Under rated fish we turn our nose up at?
Printed From: The Fishing Website
Category: Saltwater Fishing
Forum Name: The Briny Bar
Forum Description: The place for general chat on saltwater fishing!
URL: https://www.fishing.net.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=108623
Printed Date: 03 Aug 2026 at 5:21pm
Topic: Under rated fish we turn our nose up at?
Posted By: FizFisho
Subject: Under rated fish we turn our nose up at?
Date Posted: 15 Apr 2015 at 2:43pm
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As one who always prefered Kahawai over snappa (because I always got them not the snaps growing up rofl) Ive been wanting to target everything but snapper. I see everyone complain and fairly so about the snapper quotas, but it seems to me we are snapper obsessed. So what are some other edible fish worthy of the plate For me Im about to try Jack Macs a bit more as they are supposedly quite edible. I enjoy YE mullet. I dont get to eat a lot of butterfish unless freediving, but if they are fresh they are certainly edible, but Im thinking fish people can use a line and hook to catch. |
Replies:
Posted By: Southern_Jez
Date Posted: 15 Apr 2015 at 3:18pm
| Jock Stewart aka Sea Perch ... they are a pain in the ass when you catch them cause its usually a deep drop and its much like winding up a bucket ... but they are tasty enough, arguably better than Blue Cod, but maybe thats cause I'm getting a bit sick of Blue Cod. |
Posted By: MacSkipper
Date Posted: 15 Apr 2015 at 3:22pm
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Fiz Fisho - Kahawai X2 - in winter particularly tend to catch easily and good eating same day. Sharks are okay to eat if not to big and gutted/finned/beheaded straight away. Apparently Pillies are good dog food - will try on dog soon!------------- Good fishing trip nothing breaks, great trip catch fish. |
Posted By: smudge
Date Posted: 15 Apr 2015 at 3:35pm
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Ha! A great post Fizzer! Jack mackeral are very tasty deep fried, they are also very nice as a sashimi. also very nice sashimi'd are striped marlin (had to steal it I can't catch my own, trevally, kingfish, albacore and big eye tuna (had to steal that too). Kahawai aren't at all bad as sashimi either. Piper are fantastic - I like them more than kingfish like them. Kahawai make great bites - well that's what I call them, cubes coated in crumbs (panko is good) are a real tasty treat and I think on a skewer with bacon and scallops would soften the palate of any hardcore ky hater. Trevally fry up nice when fresh, ling & goat fish likewise. I was rather impressed with elephant fish from a fish and chippie in Kaikura. The biggest surprise for me recently were some magnificent pink fleshed big rainbows I caught in Rotoiti in February. They were stunningly tasty, oily as and even the two guys I fished with who had only ever had smoked trout were impressed. Nicest tasting fish in the sea? I think broadbill would have to be up there along with halibut, flounder, bluenose, hapuku and ......................................................................................................................... ......................................................................................................................... ......................................................................................................................... snapper! Oh and I don't mind gurnard now and again  Ooops I forgot one. try parore some time. Fillet them straight away, fry them straight away, not too bad at all. ------------- Best gurnard fisherman in my street |
Posted By: Espresso
Date Posted: 15 Apr 2015 at 4:03pm
No No No...shut down the thread Smudge - we can't have people finding out about anything other than snapper, what is the world coming to, snapper is everything surely!  Jack mackerel is one of my favourites for sashimi, better than snapper by a good margin. Skipjack belly side also good soon after catching for sashimi, next day it gets too fishy for me. Kahawai belly side again for sashimi. |
Posted By: Otto
Date Posted: 15 Apr 2015 at 4:11pm
My thoughts exactly, come home with a few snapper and others, divi up the snapper because that's what the others want, choice. I'm glad to get the rest and often prefer the rest, bigger feed and with the right recipe great.
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Espresso wrote:Posted By: FizFisho
Date Posted: 15 Apr 2015 at 4:21pm
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yes forgot piper, they go in my YE mullet but better books, I cook them the same way, floured and fried whole, watch the bones but meat comes away easy. Pink Mao Mao, another for the list. what is WRONG with FRESH butterfish lol. i know soggy warm butterfish tastes like warm pillies, but a fresh one is quite nice. im yet to catch blue moki but soon to be back south will go to the east side for a crack. definitely terakihi. we make fun of them as wellis snapper. but they are very close in flavour and nearly identical texture. JDs of course, not too hard to target. throw a live jack mac down, its a lottery, big snapper, JD or a kingy and sometimes a horse KY. of course the odd bronzie i guess. is it illegal to berley up behind your boat and throw a cast net over the berley? fastest way to get piper i can think of, definitely JMs. but could be illegal. id go as far as saying Kina roe is under rated. |
Posted By: feijoa
Date Posted: 15 Apr 2015 at 5:10pm
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JDs easily my fav, but they aren't underrated KY is up there with the best when smoked or fishcakes Sashimi or deepfried jack macks are also very good
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Posted By: Muppet
Date Posted: 15 Apr 2015 at 5:23pm
I am gonna target Leatherjackets one day because they are apparently quite nice and need a good culling  Otherwise I don't get peoples obsession with snapper, a lazy fishermans fish. Targetting different species enhances your fishing days.
