Snake Mackerel Family


Whole Snoek Fish [family Carangidae]

This is a modest size family, with about 25 species, only a few of which are commonly eaten. The Snoek is considered favorably, especially in South Africa, but a couple others are quite notorious.   Photo by Brian Gratwicke, distributed under license Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike v2.0 Generic.

More on Varieties of Fish (very large page).


Snoek


Whole Snoek Fish [Zeesnoek (old Afrikaans); Barracouta (Australia); Thyrsites atun]

This fish is found in the subtropical regions of the southern seas around the world, but only the continental shelf. it can grow to as much as 78 inches and 13 pounds, but is typically 30 inches. When early Dutch settlers came to South Africa, they depended a lot on fish, as they had little access to meat animals. This fish reminded them of the fresh water Snoek (Snook) they knew in Holland, but this was a salt water fish, so they called it Zeesnoek. In South Africa, it is only found on the west coast. IUCN listed NE (Not Evaluated).   Details and Cooking.

Escolar


Whole Escolar Fish [Lepidocybium flavobrunneum]

This fish is found on tropical and subtropical continental shelves worldwide. It can grow to 78 inches and 99 pounds, but is commonly around 59 inches. This often mislabeled fish is outstandingly delicious, but is also a "problem fish" - for details see Details and Cooking.   Photo by US Government NOAA = Public Domain.

Oilfish


Whole Oilfish [Ruvettus pretiosus]

This fish is found near the shores throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of all the world's seas. It can grow to almost 118 inches and 140 pounds, but is commonly around 60 inches. It is not fished deliberately, but shows up in by-catch. This fish has a pleasant rich oily taste, which has tempted stores and restaurants to mislabel it, which causes the same distressing problems as the very similar Escolar, so for details see Escolar - Details and Cooking.   Photo by US Government NOAA = Public Domain.

Snake Mackerel


Whole Snake Mackerel Fish [Hauliuli (Hawaii); Gempylus serpens]

This fish is common throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of all the world's seas. It can grow to 118 inches, but is commonly around 59 inches. The record weight is 140 pounds. It is not fished deliberately, but shows up in by-catch. It is sold fresh, dried, as sausages and fish balls and cakes. It can be cooked by any method, but is not eaten raw.   Photo by US Government NOAA = Public Domain.

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