fishing Pier. Their report for the week says catches of bonito, skipjack, poons, kings and spanish, flounder, etc etc. I'm wondering how just edible are bonito and skipjacks?

Well, common names sometimes confuse me with fish, but usually bonito are "Little Tunny" and skipjacks, are, skipjacks. I personally consider bonito to be catch and release fish, unless you have a need for bait strips or shark bait. Some do eat them in small raw pieces, but I don't. They are a tuna but not edible by most western standards. I'm sure someone eats them, but I don't. Blackfin tuna are pretty good, but if we are talking Little Tunny, no.

I have never heard of ANYONE eating skipjacks, if they are referring to the silvery, relatively small (like one foot long) fish that has spines that cause severe pain. Sometimes I catch them inadvertently with a sabiki or a cast net, and they are really dangerous to get over the side.

Don't bother with trying to eat those fish.

EJ

[leonreno]

I never have eaten either. The skipjack (a.k.a. ladyfish?) I believe is a very bony fish. The bonita I have seen cut up for bait and man is it one bloody red looking fish. They both make great dead baits for sharks but I have never seen anyone eat them.

[Joeseminole18]

No no. Skipjack tuna, not a ladyfish at all.

[Ken K]

People starving for protein will eat most any kind of meat. With a very few exceptions, like Blowfish or Ciguateria infected fish, any meat, fish, or fowl is edible if it is cooked well enough to kill parasites.

Whether or someone can get it down or not is another story.

[dowawoo]

being I live here, got the latest fishing report for you...I haven't been in a week, but last I went here, it was tough, hoping it will get better.
Don
DESTIN INSHORE

Surf anglers in Destin have been finding lots of small sharks, ladyfish and bluefish. You also might find a pompano or whiting.

Half Hitch Tackle says anglers fishing the jetties have been catching big redfish in the afternoons on live bull minnows. Sheepshead, hardtails, ladyfish and flounder are some other fish that have been taken off the jetties.

Half Hitch also reports speck fishing has been superb at night and very early in the morning. Try using live shrimp or pinfish.

Fishing around the bridge you'll find black snapper, sheepshead and occasionally a flounder.

[GeneO.]

Well, common names sometimes confuse me with fish, but usually bonito are "Little Tunny" and skipjacks, are, skipjacks. I personally consider bonito to be catch and release fish, unless you have a need for bait strips or shark bait. Some do eat them in small raw pieces, but I don't. They are a tuna but not edible by most western standards. I'm sure someone eats them, but I don't. Blackfin tuna are pretty good, but if we are talking Little Tunny, no.

EJ, Interesting and confusing stuff here.

"Little Tunny" - It's its own species but they are refered to as Bonita here.

"Skip Jack Tuna" - It's its own species. People in the Atlantic call them Bonita.

Bonita - It's its own species as well.

Joeseminole18 -

"Little Tunny" which is what people call Bonita around here, suck at the diner table. I wouldn't take everyone else's word for it and tried them. I threw it away after the first bite and took the family out to eat.

Skippys aren't bad they aren't excellent but if you marinate them in soy sauce and grill them they aren't bad.

Bonita see Little Tunny, they are terrible and may induce vomiting.

The biggest problem most people have when cooking any kind of Tuna is they over cook it. You want a very hot fire, a thick cut of the fish and seer it on both sides so you have a warm red center. When over cooked it's like you're eating a diferent species.

Here is a link - It's a PDF so it'll take a little bit to open if you use dial-up. It will give all the info you want to know about the different tuna species.

http://www.nmfspermits.com/other/Tuna99.PDF

Hope this helps.

[Joeseminole18]

It helps very much. If I happen to catch a skipjack I'll fillet it up and give it a taste test. I just didn't want to kill something only to fillet it up, bring it back and cook it and have it be terrible.

[EddieJoe]

Gene:

Yeah, I know what a skipjack tuna is, but couldn't figure out if that was what we were trying to discuss. Skipjack tuna are marginally edible, skipjacks, the small, silver, inshore fish, are not.
This is the problem with using common names for any fish.

EJ

[Ken K]

I contend that Skipjacks are edible; although, they may not be palatable to our tastes. I know the Asians make fish balls out of them.

[GeneO.]

Without question comon names are very tough, here's one even worse for ya. My brother lives in Levy Co. and fishes out of Cedar Keys.

What we call Hard Tail he calls a Blue Runner

What we call Pilchard he calls Razor Bellies.

What we call Pinfish he calls Sailors choice.

He and I were discussing bait of choice for Grouper the other night. Try having that conversation on the phone.

[GeneO.]

If I happen to catch a skipjack I'll fillet it up and give it a taste test.

If you're fishing off a dock you won't catch a skippy, unless one gets very confused. The shallowest water I've ever caught that fish in personally is 85' and that was on the way to the 100 fathom line in the Northeast. I haven't seen any here, but then again I haven't fished for Tuna here either.

[stevo]

I heard a recipie for Bonita last week. I don't remember it exactly, but it involved boiling the flesh in milk, then removing the skin and dark layer of meat. Boil the rest (in water I think) with garlic, onions, tomatoes and the like. I've heard it described as the best tuna fish. I personally have never tried this, but I might give it a shot one day. Anyone ever heard of this before?

[dstockwell]

No, but that seems like a heck of alot of work for a fish, thats not to high on the edible sacle.

[Joeseminole18]

If I happen to catch a skipjack I'll fillet it up and give it a taste test.

If you're fishing off a dock you won't catch a skippy, unless one gets very confused. The shallowest water I've ever caught that fish in personally is 85' and that was on the way to the 100 fathom line in the Northeast. I haven't seen any here, but then again I haven't fished for Tuna here either.

Okaloosa Island Fishing Pier....the thing goes out 1/4 of a mile. Perhaps they're not talking about skipjack tuna--who the hell knows. Maybe they're in fact talking about ladyfish, I guess I should figure that one out. If they're talking about ladyfish, I'll just concentrate on catching some kings.