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Posted By: Lethal
Date Posted: 15 Apr 2015 at 5:26pm
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you fella's are a worry, snapper are were it's at.... ......................................................................................... mind you i have eaten spotties and they taste quite nice, yes Jack Macks are very nice as well, Tarakihi is good, JD's would be my favorite over everything else, that makes my selection more on the mild side i guess so i am not the norm... i did try most everything else when i was spear fishing but weed eating fish i am not to found of, also fish from the deep like huge Bass/Puka/Blue nose because of the mercury content that can build up over time in the larger specimens, smaller versions of the same are ok though. that is me i guess, snapper are still my number one.
------------- Thanks for everything you did for us Eric. may you rest in peace, You were one of the real legends of NZ recreational fishing |
Posted By: Plow
Date Posted: 15 Apr 2015 at 5:27pm
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Grant just curious how you do your Jack Macks.. I love the flavour too but just wondering how you separate the flesh from the bones and exclude the guts.... I usually cut them like filleting a gurnard, but not convinced I'm getting maximum meat of the little fellas... and sometime getting the guts, whih you definitely dont want with raw fish.. ------------- Legasea Legend, the rest of you should be too, $10 a month.  |
Posted By: Lethal
Date Posted: 15 Apr 2015 at 5:32pm
oh i forgot them, your right on the money there Muppet, so easy to catch/spear and so simple to skin gut behead all in 3sec's flat remind me of flounder another i forgot to add, all have to be fresh never frozen or fridge even straight into the pan.. ------------- Thanks for everything you did for us Eric. may you rest in peace, You were one of the real legends of NZ recreational fishing |
Posted By: cirrus
Date Posted: 15 Apr 2015 at 5:39pm
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Almost all fresh fish is awesome. Always make sure i bring home jack macks or blue macks for sashimi. Big spotty and red Soldier fish for me are tops. Yellow eye & grey mullet. Love Rig if properly prepared. Kahawai is right up there ,and Snapper is too. Pan fried cutlets of Conger eel rate highly in my mind. And today its Ruby Fish. |
Posted By: waynorth
Date Posted: 15 Apr 2015 at 5:48pm
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Good thread FF, & it's not even winter yet. Pink maomao x 2 - superb eating, but perhaps a bit hard to target Leatherjackets - yes good eating, not much return if they are small, watch the dorsal spine. The best part is getting to kill the little buggers Skipjack bottled/canned - strong flavour but very good Grandaddy Hapuka/Scorpion fish - excellent eating, just don't get jabbed by the spines. Seriously - don't get jabbed by the spines. Frostfish - as good as flounder & cooked the same way Jack Macs - never tried them but they seem to be popular. Maybe one day... Kina roe - wash your mouth out with soap. It tastes better. The spines probably do too. ------------- treat fish like fish |
Posted By: makka
Date Posted: 15 Apr 2015 at 7:06pm
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Underrated? -Smoked koheru -Piper -Red perch/Scarpee You need to try smoked koheru, it will change your life! |
Posted By: Kandrew
Date Posted: 15 Apr 2015 at 7:28pm
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I have steaked up large mullet dipped flour and panned fried. Easy to pick the dark meat off the side once it's cooked and the White fleash is superb. KY works the same so I must try yellow tail. Filleted flounder is very hard to beat, skin on and pan fried. Took a couple of guys out on the kaipara the other day, fishing was a bit slow only 10 snaps which I let them take home. I kept 2 tope Sharks about 600mm long, filleted and deep fried in batter - Awesome |
Posted By: strx7
Date Posted: 15 Apr 2015 at 7:41pm
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kohi's and grand-daddy hapuka for sure. |
Posted By: Cashedup
Date Posted: 15 Apr 2015 at 7:43pm
| Rays Bream. Caught first one ever the other weekend. Superb eating!!! Lemon fish (from my local fish and chip shop) think it's spotted dog but correct me if I'm wrong. Gemfish battered, pan fried or smoked. Ruby fish. Can't agree with others on the pink Mao mao. Tastless mushy crap if you ask me. |
Posted By: Kandrew
Date Posted: 15 Apr 2015 at 8:13pm
I here granddaddy hapuka taste like crayfish? |
Posted By: Plow
Date Posted: 15 Apr 2015 at 8:22pm
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I really enjoyed battered kahawai the other day. Was the first time for years I thought "Jeeesus this is bloody good" I think the trick is to eat it as fresh as possible. Snapper and other white fleshed fish can be better after a day or two in the fridge but the KY seems you need to cut it and eat it immediately. So I did my fillets, sliced into smaller fish finger like shaped peices, fog dog beer battered and fried in rice bran oil. Oh yeah no blood lines. It really was top nosh. Normally I can't do the flavour, but this was really nice. ------------- Legasea Legend, the rest of you should be too, $10 a month. |
Posted By: Otto
Date Posted: 15 Apr 2015 at 8:24pm
| Pharrrrrrrrrrrrrk hope the crew don't read this they'll want more than just the snapper now |
Posted By: pure--lure
Date Posted: 15 Apr 2015 at 8:28pm
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Jack Macrels pretty damn good to be honest as is parore ------------- http://www.facebook.com/groups/hibiscus.coast.fishing/ |
Posted By: smudge
Date Posted: 15 Apr 2015 at 8:31pm
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Dunno how I left JD's off my list! It's been years since I've tried pink maomao band can't place it - probably means it didn't impress. Leatherjackets - yeah! Have only smoked slimy mackerel but from memory it wasn't bad. No one has mentioned red snapper yet, very tasty and those things are suckers for jigs. Fresh kingfish fillets are pretty flash. I've yet to try shark that has really tasted any good. ------------- Best gurnard fisherman in my street |
Posted By: Otto
Date Posted: 15 Apr 2015 at 8:34pm
Mako would be one of the best game fish I've smoked, they're just a bugger to get to stay still while you get the fillets off.
