We are going to discuss can you eat barracuda or not in this article. Barracuda is a hunting fish with incredible speed to chase and catch down its prey. Due to its high speed and while caught, they put up a good fight, and some anglers find it fun catching them. At the same time, some fishermen find them troublesome as they get caught when they are aiming for some other fish.
Most fishermen try to avoid catching barracuda fish, whereas any culture around the seashore eats these fish on a regular basis. This leads us to the question, can you eat barracuda safely? We will answer that question in this article. But before that, you have to understand a few things about them in order to conclude.
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What Should You Know About Barracuda?
Barracuda is an extremely fast fish with a torpedo-like hydrodynamic body that lets them hunt down their prey easily. They usually travel in small shoals, which will protect them against giant predators.
Mostly you can’t find a barracuda being hunted by larger predators as they are one of the few species that are at the top of the food chain. So, they mainly survive by hunting down other species, and this increases the toxin level in their body.
Fishes that prey on other smaller fish usually have more toxins than fish that live by consuming vegetation. They will also have higher levels of mercury in their body. So, most people would try to avoid catching them.
Can you eat barracuda
The answer to this question is not a simple yes or no. There are almost 20 different types of barracuda in the ocean, and each carries different levels of toxins in their body. Most cultures around the world who live by the shore have been eating barracuda fish for eras. But they only do that in moderation after cooking them properly.
If you want to eat a barracuda, eat a smaller kind of barracuda. The smaller the fish, the fewer toxins and mercury levels it has. The bigger barracuda has much higher levels of toxins which can cause food poisoning for humans.
But it doesn’t mean you can’t have a large barracuda, and just eat them in moderation. And one should also note that they can’t eat any kind of barracuda without properly cooking them. These fish are not the typical fish kind your find on top of sushi.
You can’t eat them raw because their toxins can cause serious discomforts in your digestive system and can lead to food poisoning. If you want to experience eating fish raw, there are many other species in the ocean that are safe to be eaten without cooking. Barracuda is not just that type. Here is all about can you eat barracuda.
How To Properly Cook Barracuda?
Properly preparing your barracuda is an essential process before eating to get rid of the toxins that can harm you. You can start preparing them by marinating them. Marinating is, also known as curing, is an interesting process where fish or meat is kept in salt for a few hours.
The salt will absorb the excess water molecules, and its antibacterial properties will kill any unwanted bacteria present in that. It will also kill parasites if any present in them. But this will not reduce the mercury level in the fish. So, clean it thoroughly before marinating them.
The next process is known as smoking. In this step, you will have to expose the fish to indirect heat. Take some fruitwoods or hardwoods and burn them. Keep the fish where the smoke will touch it. Make sure you didn’t place directly on the fire. We don’t want the fire to touch our fish.
Let it get smoked for at least twelve hours. For best results, smoke them for more than 24 hours at 145 degrees Fahrenheit. Smoking will add delicious flavor to the fish.
If it is a freshwater fish or fish that survive by eating vegetation, you can safely consume them after this process. But since it is a hunting seawater fish, you should properly cook before having them.
There are many ways to properly cook them. The best way is deep-frying them in the pan. Take some butter and oil and fry the fish. You can also add some spice to experience a better taste. You can also boil and steam them with vegetables to make a stew.
FAQs
1. Is it safe to eat barracuda?
Eating large barracuda is not advisable because they are more likely to contain a toxin that is harmful to humans known as ciguatera. If you want to have a barracuda, have them in moderation after cooking them properly.
2. Does a barracuda taste good?
Most people claim that barracuda is one of the delicious seawater fish. But some people also say that it tastes fishy.
Now you know all about can you eat barracuda.
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