Best tasting fish

[the_tall_man]

OK, being a newbie in Florida and still sharpening up on my fish IDs...I was wondering which, of the numerous species that can be caught inshore gulf coast, are the *tastiest* (let's disregard for now any seasonal closures).

I have heard that Grouper, Pompano and the Flounder are pretty good. What about the other commonly-caught fish like Redfish, Snook, Trout, Sheepshead and Spanish Mackeral?

Bonus question...favorite preparation methods?

Cheers,
Rory

ps. heading out on the water today for the first time in FL on my kayak (I'm a WA state import). Very excited.

[kneedeep]

Redfish is always good and can be done many different ways. My most common way of preparation is marinate the boneless 3-4 ounce chunks in buttermilk, then just simply pan-fry in olive oil until golden brown and serve with your favorite cajun tartar sauce. I like Trout, but I only keep one over-slot fish if I wanna cook one. The small ones can be a tad mushy. Flounder is phenominal, but a nice 40someodd inch Cobia is out of this world!!

[Pirogue]

Caught my first pompano a couple weeks ago.

I think flounder has just been dethroned as my favorite saltwater fish.

Pompano for me.

[GILs_GONE_WILD]

If you like fish ... Mullet.

If you don't care for the taste of fish, then use any of the others mentioned and put plenty of "stuff" on, in and around them.

Sheepshead are awesome. They're about the closest thing to crabmeat that my allergies will let me eat (I cannot eat shrimp, crab, lobster ).

Actually, there aren't too many of the "edible" fish out there that I don't like.

Not kidding though, I really do like Mullet.

[Todd]

Snook. Fried. Best there is.

Gil you can have your mullet, anything that has to be smoked to taste really good tastes like crap not smoked.

[TampaJim]

Pompano, Flounder, Sheepshead and Spanish Mackerel.

All plentiful and reproduce easily. In addition, they are all good broiled and/or grilled ... my choice of cooking method.

[kneedeep]

Snook. Fried. Best there is.

Gil you can have your mullet, anything that has to be smoked to taste really good tastes like crap not smoked.

Can't argue with that! Snook is almost like Largemouth Bass, which is snow white, firm and quite tastee!

[0119]

Whiting!

[DoubleM]

One of my local favorites is the black sea bass

[Pirogue]

Whiting!

Forgot about whiting. My old foreman used to fry a bunch up for dinner and bring in the left overs for lunch the next day. Even great the day after and cold.

[DaveR]

Of the big 3 snook hands down but I haven't harvested any in years and since you're new to the scene I hope you join and think twice before you do too. Their numbers have really suffered due to cold snaps and habitat loss. Then trout, with redfish being third. Flounder, whiting, pompano, and snapper are all great. It's unusual to catch keeper grouper from paddle craft but if you do treat yourself!

[JoeS]

Can't go wrong with Flounder, whiting, pompano and I like just about any kind of Snapper .........

[GILs_GONE_WILD]

Snook. Fried. Best there is.

Gil you can have your mullet, anything that has to be smoked to taste really good tastes like crap not smoked.

Todd, have you ever eaten at Sam's in Dunedin. Get some of the Mullet backs for an appetizer, get a fried Mullet dinner with fries (throw the fries away). Then get another plate of them Mullet backs for dessert!!

[GILs_GONE_WILD]

Whiting!

Forgot about whiting. My old foreman used to fry a bunch up for dinner and bring in the left overs for lunch the next day. Even great the day after and cold.

I like Mullet the same way ... right out of the fridge the next morning for breakfast.

MMmmmmMMmmm

[bigguy]

I think the best way to cook fish is Blackened. With some rice and beans.

[snooker56]

Hogfish. Best tasting fish in the ocean. Too bad it is rare to catch them hook-n-line, though. A must for any spear-fisherman. (I don't dive any more due to sinus problems.)

Sheepshead are probably the most under-rated fish. They are excellent either grilled or smoked.

Of the big three (Reds, Trout and Snook) my fav are the Snookies. But I also love fried trout with my home-made hush puppies. Reds are great grilled, too. OK, I guess I like them all...