Saltwater delicacies include blue runner, bonito, lizardfish—and a few you won’t want to try.
I certainly appreciated the fact that I was fishing with the great Captain Bouncer Smith. He is not only one of the best of the best, he’s legitimately a great guy. I can’t think of a saltwater delicacy he doesn’t have access to. Imagine my surprise when he stopped me from throwing the front half of a blue runner back overboard, after a kingfish had cut it in half. I was shocked when he filleted what was left of the runner, and stuck it in a tiny Ziploc full of sashimi ingredients. Blue runner? When you catch tuna, wahoo, and mahi on a regular basis, how can Capt. Bouncer’s delicacy be blue runner?
My buddy Dan Parker pulled a fast one on me offshore Fort Pierce one winter. We were trolling for sails, but the blackfins and bonito were going through our ballyhoo in a hurry. I ran into the cabin after something, and Dan had laid out a gorgeous spread of what I knew was fresh blackfin. I grabbed a thin slice, dipped it in soy, and swallowed. “Taste good?” Dan asked. “Of course,” I replied. “Who wouldn’t love fresh tuna?” “It’s bonito,” was his response.
I was shocked. I actually had to go open the fish box to count the tuna. Bonito shoulder makes pretty darn good sashimi. Is it as good as ahi? Well, probably not. It’s chewier, but if I’m in the mood for sashimi, I will cut a small piece of shoulder out of a smaller bonito, slice it thin, put it in a baggie with soy and lime, and the baggie goes in a saltwater slush…