# I ate bonita and lived to tell about it...



## FishingAddict (Jul 14, 2012)

I just came back from a 39 hour party boat trip from the gulf.

I did pretty well- brought  back red and magrove snapper, scamp, gag, and red grouper, the biggest porgy I've ever seen, kingfish, spanish, bar jack, other stuff I can't remember... and...a bonita.

It was my plan to try and eat the "inedible" bonita.  I mean, it's pretty darn close to a tuna in flesh- just more bloody.  So when I caught one, I bleed it and stuck it in the ice box.

While people were cutting bait strips off other bonita, I tried a very small sliver of it raw, sushi style- from the upper loin area.

It had a huge disadvantage for there being any chance of me liking it- for decades, I've been brainwashed to think that bonita isn't fit to feed to dogs.  It also didn't help that it was sitting on the bait table.

It actually wasn't half bad.  The texture was a little more grainy than tuna sashimi.  The taste was a little more gamey/fishy,  but far from inedible.  It was very far from eating a raw sardine from the bait bucket.  Not that I'm crazy enough to try that.  With some wasabi, soy sauce, and ginger, I doubt it would be a whole lot different than eating standard tuna sashimi. But it doesn't travel well...more on that...

Fast forward 2 days.  I'm at home with all the fillets packed on ice.  The first fillets I pull out are the mangrove snapper, which is currently soaking in lemon and lime juice to make ceviche (what I managed not to eat raw while I was cutting it up- sashimi snapper is like eating butter), and the bonita.

The bonita loins didn't travel well.  They were fairly mushy looking, and darker than I remembered- if that was possible.   They looked less than appetizing. Kinda like fish road kill.

Step one: I was going to try a larger piece sashimi style with a piece of ginger.  I had one piece, and it was a challenge to swallow it.  The texture had really gone south- not unlike an old piece of slightly hardened slimy phlegm.   That, combined with it being more fishy tasting than it was on the boat was a deal breaker for my bonita sashimi career- at least if it's not minutes from being caught. 

Step two: Try to pan sear it in olive oil.  I wasn't going to try and do anything fancy to it, I was just testing it out.  If that didn't work, it was going to be boiled and made into tuna fish- er bonita fish sandwiches. 

I cut off the lightest pieces I could find off the filet and fired up the skillet on high.   I cooked them for a total of 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side and gave them a try.

I can honestly say that it was good  even with out seasoning.  The heat firmed the flesh back up, and the olive oil searing took all of the gamey taste away.  It was pretty close to tuna.  In fact, I bet if I served it like tuna no one would know the difference. 

None of the bonita made it to being boiled.  It was good seared.

Anyhow, if the bonita are thick and you have enough bait, bleed it, cut the top loin out (avoid any very dark meat) and give it a shot.  

Again, the hardest part is getting over your preconceived notions of it.


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## fishtail (Jul 14, 2012)

Actually without the preconceptions, you've judged them correctly.
It's passable for Tuna but not sashimi.


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## Sharkfighter (Jul 14, 2012)

SHHHHHHH next thing you know our "friends" at SAFMC will be putting a closure on Bonita lol

Thanks for that report though.  I am just crazy enough to try it!


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## pottydoc (Jul 15, 2012)

I've tried bonita a couple times. It was ok at best (imo), but I gotta say, I wouldn't ever put it in the same league with even skippies, much less blacks or yellows. It does make fine strips bait though. One way or the other, you had a great trip.


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## Lukikus2 (Jul 15, 2012)

Well I never.......Glad you did.

I've often wondered how they taste since they are basically look like small tunies.

Sure would like to have some fresh ceviche though.


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## little rascal (Jul 15, 2012)

*We used*

to eat Bonita years ago when we had place in Fla., most everybody always shunned them and didn't know they were anything but sharkbait. I looked at them as a small tuna and the fact that they were a member of the oily fish family, Mackeral, Tuna, Wahoo etc. They are one hard fighter too!
It was awsome broiled/grilled like Kingfish, you almost could say it was better. Looked like a broiled steak kinda.


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## stalionnnnn (Sep 15, 2012)

If you can manage to eat one just minutes out of the water even better.....


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## 56willysnut (Sep 15, 2012)

Good to know if I'm ever stuck on a deserted island. I won't starve.


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## bluemarlin (Sep 15, 2012)

Certain times of the year we catch little 3 pounders off the keys. Filet them out so you have 4 loins of meat with no dark stuff, sear it in a pan and it makes good tuna fish salad.


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## Swamprat (Sep 16, 2012)

Knew some old cracker who smoked them and made fish dip. Almost as good as mullet dip but a little gamier tasting.

He just used the loins.


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