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Posted By: Juan night only
Date Posted: 15 Apr 2015 at 8:40pm
| mmmm piper, need a few for a good feed but they taste so good lightly floured and fried in butter. |
Posted By: part-timer
Date Posted: 15 Apr 2015 at 8:50pm
Ive found jack macks superb eating... ... both sashimi and fried. Just dust the fillets in flour and fry in butter and oil.... fantastic... As a bonus, jacks are very high in omega 3  https://www.heartfoundation.org.nz/know-the-facts/food-and-drink/fish
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Posted By: FizFisho
Date Posted: 15 Apr 2015 at 9:03pm
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wow didnt know that about the common jack macs. i can catch mega loads and all i do is use them as bait. ive got 10 in the freezer ready for friday to be butterflied. perhaps i should stay hope, fillet them and eat. by herring in that link, i reckon they are meaning YE mullet which always gets confused with real herrings which ya dont get up north. i could be wrong. i think the point of thread was to identify how many fish we have available that we dont eat because we target snapper, yet complain about the quotas (rightfully so in regard to dumping of undersize fish etc). the point being if we target OTHER fish our snapper fishery would be even more awesome. but most people will catch these as bye catch instead of targetting them, which leads to the "how to" section. i think unweighted ganged pillies is best for KY or trolling slices through working birds. |
Posted By: jonocoogee
Date Posted: 15 Apr 2015 at 9:03pm
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I have had fresh parore straight outta the net and its been beautiful, Also caught large Leatherjackets when living in aussie (around 2-3 kilo.) Smoke beautifully with a soft white meat. Really enjoying trevally at the moment, used to just consider them bait but begining to like them as much as snapper....maybe more. ------------- TAS - Its a real disease |
Posted By: kaveman
Date Posted: 15 Apr 2015 at 9:11pm
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yeah, trevally are very under rated, sashimi with wasabi and kikkoman sauce, mmmmm and also great crumbed BUT must be used fresh imo -------------  www.kavemantackle.co.nz
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Posted By: Fishb8
Date Posted: 15 Apr 2015 at 9:15pm
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Facts 56% of NZ's exported fish are Jack Macs For me Blue (English) Macs are awesome bbq'ed Blue maomao - done raw with lime juice Albacore - bbqed Pink maomao - got told by an old Maori dude - all pink fish are good eating...including pig fish Parore...terakihi family so bootiful. BUT One of my finest finds in fish shop is Boarfish ------------- Be yourself; everyone else is already taken |
Posted By: Korora
Date Posted: 15 Apr 2015 at 9:26pm
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Years ago my dad fried up stingray wings and gave it to us kids. Can't actually recall the taste...can't have been too bad. May give it a another crack if my kids catch a little one and the bin is empty. Kahawai cubes in crumbs x2 our whole family love em |
Posted By: Otto
Date Posted: 15 Apr 2015 at 9:34pm
Havn't for a while but found small rays where strong in flavour and great mixed with a salad. Big ones fried or BBQ
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Posted By: smudge
Date Posted: 15 Apr 2015 at 9:55pm
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Have to agree Jono ... trevally smoked... hard to beat! ------------- Best gurnard fisherman in my street |
Posted By: Lethal
Date Posted: 15 Apr 2015 at 11:09pm
keep that one quite smudge my wife is Raro and she loves them, they can be caught in quite a few countries, different names to ours but identical fish, just have to be careful with the spikes and sharp scales... ------------- Thanks for everything you did for us Eric. may you rest in peace, You were one of the real legends of NZ recreational fishing |
Posted By: nathchef
Date Posted: 16 Apr 2015 at 1:40am
| Awesome to hear so many good comments regarding less popular (read;less destructed ) fish species. Muppets comment about snapper being the lazy Fishermans fish holds true in the kitchen as well, as does a lot of our 'prime'eating fish. Snapper is easy cos its forgiving in untrained hands. (that's a nice way of saying it's something the apprentices can't bugger up) the serious boys, the big name chefs, the men and women who have shaped the culinary landscape, for years have been trying to install an appreciation for the lesser known or less appreciated fish (one of the few things the recent financial crisis had a positive impact on). the thing that needs to be understood is that almost all fish are incredibly enjoyable if handled and cooked in a way particular to that species and often for that particular fish (dependant on location, diet and age). Snapper is a thing of the past at the restaurant that I am privileged to work in (somewhat in part to my boss getting sick of me wallpapering his office in printouts of graphs and models and spreadsheets and scientific data of the decline of snapper in the sna1 region) and I truly belive we are better for it.bring on the blue warahou, come forth the jack mac and long live the piper. ( my wife gets real upset if she finds out I've been using them for livies instead of bringing them home for brekkie).. I'm still a novice fisherman but have been trying to master cooking fish for the last 15 years. I'm getting pretty good at it. If anyone wants I can continue this rant till the cows come home☺its really nice to know there's finally a subject on this site I can add a expert opinion on instead of looking like a tit ☺ |
