Western Foxfish average or excellent or inbetween?
Submitted by duges66 on Thu, 2013-05-16 09:32
Was always led to believe the foxfish was excellent eating but just read that this sites fish species ID has that it is average eating.
Whats others take on it?
No doubt will keep the next one I catch and try for myself but curious to know others thoughts from experience.
____________________________________________________________________________
There's 3 kinds of people in this world, those who can count and those that can't.
Image Upload:
milsey
Posts: 1462
Date Joined: 22/08/07
Not my best face hah, their
Not my best face hah, their one of the slowest growing fish and given there size and age i dont think theyre really worth keeping.
Codhead
Posts: 159
Date Joined: 25/11/11
3 Star
Do you have a mother-in-law?
The gods do not deduct from mans allotted span the hours spent in fishing
ricey
Posts: 738
Date Joined: 24/12/09
i go with excellent
but as it is one of your two demersals, and its small size, I return them.
Wise man says - first take the plank out of your own eye before trying to take the speck out of somebody else's.
carnarvonite
Posts: 8673
Date Joined: 24/07/07
Excellent
They IMO are excellent eating. I would keep any that we caught along with boarfish for personal eating rather than send them off to market with the rest of our catch when working as a pro down south.
Any fish that eats shellfish etc has to be great eating, same as baldchin
DTrain
Posts: 486
Date Joined: 10/02/12
I've had one barbequed up
I've had one barbequed up when it was fresh and I would rate it as excellent.
Maybe the 3 star rating is because it doesn't freeze that well?
Bodie
Posts: 3758
Date Joined: 05/11/07
tried a couple not so long
tried a couple not so long ago.... didnt rate it at all, mushy.
Wouldnt keep another.
MattMiller
Posts: 4171
Date Joined: 15/06/09
Hit and miss
in my experience.
It seems that some individuals suffer from 'mushy' flesh. Not sure what causes it?
Had similar experiences with Harlequins, Coronation Trout, Samsons and YTK.
I've heard something about Foxfish mating for life and if you take 1 of the pair the other soon dies? Interesting if true.
Ryan C
Posts: 1575
Date Joined: 08/07/10
foxfish
they have very, very soft flesh and always fillet better after being in an ice slurry all day but the couple that i have eaten have been delicious, too small to really consider as part of my bag though so i release them. cheers
Hambo
Posts: 68
Date Joined: 17/11/11
Excellent mate. Obviously if
Excellent mate. Obviously if you take care of them once caught of course.
**The more I learn about fishing the more I realise how much more I have to learn about fishing**
Snags
Posts: 558
Date Joined: 07/05/09
These "Star Ratings"... where
These "Star Ratings"... where can i find this information?
petervb
Posts: 447
Date Joined: 18/12/09
they are delicious!
they are delicious!
duges66
Posts: 140
Date Joined: 07/03/12
Cheers
ricey & Ryan C summed it pretty well I reckon re smallish size & it taking up part of your bag limit. Perhaps if I catch one at the end of a slow day I'll take it and try for myself, otherwise as I've done in the past back in it goes. Re mating for life I seen a fishing TV episode where the diver (on a tv show so you'd expect very experienced) said he'd heard the same thing but then followed it with he's only ever seen them solo himself.
He also reckoned he had a mate who'd give up a 10kg Dhuie for one of them, but that IMHO is plain crazy.
There's 3 kinds of people in this world, those who can count and those that can't.
carnarvonite
Posts: 8673
Date Joined: 24/07/07
Preferences
I prefer foxfish over dhufish any day. IMO dhuey is vastly over rated.
Dhuey runs down somewhere about 9-10 in my top ten with the top three being Boarfish, nannygai and baldchin.
sea-kem
Posts: 15020
Date Joined: 30/11/09
You definately need to
You definately need to fillet them as the skin is like rubber if baked. But they are ok for a small fish.
Love the West!
duges66
Posts: 140
Date Joined: 07/03/12
Carnarvonite, have ever
Carnarvonite, have ever experienced the mushyness described by others? If not perhaps it's the way you go about cooking it, which is?
There's 3 kinds of people in this world, those who can count and those that can't.
sea-kem
Posts: 15020
Date Joined: 30/11/09
Don't you mean Matt Miller?
Don't you mean Matt Miller? That comment has me stumped too, never seen that, maybe in a crab ;)
Love the West!
carnarvonite
Posts: 8673
Date Joined: 24/07/07
Mushyness?
Never encountered the mushiness?, always spike fish and straight in to a salt water slurry.
Leave on ice overnight and fillet the next day same as all fish, that way the flesh is well and truly set.
Cook it with butter in a pan or in batter and deep fried.
duges66
Posts: 140
Date Joined: 07/03/12
Nah you see if Matt
Nah you see if Matt occasionally gets mushy ones then I don't want his cooking method (not that I'm suggesting that his cooking method is the cause - though I suppose I am kind of alluding to that aren't I - no offense meant Matt) I'd rather it from Carnarvonite who rates them well above dhuies, coz if they cook up that good for him he's got to be doing something right.
There's 3 kinds of people in this world, those who can count and those that can't.
sea-kem
Posts: 15020
Date Joined: 30/11/09
I see your point duges.
I see your point duges. Maybe a few wines consumed when cooking makes them taste better ;)
Love the West!
lawndered
Posts: 170
Date Joined: 27/10/11
Fox Fish
I've caught a couple kept and ate the first one thought it was ok, the missus baked it whole though, not my favourite method of cooking, not sure if I did the fish justice. That being said I have to agree with a few others here after leaning they are slow growers I fell better chucking them back.
Bluetonic
Posts: 1147
Date Joined: 09/01/08
Everyone I've caught and kept
Everyone I've caught and kept has been excellent eating and yes they are very slow growing and don't release well either. Never had a problem with mushy flesh though but any individual fish or species can pick up parasites that can turn flesh mushy.
Blue Sky, Blue Water, Bluetonic!
Belly Fish
Posts: 499
Date Joined: 09/03/12
I rate them
I know you dont get volume value for a category 1 in your bag, but I rate them better than Jewie/Baldie/Breaksea. Matter of fact, had one last night (that was frozen) and it was superb as usual. They are slimey to fillet, but I've never had a mushy one and I always find them superb on the chew. I would say I'm probably a bit unique, but I'd rather keep a .700g Foxfish than a 2kg Baldchin from an eating perspective.
lastcast
Posts: 218
Date Joined: 04/04/13
as stated I reckon mushiness if present
is due to parasites, as with sambos bleed immediately
And bury in ice slurry straight after and your foxie will
Give any restaurant a good run. age wise well you need
to be conscious of that in your decisions.