Snook has a moderate but distinct flavor. Fillets hold together well enough for poaching but I don't care for it cooked that way. I think the flavor works much better dusting lightly with rice flour and frying.

This fish is completely covered with smallish scales that scrape off easily and fly about only moderately. The gills are firmly attached and a bit spiny so you'll probably want to use kitchen shears to remove them.

Snook presents no particularly filleting problems. This is a meaty round fish so yield is good with a 1-1/4 pound fish yielding 11.4 ounces of skinless fillet (57%) - but that was from a factory gutted fish so you'll get a little less from one with a full set of innards.

The skin does not have a strong flavor but it does shrinks a lot when fried so should be removed using the usual long knife and cutting board method. Head fins and bones make a strongish stock which I don't much care for with a fair amount of oil.