Posted By: KikBac
Date Posted: 16 Apr 2015 at 7:26am
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Giant stargazer or monkfish. Not often caught or targetted by rec's but top restaurant fare. Divers spot them occasionally. |
Posted By: FizFisho
Date Posted: 16 Apr 2015 at 8:04am
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Im still getting over Jack Mac being good for you and good eating. Ill be sure to have sabikis out tomorrow for some fresh ones to eat while im drifting. I think the higher up the chain, the less impact and the better the fish is for you (ie less mercury). Snapper really isnt that good for you in comparison. monkfish and half bad. :-) boarfish is brilliant as mentioned earlier, but you got to get your ears wet anglers and no there arent sharks waiting to munch you under the waters, well not many, otherwise kayakers would be munched often. the amount of Kingies i see underwater Im suprised more people arent spearfishing or even targeting kings. they arent that hard to catch if you find fast moving water and pinacles. one kingy feeds ya family and your uncles and the neighbour for a week. 1 hours fishing. easy on fuel if you know where. certainly hard down south though :-( if the government ignore our cries to change commercial fishing practise to allow undersize snapper to swim away alive and they still allow them 25cm and no change in quota. the best thing we can do is change what we eat whilst retaining our right to the snapper quota. 2 snaps and 10 jack macs, sounds like a plan to me. |
Posted By: brmbrm
Date Posted: 16 Apr 2015 at 8:24am
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I was taken to a restaurant in Japan where you had to catch your fish live from a little pond - not exactly fishing, but better than not fishing. You then paid the price per kilo for the fish you caught: top price for the jack mackerel! (reommended cooking method: half fillet taken off and fried, the rest served raw and flapping, then the bones deep fried until like crisps....)
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Posted By: nathchef
Date Posted: 16 Apr 2015 at 8:26am
| Forest and Bird do a good 'best fish guide' (free download ) based on ecological ratings. |
Posted By: Espresso
Date Posted: 16 Apr 2015 at 8:36am
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Jack Macks. (Plow) I fillet them the same as most other fish. Although with Macks I find it a bit fiddly to try not to cut into the gut cavity as I would with other fish, like snapper.  I use my fine bladed knife and take out the centre line of bones from the fillet, then take the skin off as usual. If I am smoking them, I don't take the skin off - they are superb smoked! Typical sashimi of 5 or 6 fish varieties - great to come home with from fishing. Sabiki rigs rule   |
Posted By: FizFisho
Date Posted: 16 Apr 2015 at 9:18am
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Espresso I have noticed that with you and guts before on snapper. May I ask what particular parasites concern you with a fishes stomach? Off to the shop to buy some more sabikis, usually make my own but dont have the patience today. Is berley required to get the jack macs around? You make that platter look amazing and a Jap beer to go with it, lovely. By the way try boundary road "stolen base" (its a high strength APA with lovely aromas and flavours), I know most boundary road beers taste like .... but this is a surprise. Also as you probably know Tuatara Aotearoa Pale Ale is probably NZs finest beer if not most definitely APA style. |
Posted By: strx7
Date Posted: 16 Apr 2015 at 9:57am
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If i could go out, target JD, big Grand daddy hapuka & trevs and come back with a mixed bag of 10-12 and 1 kingi I'd eat like a king for days. The key with Trevs and Kahawai is to kill them straight away, get them on ice for 6-8hrs, and eat them either the day they are fillted, or the following day. they dont keep well in the fridge once fillted. smoked Trevally is great. snapper is ok, but for me there is ALOT of other fish in the ocean which i'd prefer to eat. |
Posted By: MacSkipper
Date Posted: 16 Apr 2015 at 10:04am
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Good stuff guys and food for thought (pardon the pun) - am definitely going to keep a jack mac and try as raw fish which I like with Kahawai and trevally. Expressos picture had me drooling like my dog...and it was not the beer... ------------- Good fishing trip nothing breaks, great trip catch fish. |
Posted By: Apex Predator
Date Posted: 16 Apr 2015 at 10:04am
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I know a few South Africans who really rate baracoutta as an eatiing fish. Think they call them snoop. Never tried it and don't intend to. Good puka bait though.
