BEST EATING FISH IN FLORIDA

The Best Tasting Fish You’ll Find in Florida

Florida is blessed with an incredible variety of fish, from the warm Gulf waters to the Atlantic coast and the state’s countless rivers, bays, and inshore flats. For anglers who care as much about what’s on the plate as they do about the fight on the line, a handful of Florida fish stand out for their exceptional flavor and texture.

• Grouper — Often considered one of Florida’s signature table fish, grouper has thick, firm, flaky white meat with a mild, slightly sweet flavor. Black grouper, gag grouper, and red grouper are particularly popular. Fried, grilled, blackened, or made into sandwiches, grouper is hard to beat. Expect the portion size of black grouper to be smaller in a restaurant – more delicate, more expensive and harder to come by.
• Red Snapper — Red snapper is prized for its delicate, sweet flavor and moist, firm texture. Fresh red snapper needs very little seasoning; grilled, pan-seared, or simply baked with butter and lemon, it makes an outstanding meal.
• Snook — One of Florida’s most sought-after inshore fish, snook also happens to be excellent eating when legally harvested. The meat is white, firm, and mild, with a texture that holds up beautifully on the grill or in a pan.
• Mangrove Snapper — Smaller than many of Florida’s prized offshore fish, mangrove snapper makes up for it with excellent flavor. Its meat is sweet, tender, and flaky, and fresh-caught mangrove snapper is especially good fried whole, grilled, or pan-fried.
• Mahi-Mahi — Brightly colored and famous for its spectacular fight, mahi-mahi is also one of the best fish for the dinner table. Its meat is firm, lean, and mildly sweet. Blackened mahi, grilled mahi tacos, and simple lemon-butter preparations are all excellent choices.
• Yellowtail Snapper — A Florida favorite, particularly in South Florida and the Keys. Yellowtail has delicate, sweet meat and a fine texture. It is superb fried, grilled, or pan-seared and is often regarded as one of the finest-tasting snappers.
• Tripletail — This unusual-looking fish is something of a hidden gem. Tripletail has thick, white, flaky meat with a rich flavor and excellent texture. It is particularly good when lightly seasoned and grilled or pan-seared.
• Sheepshead — Don’t let the unusual teeth fool you. Sheepshead has firm, white meat with a mild, almost shellfish-like sweetness because of its diet. The fillets can be a little labor-intensive to clean, but many Florida anglers consider the effort well worth it.
• Cobia — Cobia produces large, firm fillets with a mild, buttery flavor. It is versatile enough for grilling, blackening, smoking, or pan-searing and is especially satisfying when you want a substantial piece of fish.
• Flounder — Florida’s flounder are prized for their delicate, mild flavor and tender white meat. They are particularly good when lightly breaded and fried, but a simple pan-sear with butter and lemon lets their natural flavor shine.

If the goal is simply greatest eating quality, a short list would include grouper, red snapper, yellowtail snapper, tripletail, and mangrove snapper. For a fish with a little more character and firmer meat, snook, mahi-mahi, cobia, and sheepshead are excellent choices. If you see hogfish on a restaurant menu, take advantage of the opportunity because it is less common than some of the others.

Of course, taste is personal, and preparation makes a tremendous difference. The freshness of the fish, how it is cleaned and stored, and how it is cooked can turn a good fish into an unforgettable meal.

If you come back with an ample catch from a successful charter, think about taking your cleaned catch to a local restaurant for them to prepare. The Dock at Crayton Cove restaurant is adjacent to the city pier and provides this service so when you return from your charter outing on the Gulf, minutes later they are preparing your fresh catch. Call ahead to your preferred restaurant and ask about this wonderful way of topping off your day on the water.

Some people would put hogfish at or near the top of the list. Think Hogfish Harry’s in the Park Shore neighborhood of Naples.

Another recommendation when it’s on the menu is pompano. The Sandbar Restaurant serves a whole fish pompano and it’s definitely worth the day trip from Naples to check out Anna Maria island. Wonderful island and village oozing with Florida charm and your toes can actually be in the sand at The Sandbar Restaurant. Smack on the beach.

One important note for Florida anglers: bag limits, size limits, seasons, and regulations vary by species, location, and sometimes by fishing zone, so current Florida regulations should always be checked before keeping a fish.