FROM THE BOAT TO THE PLATE

Edibility

Which fish are great to eat, which to handle with care, and how to keep your catch tasting its best.

Great eating

Firm, white, mild fillets. These are the fish most people want on the table.

Good if you handle it right

Darker or stronger meat. Bleed them right away, ice them and eat them fresh.

Kingfish Cero Little tunny Jack crevalle Blue runner Bar jack Spanish mackerel Skipjack tuna Bluefish

Best released

Bony, poor eating or just too much fun to kill. Snap a photo and let them go.

Tarpon Bonefish Permit Blue marlin Sailfish White marlin

Be careful

Some reef fish can carry ciguatera, a toxin that cooking does not kill. The risk goes up with big predators from the reef.

Big barracuda Big amberjack Big horse-eye jack Moray eels

About ciguatera

Ciguatera comes from tiny reef algae and builds up in big reef predators. Cooking or freezing does not remove it. Ask the local fishermen which fish and spots to avoid, keep smaller reef fish, and enjoy open-water fish like mahi, wahoo and tuna.

Keep it tasting great

Bleed it Cut behind the gills and let the fish bleed in a bucket of sea water for a few minutes. Cleaner, whiter meat.
Ice it fast Get it into an ice slush right away. Tuna, mahi and kingfish can spoil quickly in the Caribbean heat.
Keep it cold Keep fish cold until you clean them and eat or freeze them within a day or two.
Freeze it right Vacuum-seal fillets to keep them fresh for months.

Now cook it

Island recipes for snapper, mahi, lionfish, conch and more.

See the recipes → Coolers & fish kitchen →

Photo: Lukas Budimaier, CC0 1.0