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Posted By: skunk
Date Posted: 16 Apr 2015 at 10:12am
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Yeah nice thread Fiz... First experience of the freshest fish was as a kid wrapping a freshly caught Paketi  in tin foil with a lump of butter and buried in the embers of a fire.A feast fit for a king it was..How lucky we are as fishers who can experience any fish fresh and well cared for to the plate..there truly is not many species that I have tried that are inedible one way or another.(not tried Koi carp tho') I pity the people who only get to eat commercially caught fish..it really is like night and day IMHO. ------------- "Team Skunk 10th equal Grunter Hunter 2020" |
Posted By: Espresso
Date Posted: 16 Apr 2015 at 10:13am
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Ah yes Fizfisho the IPAs are very good...the latest from Macs is good too - Green Beret. Tuatara's are exellent for sure. I don't use bait, burley, scents or what have you at all, my boat is a dedicated lure only boat so zero smell or mess and clean up is easier, also when I'm filleting fish I prefer to fillet without ever entering the stomach cavity (I do so only for R&D purposes) as there is no need to have the fishes stomach or intestinal bacteria on the filleting board, knife, or touching the flesh as I fillet etc - just makes for fast easy filleting, pure fish meat only, and if done well there is no need to rinse either, no scales or bones - although when filleting out wide the clean seawater is very good if necessary. I catch Macs with no burley - just put the sabiki rig down and most times when drifting along macks are around, even if not on the sounder. Well well well - tomorrows forecast is shaping up... |
Posted By: kiwifred
Date Posted: 16 Apr 2015 at 10:17am
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Kahawai is one of my favs. rest of the family used to turn their noses up at it until i managed to get them to try it fresh out of the smoker. now its how many kahawai did you get and can we smoke some and give it away to all our friends to show them how good it is. my group of fish that i would prefer to keep would be (not in any order). Kahawai terakihi Blue cod Bluenose Rays bream trevally
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Posted By: Joker
Date Posted: 16 Apr 2015 at 11:15am
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Try out the mock whitebait fritters that I make.
A good pile of white flesh slivered up real fine like whitebait A big onion diced or 2 medium - don’t skimp on it. 1/3 cup of beer, flour, oil Beaten egg to bind Salt & Pepper, maybe a dash of sweet chilli sauce Can chuck frozen peas in for colour
Mix it to a sloppy batter - add more beer, flour, oil till it comes right
Cook on a hot plate till coloured each side.
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Posted By: mangre 2
Date Posted: 16 Apr 2015 at 11:26am
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Pink Mao Mao ------------- Beautiful is better than ugly, Explicit is better than implicit, Simple is better than complex, Complex is better than complicated. http://oceanmobilemap.blogspot.co.nz/ |
Posted By: Kevin.S
Date Posted: 16 Apr 2015 at 11:26am
There's an article in this months Bay Fisher on eating stingrays. Although you only eat the wings, that's a lot of meat on most of the rays I've seen -and no bones to sort out.
