Being from New Jersey and fishing the Surf for many years if you told me that some fishermen purposely fish for Stingrays and bring them home to cook them up well, I would hardly believe it, especially after throwing dozen if not hundreds back in the ocean considering them “trash fish” Are stingrays good to eat?
Yes, As unappetizing as they look, Stingrays aren’t much harder to clean than your usual ocean fish & make delicious dinners. Stingray meat has a mild flavor with a hint of a sweet taste is flaky yet dense and tastes like a mix of fish and lobster while some people say that they taste like scallops.
You can cook stingrays in different ways. It can be grilled or baked, and the meat of the fish can be covered or brushed with lemon butter. It can be prepared in different ways, too. In the Islands, people prepare it by wrapping it in a banana leaf and slowly grilling it in hot coals.
Are Stingrays Good to Eat
Yes, you can cook stingrays. As unappetizing as they appear, and as weird as their body seems, stingrays aren’t much harder to clean than your usual table Ocean water fish. And, yes, they make delicious supper.
Stingrays are very safe to eat because of their relatively simple ocean diet. It is served in most parts of the world and is considered a worldwide delicacy. It has high popularity in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean. Stingray meat is mostly similar to the texture of lobster or crab meat. It’s tender and white and has a lot of flavors. Stingrays do not filter out saltwater like most other ocean fish, giving the fish a metallic-like taste.
Some people say that they taste like scallops, while others won’t give them the time of day and throw them right back in the water. Other ocean fishermen will only keep them for shark bait. The flesh of the stingray is somewhat chewy and, depending on the size of the fish, can be thick and tender when cooked. The meat has a mild flavor with a hint of a sweet taste. Stingray meat is flaky when cooked and tender with a lot of density.
The tail should be dealt (trashed)with right away because the venom should not be eaten under any circumstances. Stingrays are very safe to eat because of their relatively simple diet. It is served all over the world and is considered a delicacy. It has high popularity in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean.
- Drag the fish away from the water’s edge
- Grab the tail & barb at the same time using a heavy wet rag or rubber gloves
- Flip the ray onto its back
- Use pliers or a tool to remove the hook.
- Drag it back into the H2O
- Some folks break the Barb off (it grows back) ……………………………………………………….. Read more
If threatened, a stingray will whip its tail at you, which can reach up over its head, stinging you with one or more of its spines piercing your skin and leaving a laceration or puncture wound in your skin as the sheath around each spine breaks apart & release venom into the wound ………………………………………. Read more
How to Clean a Stingray
The fisherman that I have met who clean and eat them compare Stingray filets to flounder the bigger (not too big) they are the easier they are to clean. Smaller Stingrays are difficult to filet. Basically, you are going to cut away the fins of the Stingray separating the fins or wings from the body of the fish.
Remove the barb on a stingray’s tail- is poisonous and if you’re struck by it, it can be fatal, even when the stingray’s dead. To remove the barb, carefully slide your knife underneath the barb. Using pliers in your other hand, grab the barb. Keep sliding your knife under the barb as you pull with your pliers.
You should be able to feel with your knife when to pull up as you reach the end of the barb. Keeping a firm grasp of the barb with your pliers you should then be able to pull it out. Put the barb somewhere safe. It’s advisable not to touch it, as it’ll be sharp and can still be dangerous.
With the stingray flat, feel along the top of its body for where the wing meets the center. You should be able to feel the difference between the softer, meatier wings and the tougher cartilage of its body. This is the point where you’ll start to cut.
To do this, place the wing skin side down. Using your knife, gently cut along the edges of the wing between the skin and meat to make it easier for the skin to come off.
Then, carefully slice along between the skin and the meat, holding the skin down and gently pulling separating the meat from the skin. After you’ve made your initial cut, you should be able to keep slicing until you have your fillet of stingray ready to cook.
What are Freshwater Stingrays?
Freshwater stingrays live mostly in the Amazon River system & are one of the only rays inhabiting freshwater rather than saltwater. With colorful dorsal patterns & spots and bigger than their saltwater cousin, they are responsible for more injuries to humans each year than any ………………………………….. Read more
JimGalloway Author/Editor
