WAHOO FISH
Wahoo fish…
Wahoo is a tropical fish. They are predominantly silver in colour. In fact, rich blue to green on top. The silver section is below with cobalt blue vertical bars on their sides. Normally they grow between 900mm to 1.5m long. Wahoo is very long with a beak-like snout full of serrated teeth. It usually has several small fins along its dorsal vertical ridges. Wahoo’s both jaws are moveable. It is rather unusual for a fish.
The Wahoo species are among the fastest fish in the sea. It can swim up to 75 kilometres per hour. They are often incidental catches while fishing for other pelagic species. These may be Mahi-Mahi which is known as dolphin fish and Narrow barred mackerel. Wahoo is popular for sport fishing and food catch. This lone fish does not school enough for a viable commercial venture.
Common names
The scientific name for Wahoo is Acanthocybium solandri. However, it has many names throughout the world. So, in the English language, the common names are barracuda, kingfish, malata kingfish, Pacific kingfish and queen fish. It is a popular fish in Hawaii and known as ono. Samoans refer to it as paala and French as paere. The Spanish call it Sierra and the Japanese kamasu-sawara. In Portugal, it is known as Serra-da-India.
Thus far with these many common names, some people confuse it with tuna. Wahoo is not tuna. However, they are related. They both belong to the Scombridae family. In fact, the wahoo more closely relates to the mackerel. There may be a possible misnomer of various varieties to Wahoo. Hence, so many ‘relative’ names. They are fairly challenging to catch.
Prized fish
Whatever you want to call Wahoo, they a prized fish. It is so because of its high-quality flesh. Furthermore, because of its speed, Wahoo is a valued game fish. It has the ability to put up a brave fight when it’s hooked. Furthermore, Wahoo is prized for the sweet taste of its firm, white flesh. Moreover, they are pricey with the fishmongers.
Hawaiian Wahoo is a superb source of healthy and lean protein. They are low in saturated fat and low in sodium. Wahoo is an excellent source of essential minerals and vitamins. It is rich in niacin, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, phosphorus and selenium. Thus far, Wahoo provides substantial amounts of healthy omega-3 fatty acids.
Mild taste
Wahoo has a mild taste. In fact, has one of the most delicious flavours of all fish. It is both sweet and delicate. While it tastes much like tuna, it depends on the cooking methods.
There is no trace of fishiness or fishy aftertaste. It has a firm, lean texture with large circular flake. People often compare grilled Wahoo with chicken or veal with flavour. Raw Wahoo meat is lighter than mackerel. In fact, it is pleasant looking pale pink. When cooking it turns up white because it has less red muscle meat. It is a versatile fish to cook. However, Wahoo benefits from cooking methods suitable with low-fat content species. Thus, the meat does not dry out when cooking.
Eating raw
It is extremely common for it to be eaten raw in the Pacific regions and Hawaii. Due to its nice texture, the preference is to be chunked. Thus far, some parts of the fish taste better when cooked. Otherwise, they may be chewy in raw form. However, most of the fish is suitable for raw dishes. A common Mexican preparation is to marinate Wahoo in lime juice and salt for a luscious ceviche. Wahoo is famous to replace tuna for sashimi and sushi dishes
Cooking Wahoo
Wahoo is a delicacy in tropical coastal regions. Their cuisines include both raw and cooked fish. Its firm and meaty texture work well with most cooking recipes. They can be eaten as steaks as well as shredded fish in tacos. Thus far, the best to showcase its flavour and texture is to grill, pan-fry or bake.
Since wahoo is such lean meat, it is easy to overcook them. Therefore, it is important to keep a close watch on your filets. Most grilling and baking recipes recommend removing the filets before they are done. Thus far, cooking and finishing them off by letting them steam in a dish.
Wahoo is extremely popular in the USA. For example, a successful US restaurant chain uses its name and image in its title and logo.