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Posted By: cpoint
Date Posted: 16 Apr 2015 at 12:19pm
| Went out with Steve on Cara J probably 15 years ago now....to the Chicks. He asked the same question to all on board. JD's, Blue Cod, Bluenose, Swordfish...the crew on board were all offering similar answers. Steve then took the next Trevalley to come out of the water, filleted it, cut it into bite size pieces and threw it straight into a pan with butter. From the sea to our mouths in probably 10 minutes. If you haven't tried it....DO. |
Posted By: FizFisho
Date Posted: 16 Apr 2015 at 12:38pm
technically APAs (really american not aotearoa but we will claim that one) now espresso :-) dont want people thinking Tui is a close drop, or any of that the brits carried to india many decades back rofl. havnt tried green beret, on the hit list. i presume it comes in six pack. i use to drink a lot of epic, but i out grew its IBU and got addicted to hops and bitter. i also like some of the harringtons range. oh im going to try get me a bucket full of cold jack macs tomorrow for experimentation. |
Posted By: Plow
Date Posted: 16 Apr 2015 at 1:15pm
 Great effort!My effort consists of standing over the sink with chunks splattering their way into my mouth via the floor.. (and a Panhead IPA nearby..  )------------- Legasea Legend, the rest of you should be too, $10 a month. |
Posted By: Kandrew
Date Posted: 16 Apr 2015 at 1:36pm
| Fresh KY also make a mean fish curry. |
Posted By: feeder
Date Posted: 16 Apr 2015 at 2:48pm
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Nothing wrong with frozen kahawai, trevally, jack mac's, the key is to bleed and chill down asap, gut n gill and in the chiller for 12/24hrs, fillet and take all the red meat off, back in the chiller for another 12/24hrs on covered drain trays (Tupperware bread saver or similar) then vac pak, a bit of mucking around, but well worth the effort. This week I had a plumber doing some work here at home, gave him a vac pak of kahawai, the verdict, that was awesome, where do you buy those sucking thingies. Cheers
------------- The only bar to frequent is the Kawhia Bar |
Posted By: REIVER
Date Posted: 16 Apr 2015 at 2:52pm
Pink maomao are awesome. Best eating fish ever was one of these. Firm and chunky like a bass but very sweet.  |
Posted By: Lethal
Date Posted: 16 Apr 2015 at 4:50pm
looks like a young bass REIVER, what did you reckon it was?? ------------- Thanks for everything you did for us Eric. may you rest in peace, You were one of the real legends of NZ recreational fishing |
Posted By: REIVER
Date Posted: 16 Apr 2015 at 6:24pm
Convict groper I think Lethal |
Posted By: zzzke
Date Posted: 16 Apr 2015 at 6:28pm
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I find that jack mackerel and blue also make excellent sashimi. I have a Japanese couple flating with me and they absolutely love it. Also I find perch (the red and white one at least) excellent. Even when abit overcooked the meat does not fall apart like blue cod, but retains a firm texture.
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Posted By: NumnuT_AUS
Date Posted: 16 Apr 2015 at 7:00pm
| pigfish? |
Posted By: KikBac
Date Posted: 16 Apr 2015 at 7:10pm
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Yep, red pigfish are excellent eating and yield a firm white fillet
------------- Beer: the most important meal of the day. |
Posted By: strx7
Date Posted: 16 Apr 2015 at 7:25pm
will remember that, get the odd large one around the Cavallis |
Posted By: Muppet
Date Posted: 16 Apr 2015 at 7:59pm
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Jeez Espresso next time I go livebaiting I am keeping the bigger Jack Macks that looks so good. In spring I caught a huge near 1kg Blue Mack that we had sashimi maybe the best I ever had, stunning. All summer me and the other kayak boys target Kings and JD's with livies and it is not hard! Sure you need a little luck but normally we do alright. If I had a boat I think it would be even easier. One 90cm kingie will give up more meat than 7 average pannies for only one dead fish. I will completely ignore snapper till now as I have moved back onto targeting a few. Right now the big kahawai are in prime nick had one sashimi 2 nights in a row was really good. Catching a few trevs on the micro jigs too and good general mixed bags. Winter for me this year will be figuring out these east coast gurnard and become really reliable at catching them. For me I fish what is in "season" as such. Boarfish have been a fish I have wanted to target for ages but it is such a long shot. I know the habitat they like but the only way I can think of getting one is with a prawn or worm bait hard on the bottom in the sand. They must use their snouts for burying into the sand or reefs. Any spearo's keen on letting me know the feeding habits of boarfish let me know!
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Posted By: zzzke
Date Posted: 16 Apr 2015 at 8:12pm
oh yea its a pigfish, a red pigfish, not a perch... I used to do some spearfishing down by Hahei, not the marine reserve end, but the opposite end of the beach. Easy to spear, they seem to be abit curious and will come up making them easy targets. Same with leatherjackets, easy to spear, decent to eat, no complaints from me. |
Posted By: zzzke
Date Posted: 16 Apr 2015 at 8:17pm
The only thing that puts me off raw fish is the sea lice/louse? Im sure they cant live in our stomachs, and generally aren't present in the mackerel's innards, just keeping to the mouth. Ive read they only parasite off healthy fish... not sure if that true, but I usually just use the ones infected for livies/bait.  |
Posted By: smudge
Date Posted: 16 Apr 2015 at 10:51pm
