Can you eat barracudas?

[Black-Gorrilla]

Barracuda Edibility?
is it safe?
does it taste good?
is it like real fish, or is it though?

i've seen people spear them to eat, but never asked what it tastes like, and while we went out spearfishing/sight seeing yesterday, the subject got brought up on boat as we were heading in.

As always, Thanks for any input ahead of time.

[wgt]

Originally Posted by Black-Gorrilla

Barracuda Edibility?
is it safe?
does it taste good?
is it like real fish, or is it though?

i've seen people spear them to eat, but never asked what it tastes like, and while we went out spearfishing/sight seeing yesterday, the subject got brought up on boat as we were heading in.

As always, Thanks for any input ahead of time.

It is often considered unwise to eat barracuda (particularly larger specimens) along with other predatory reef fish due to concerns of contracting ciguatera via ciguatoxins concentrated in the meat (although barracuda tastes just fine).

[mentalmarine]

I wasnt aware of this, but makes for some interesting reading. Here is what I found on the initial search.

This is a report by Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg., 73(6), 2005, pp. 1026-1027
Copyright © 2005 by The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

Ciguatera fish poisoning (ciguatera), a common poisoning caused by ingestion of certain fish, is common in tropical regions between 35° N and 35° S latitude. In the United States, 90% of cases occur in Hawaii and Florida.1 Ciguatera food poisoning may occur in international travelers exposed to a toxic fish while traveling in a tropical region.2–5 Because of changes in the eating habits of the general population, international trade, an increase in the immigrant population, and a wider geographic distribution of food products, it is reasonable to suppose that this problem will increase. Ciguatera causes a polymorphic syndrome with gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, and neurologic signs and symptoms. Among the toxic manifestations, hypotension and bradycardia occurred infrequently.6,7 An outbreak of ciguatoxin poisoning after barracuda fish ingestion has never been reported in Taiwanese patients before. We report an outbreak of ciguatoxin poisoning in Taiwan after consumption of barracuda fish eggs. Some of the victims had persistent bradycardia and hypotension. This report summarizes the investigation of this outbreak, which occurred among members of the same family residing in Kaohsiung city.

Ciguatera toxins are produced by dinoflagellates, which herbivorous fish consume. These fish are then eaten by larger, predatory reef fish (e.g., barracuda, grouper, and amberjacks), which appear to be unharmed by the toxin; because the toxins are lipid-soluble, they accumulate in fish upward through the food chain. The toxin may be most concentrated in the head, viscera, and eggs.5 The concentration of ciguatoxin in the fish depends on the fishing area and depth, the fish size and tissues, and climatic disturbances.7 More than 400 species of fish can be vectors of ciguatoxins, but generally only a relatively small number of species are regularly incriminated in ciguatera.

[divingchef]

Yeah, ciguatera is nasty stuff, but in Cabo when the small barracuda come in, guys eat them. Only the small ones. I guess it depends what area you're in. If ciguatera is present on a regular basis in the area where the fish came from, I wouldn't eat it. Like in Kona, its proabably a sure thing that you'll get whacked with the toxin if you eat baracuda...but where I live, We don't have a lot of coral in Cabo, so the dinoflagellates population is limited. Ive seen locals in Riviera Maya eat the baracuda as well when I lived there. Russian roulette if you ask me....

[Black-Gorrilla]

mentalmarine: thats good info. thanks.
any of you guys ever eat barracuda? what other fish does it taste like? texture?

[MSilvia]

I had 'cuda in East Africa, and it's one of the tastiest fish I've ever eaten... absolutely delicious. It was similar to mahi mahi, but a bit firmer... more like marlin in texture if I recall correctly. Of course, I only had it the one time, and I'm not sure how much of the experience had to do with how it was prepared.

[mike_s]

I've eaten it before in a restaurant and it was ok... but much better fish out there.

I've heard the same thing though about eating them though. mostly they had a high mercury content. not sure how that's related to Ciguatera toxins

[Black-Gorrilla]

guess im gonna have to find me a small cuda to eat one day.
thanks guys.

[No Misses]

Originally Posted by Black-Gorrilla

guess im gonna have to find me a small cuda to eat one day.
thanks guys.

I just noticed the spearfishing tally in your sig line

I'm glad that I am not trying to make a living as a fishing guide.

[Black-Gorrilla]

Originally Posted by No Misses

I just noticed the spearfishing tally in your sig line

I'm glad that I am not trying to make a living as a fishing guide.

im kind of glad you guys didn't tell me to shoot that big cuda and send me for a ride yesterday.

your a great sightseeing guide lots of life, nothing to shoot.