# Hardtail. Yes, I ate a hardtail



## compulsivehp

So, I have been on an adventurous kick and have ate some fish some would turn their nose up to. The first was a bonito. I will say that unless I am using it for bait, I will eat one again. The important part is to bleed the fish like any other tuna and take the time to cut off ever piece of dark meat. Today, I ate a hardtail. I went pompano fishing and the only two fish I caught was the hardtail and a skipjack. I am not adventurous adventurousness to eat a skipjack but seeing the hardtail is a jack and so is the pompano, I figured I would give it a try. 

Easy receipe:
Tablespoon or so of butter
Garlic powder to taste
Horseradish to taste
Lemon juice
Salt and pepper
Cook till done and the butter starts to brown

Unless I post on here I puked my guts out all night, I will eat hardtails again unless I am using them for bait.


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## hjorgan

Ewe... you are a brave man but it does look tasty!


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## drifterfisher

I have found that most all Salt water fish taste the same to me. Just like bream bass and cat fish all taste about the same to me. I dont care for a sheep head,very strong fish taste. I even like the lil pin fish,remind me of bream.Alot of people are size snob's meaning if the fish dont get big they think they are just bait and not good to eat.


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## jim t

I've tried hardhead catfish prepared by a restauarant chef at a party. Edible, but VERY fishy and MUSHY.

I've tried big pinfish, pretty good but easy to overcook since it is so thin.

I've NOT taken the bloodline out of a blackfin tuna on purpose. The bloodline tastes TERRIBLE fishy, but the rest of the fish was fine.

Jim


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## Contender

I have made a tuna dip out of Bonita -- boil it in crab boil, add chopped onion, pickles, liquid smoke and mayo, pretty good to me, though I think bonita is better as bait esp if you can get a YF.

Had the same thought about hard tails a few years back. Cousin to a pompano and that is one of the most sought after fish on the coast, so I gave it a try. Not bad at all, though like the bonita I would rather use HT's for bait.

Most fish won't hurt you, they might not be the most tasty is all.


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## Bean Counter

Cool reports. Keep them coming. Its interesting to find out what is good to eat that has always been a trash fish. It just takes someone to do it and find out if its any good. I mean think about the first guy that ate an oyster, hey this rock has some grey slime in it I think I'll eat it.


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## compulsivehp

Bean Counter said:


> Cool reports. Keep them coming. Its interesting to find out what is good to eat that has always been a trash fish. It just takes someone to do it and find out if its any good. I mean think about the first guy that ate an oyster, hey this rock has some grey slime in it I think I'll eat it.


Well, I have also eaten sting ray recently. It is similar to a very tender chicken breast and has a neutral flavor. Actually, when I went up to see my rents my dad shot a wild turkey. The raw turkey breast was identical in feel and texture to the raw stingray meat.


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## Trophyhusband

I took home a pile of big hard tails and fed them to the family. They were pretty good. When the wife asked what kind of fish we were eating, I replied, "bait".


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## FishGolfDrink

that hard tail looks like a blue runner!


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## WW2

go fishing on a fishing pier, catch hardtail while standing next to any one of the asian women fishing. Throw back the hard tail. Get ready for an ass chewing. 

They keep them all, and make some great food from them.


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## bigrick

triggerfish used to be a trash fish , now it's one of the best IMO so you never know. Not sure about the comment about sheephead tasting fishy? That's about the whitest meat you can get around here, unless you didn't cut the bloodline out.


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## FenderBender

I've tried bonita raw, not terrible. Made fish cakes out of ladyfish, not awful but I won't do it again. Would not try a hardhead, but I would try a nice sized hardtail or pinfish any day. Just no need to keep something so small when there are so many bigger and better fish to catch, IMO


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## ditz

When I was just a little fella in the early to mid 50's my dad went out on a party boat and brought back some red snapper and a fairly large grouper which we all ate for dinner. He said that he had caught several trigger fish and the boat crew told him to throw them back because they were no good to eat. How things change. His boat trip was out of Pensecola. We were visiting my uncle that was stationed at the air base at the time. 

I was 6 at the time and it was the dead of winter in Indiana and O' how the warm sun felt so good. I have yearned for Florida ever since. :thumbsup:


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## lcruiser

LOL... Just had to reply to this one. I thought I was the only one that did stuff like this...

1) Tried a big hardtail years ago......YUCK....LOL

2) last summer caught a bunch of hardheads at my dock....what the hell, let's fry some up.... It was surprisingly "good".... eadable but not like I'm dieing to go hardhead fishing for food.

3) Bled and eaten seveal "bonito"...aka little tunny.. Hell we ate some as sashimi...fairly strong "blood" taste even though bled them pretty well.

4) Snapper "caviar".....YUCK...LOL

5) Took a bite of a spanish sardine while catching bait.... YUCK....LOL

6) always clean the "huge" sand perch/squirel fish....LOL

With that said here's my "ratings"..1 = best

1's - scamp, grouper, queen, mahi, tuna, trig 

2's - snapper, AJ,poggies, mingos, hoo, tile

3's - spanish

10's - king, see above.


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## Tyee Dave

Trophyhusband said:


> I took home a pile of big hard tails and fed them to the family. They were pretty good. When the wife asked what kind of fish we were eating, I replied, "bait".


 Haha, that's awesome. My wife hates it when I give her an answer like that. Oh well, we all have our cross to bear.


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## Kachok

I tried hardtail before, cooked almost the same way. Not bad, I will still be using them for bait but edible for sure if nothing else is biting. I'll try just about anything once. It was not the flavor that was off for me, it was the texture that was a little weird. I might try some smoked next time I get a bunch.


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## MrFish

My father in law is greek, so I always have to hide the frozen cigar minnows. He keeps saying they are a delicacy. 

I don't understand the trigger thing, to me they are right up there with grouper. I love them. I'll take a box of triggers over red snapper any day.


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## wilfish4774

Hardtail and Bluerunner around here are considered the same fish. Personally I think hardtail are very good fresh. To be sure much better for you than the store bought talapia. I don't get the chance to eat sheephead/stripped pompano much but I do know others that do and they swear by bleeding them right after they catch them the taste is much improved.


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## SHunter

*fish*



bigrick said:


> triggerfish used to be a trash fish , now it's one of the best IMO so you never know. Not sure about the comment about sheephead tasting fishy? That's about the whitest meat you can get around here, unless you didn't cut the bloodline out.


Tourists on fishing charters used to give the triggerfish to the captains. I always thought that trigger had a better flavor than snapper. I also think sheephead are good to eat.


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## knot @ Work

Takes a bunch of them to make a meal... 

Like something on Bizarre Foods show...


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## grassbed hunter

had a lady try to get me to eat skip jack on the peir i just could do it


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