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The lice are pretty much in all Jack macks, they are also common on trevs, kahawai and piper. On kahawai they usually hang out on the pectoral fins. They won't harm the eating qualities of the fish nor harm you. ------------- Best gurnard fisherman in my street |
Posted By: the angler
Date Posted: 17 Apr 2015 at 6:59am
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Smoked Spanish mackerel is great , very oily . Smoked gem fish is the same in fact it's up there with spearfish. The one fish I'm curious to try is 7 Gill shark , apparently it's just like Hapuka according to some elders and held in high regard , bloody ugly tho. |
Posted By: makka
Date Posted: 17 Apr 2015 at 7:07am
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If you want to eat a gilla (or rig) the best thing you can do is bleed and gut straight away, to bleed, cut across the back of the head all the way through the spine. Once you have filleted it, either put the fillets on a rack above a tray in the fridge overnight to drain, or freeze them then defrost on a rack |
Posted By: Glaucus
Date Posted: 17 Apr 2015 at 10:09am
Interestingly, with some Mackerel species and other fish species the lice will latch on to the fishes tongue and blood supply causing atrophy of the tongue but then in turn the lice acts as the fishes tongue for swallowing. Not entirely symbiotic but pretty interesting. |
Posted By: cirrus
Date Posted: 17 Apr 2015 at 11:06am
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Squid. The female or black ink squid. Used to be so common in fish shops when we had those family run shops who really knew their fish. Always fresh and so cheep. Used to love buying that sweet tender squid. But never see it now,which is a shame really, in a country surrounded by sea and with bountiful squid. |
Posted By: BananaBoat
Date Posted: 17 Apr 2015 at 12:26pm
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We tried slimy mackerel (blue mackerel) which was smoked then steaked when traveling in europe. Thats the best. Flesh soft, oily & tasted superb Told a pommie mate who visits nz regularly, about it. He said its big over there. Cleaned whole fish with a few slits in the thicker part, split it in half like you would when you smoke it, salt/pepper lemon juice then under a hot gas grill. Have seen on rick steins shows longline for slimy mackerel for high end local restaurants I remember years ago, we would catch a heap of them & get pissed off about it, when targeting snaps... bloody good bait tho Also tried Saury in a cafe, bbq'ed bloody fantastic, prepared similar to above Have heard about fresh Pilchards bbq'ed. When done properly they will change your mind about em... never caught any yet |
Posted By: cirrus
Date Posted: 17 Apr 2015 at 12:38pm
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Blue Mackeral is an awesome fish. Used to catch it on a regular basis in the H.G. But has become a rare and patchy catch for me now. Not surprising when you look at the tonnage purse seined and exported . Locals dont get a look in. We could do so much better with the variety of sea food available here.People have been conditioned to think that if its not Snapper or terry at over the top prices then its an inferior fish. |
Posted By: KikBac
Date Posted: 17 Apr 2015 at 12:43pm
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Remember as a kid you used to get sardines/mackerel/herrings in tomato sauce in a tin? Yum!
------------- Beer: the most important meal of the day. |
Posted By: cirrus
Date Posted: 17 Apr 2015 at 12:51pm
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I do. Used to be Mc Connochies herring in Tomato sauce. And later on there were also a brand of herring in Tomato sauce from Poland.. Never see either now. |
Posted By: Olfart
Date Posted: 17 Apr 2015 at 2:53pm
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My taste buds are working overtime... Thank you KikBac and cirrus...
------------- Semper in excreta sumus, solum profundum variat.... |
Posted By: cirrus
Date Posted: 17 Apr 2015 at 3:34pm
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Same for me Grant. Had to rush down to Muzzas Pies for a hot steak ,onion ,and Tomato. It was really good. |
Posted By: NumnuT_AUS
Date Posted: 17 Apr 2015 at 4:47pm
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I love sashimi & ceviche..
most trips i have a sealable lunchbox with the following
lemon or lime juice
chopped red onion & capcicum
tspoon of raw sugar
tspoon of soy
chilli paste if you like.
first legal fish over the side goes in, for 30-45 mins in esky on ice
devour with jatz biscuits as fast as possible so you dont miss out!
i love trev, mackeral, kings, JD's and i suppose a snapper will be OK also.
;-)
Craig
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Posted By: FizFisho
Date Posted: 17 Apr 2015 at 4:51pm
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I was shocked to have no lice in 7 jack macs I caught recently, I thought they all had one. Kingis get em too, as well as the aforementioned fish. |
Posted By: letsgetem
Date Posted: 17 Apr 2015 at 4:57pm
| We agree - that Pigfish are good eating. A type of Wrasse, with red stripes. Presumably called Pigfish because of their long snout - not like a pig really. I catch them regularly in BOP, near foul. |
Posted By: Muppet
Date Posted: 17 Apr 2015 at 5:13pm
| Cirrus catching heaps of juvenile blue macks at the moment. In fact they are beating the bigger jack macks to the sabiki, I have some in the freezer ready for Sunday. Spring is by far the best have come across some monster schools this season micro jigs will be ready. |
Posted By: Muppet
Date Posted: 17 Apr 2015 at 5:15pm
 Not my pic but that was from last weekend ocean90, little beauties aren't they. Could happily catch em all day.
