What does tripletail fish taste like is a question that every novice angler finds themselves asking. But even if you’re an experienced angler, if you’ve never tried the tripletail taste then this is something that you’ve probably wondered as well.
After all, tripletail isn’t an everyday delicacy. However, those who are familiar with triple tail fish-eating will tell you that it tastes similar to other white meat fish.
It has thin fillets on account of being a flatfish and its meat has a firm texture such as you would find in a grouper or a snapper.
Basically, if you love fish like Mutton Snapper, barramundi, mangrove snapper, kahawai, grouper, and cubera snapper, then you’ll love tripletail.
And once you’ve tasted triple tail, the legend is that you’ll always love it. It’s one of those delicacies that are surprisingly tasty despite not being very common. Of course, tripletail is also known for being easy to catch with fishing baits because it tends to lie close to the surface as though it were a dying fish.
But any smart angler knows one when they see one. And luckily for you, we have a fantastic tripletail fish recipe that you can use to celebrate your victory once you catch one.
Prepare Tripletail
It’s fairly easy to prepare a tripletail because there isn’t much that you have to do to bring out its flaky texture and semi-sweet flavor. In fact, less is more when it comes to cooking tripletail.
One of the best ways to bring out the best flavor in your triple tail is to use our special citrus-infused recipe which is super easy to bake.
For an even easier way to prepare a tripletail, you can simply broil, bake or sauté it on a pan. Another delicious tripletail fish recipe is to make it with salted butter, fresh parsley, freshly cracked black pepper, and Bob’s your uncle! This really brings out its natural flavor while enhancing it as well.
Some of the best sides to enjoy the triple tail taste include light vegetables or grilled zucchini marinated in olive oil.
Whatever you do, you should never batter fry or deep fry tripletail as it is not made for that. Frying it can and does ruin its texture and taste, thus robbing you of that authentic triple tail taste.
The Baked Tripletail Recipe
What does tripletail fish taste like baked? Delicious. No, really. It’s really good. And because of that, you don’t need to add too much to it.
With a little bit of effort, anyone can enjoy its characteristically flaky texture and sweet taste. The following citrus-infused recipe is a great way to enjoy tripletail baked.
Ingredients
- Tripletail (ideally you should have 2 pounds of the fish as this recipe serves four)
- Softened butter (1/2 a cup)
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
- Garlic powder (about 2 teaspoons or alternatively 2 freshly chopped cloves if you have)
- Freshly squeezed lemon (about ¼ cup)
- Freshly squeezed orange juice (about ¼ cup)
- garlic powder (2 teaspoons of powder or two cloves freshly chopped)
- Pepper to taste
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Start by preheating the oven to 325 F.
- Then, butter your baking dish lightly. For best results, it’s recommended to use a baking glass dish with dimensions of 9 x 13 inches.
- Season your fillets using salt and pepper as well as your garlic and even onion if that’s up to your alley.
- Once the fillets have been seasoned, you can then pop them into your baking dish which you’ve prepared earlier. Then, take about two tablespoons of soft butter and spread it on the fillets. Squeeze the lemon and orange juice onto the fillet making sure to completely cover your fillets with orange and lime slices afterward for good measure. This will really help to bring out the fish’s natural flavor.
- Put your dish into the oven and bake the fish until you notice that its flesh is now opaque. Use a fork to test the meat. If it’s flaky, then your dish is ready.
- The baking process typically takes about 20 to 25 minutes depending on the oven.
Now it’s time to take a look at what makes this species of fish so special and where exactly does it come from.
What is Florida Tripletail?
What’s a triple tail fish? Most people hear the word triple tail fish and assume that this is a three-tail fish. However, this isn’t true. This fish is so called due to its elongated dorsal and anal fins which are similar in size to the tail fin. So, it sort of looks like it has three tails but really it only has one just like any other fish.
Florida tripletail fish is typically endemic to the nearshore, offshore, and inshore. You can easily find them near structures like channel markers, as well as weed lines and crab traps.
Although it tastes great, tripletail isn’t very easy on the eye. And this is despite looking like it has three tails, or perhaps that’s part of the reason for its peculiar appearance.
Another notable thing about this fish is its odd behavior. It tends to swim near the surface but when you look at it at first glance, you’d be forgiven for thinking that it’s dead even though it’s alive. Tripletail fish is also oddly shaped with a weirdly flat body.
But, it makes up for all of that with its delicious taste and succulent texture. A lot of anglers in fact prefer tripletail to other saltwater fish like the grouper and the red snapper.
A lot of novice anglers often ask themselves what does tripletail fish taste like because it’s one of the more popular fish species in the Florida angling community and sportfishing is very competitive in that region.
Part of what makes tripletail a mystery to a lot of anglers is because it’s generally mysterious and it’s as easy to classify as other saltwater species. That’s why you won’t easily find fishing gear like reels and trout rods that are specifically designed for tripletail fish.
Still, its taste is undeniably tasty and for that reason, it should get more props and more people should know about it.
Besides, it’s so incredibly easy to cook that even if you’re not particularly good in the kitchen, it’ll be easy for you to prepare it.
As we mentioned earlier, tripletail gets its name from the fact that it has unusually elongated fins that sort of look like extra tails.
One of the best times to fish for a tripletail is in the warmer spring months and you can keep angling for it with great success right through to autumn. Of course, this fish is commonly found in Florida as well.
How to Catch Tripletail
If you don’t know how to catch tripletail yet then asking what does tripletail fish taste like is probably not the best place to start unless you want to make sure that you’re investing your time wisely in learning how to catch it.
You’ll be glad to know that catching a tripletail is a fun adventure. Challenging, but fun. If you want even more of a challenge catching tripletail, use sight fishing techniques because tripletail likes to swim close to the surface of the water, and will act dead to go unnoticed.
The best places to go sight fishing include places with weed lines, crab traps, and lobster traps. All you have to do is follow the trap line and look out for the fish’s characteristic brown tail.
But, why do tripletail fish float on the surface of the water in a way that makes them easy to catch?
There’s no consensus on the answer to this question but the general belief is that they actually do this to deter potential predators.
So, it’s a pretty smart fish in that it can fool most predators into thinking it’s dead-except for human anglers of course!
If you plan on fishing for a tripletail any time soon, look out for shallow structures such as buoy lines. You’ll not only find triple tails here but other reef-dwelling fish species too.
Conclusion
Now that you know what does tripletail fish taste like and how to prepare it, we hope you’ll have lots of fun catching and preparing this fish at home.
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