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Posted By: cirrus
Date Posted: 17 Apr 2015 at 5:19pm
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Awesome to see those. Great fun to catch. Will be keeping an eye out. Thanks Was that in H.G |
Posted By: Muppet
Date Posted: 17 Apr 2015 at 5:31pm
| Yep north in close. |
Posted By: Kandrew
Date Posted: 17 Apr 2015 at 5:40pm
Yeah mate tinned sardines on toast with a squeeze of lemon. |
Posted By: skunk
Date Posted: 17 Apr 2015 at 5:41pm
crikey Numnut thats made me salivate big time, i do a similar thing.. put it on a potato chip with a cold ale.outstanding. ------------- "Team Skunk 10th equal Grunter Hunter 2020" |
Posted By: A LOAF OF BREAD
Date Posted: 17 Apr 2015 at 6:07pm
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I think any fresh fish is tasty. Blue mau mau, they good fresh in the pan or smoked. I got a couple today.
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Posted By: FizFisho
Date Posted: 17 Apr 2015 at 6:17pm
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Cant say Ive ever tried blue mao mao, always thought pink was best :-) See them often under the water up north nz. |
Posted By: makka
Date Posted: 17 Apr 2015 at 6:22pm
I think I will be doing this next trip! |
Posted By: KikBac
Date Posted: 17 Apr 2015 at 9:44pm
Cerviche (raw fish) like NumNutz said: Lime juice, garlic, onion, chili. Kahawai, trevally, kingfish or JD into the bowl to marinade and enjoy 3-4 hours later 
------------- Beer: the most important meal of the day. |
Posted By: Lethal
Date Posted: 17 Apr 2015 at 10:35pm
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what about the heads of fish are we just stuck with snapper and big deep water species like Bass/Harpuku? anyone tried others or are they just not big enough? i am still right into Mars Seafood chowder, throw in some meat off snapper heads and wow its all on... ------------- Thanks for everything you did for us Eric. may you rest in peace, You were one of the real legends of NZ recreational fishing |
Posted By: FizFisho
Date Posted: 17 Apr 2015 at 11:34pm
i slow cook any bones and frames i catch. have not noticed much difference between a KY and a snap. you do need some volume but i just adjust water to cover bones. i cook bones for broth not for chowder though. i tend to eat the flesh about 30mins-1 hour into cooking, i use my slow cooker. the broth that is left just wreaks health. id imagine the healthier fish would be better for me, supposedly according to an earlier link Jack Macs are in that chain (like sardines etc), so id imagine that would make very healthy broth. 6 or 7 frames might make a litre or so (unsure) Some say to cut the gills or you get bitter taste. Ive experimented, meh is all ive got to say on it. Each to their own but thats what I do with frames. |
Posted By: Lethal
Date Posted: 18 Apr 2015 at 1:47pm
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yep use the head and frame gutted and gilled, i guess snapper have more meat around the head, but like you FizaFisho "wreaks health" certainly helps build up the immune system against winter colds, just a matter of turning it into something you prefer to eat... ------------- Thanks for everything you did for us Eric. may you rest in peace, You were one of the real legends of NZ recreational fishing |
Posted By: CanadianJohn
Date Posted: 18 Apr 2015 at 5:18pm
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jack mac's?? are you guys serious? is a jack mac the same a fish as yellow tail mac? cause i tried one of these years back and it was pretty awful! but i catch so bloody many if its supposedly so good i'll give it another go. on the other hand, blue mac's now those i love. caught a big one once so bothered to fillet it and dust in flour and a bit of salt and pepper and a quick flash in the pan. was so bloody good but haven't caught one since. are blue mackerel the same as slimy macs? i think i need to do some looking on google to learn myself the differences.
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Posted By: FizFisho
Date Posted: 18 Apr 2015 at 5:52pm
if you end up with auto immune conditions, often you have a leaky gut, which is basically permiable intestines, usually caused by sugars and wheat. ie eating pies and beer every 2/3 meals for 20 years, oops. anyway, google bone broth to see what it contains aside from glutamine, glucosamine, calcium etc, it basically helps relign the mucosal and rebuild the villi of the intestines. mix that with a bland baby food and soft meat diet for 2 years (fish is good after a month of low FODMAP baby food) and probiotic non dairy foods like sauerkraut many people believe its possible to lower and reverse auto immune conditions like lupus, MS, rheumy arthritis etc. with fish bone broth you get both fish oil and the aforementioned health benefits. great for the brain, great for the gut and great for the bones/ligaments. best of all, who doesnt like a cup of warm fish stock on a cold winters morning in the flask on the way to work. |
Posted By: FizFisho
Date Posted: 18 Apr 2015 at 5:56pm
we are all learning CJ, I been fishing 40 years and ask dumb questions on here daily. but i bet i could spill some knowledgeable ****e others dont know, so no harm asking. yep slimy mackeral. cant bring myself to eat them. tried once, it was all in my head. im the other way round, prefer the jack macs now that ive tried it. surely blue macs sit in the high fish oil category too though? i wish i could catch the anchovies the last lot of jack macs where chocker with. there is an under rated fish, but not one ive ever caught. ANCHOVIES, especially on pizza, yum. |