So, I have heard lots of different things about eating them. So I finally decided to give it a try. Kept a nice one. When cleaning was met with the expected worms. closely choose some nice portions free of worms, and cooked them up. Really surprised at the texture and flavor. Not bad at all. I would do it again… so what are your thoughts? Anyone agree? Or was that a really bad choice…LOL…
The meat of an AJ is not bad! it doesn’t flake like grouper or snapper its more steak like with the texture of tuna - but firmer.
There are so many great offshore fish to eat. I personally can’t get past the worms. The inside of the first and last one I brought home looked like an old mop with all the worms.
I love smoked amberjack. So does my wife and my brothers and their wives and my dad and my mom (with cream cheese). No worm problems. Kills them dead. Clean em, then smoke em if you got em.
The smaller ones are better for eating. I’m not sure the worms would do anything bad to you if cooked but I will absolutely eat the non wormy portions.
I’ve had it at AJ’s in Destin, Fl and I really enjoyed it. AS some have said, the smaller tend to have less (if any) worms but even the larger ones, cleaned properly, are still good table fare.
“…be a man and PM me.”
Never have a problem filling the cooler with quality fish. After cleaning hundreds of them, I would rather eat a vagrant socks, Then one of those wormy bastards.
.
PROUD YANKEE
Oyster Baron
NMFS = No More Fishing Season
“Back home we got a taxidermy man. He gonna have a heart attack when he see what I brung him”
When I’ve cleaned them, I’ve found the vast majority of the worms in the back third of the fish and usually the lower half. I’ve cut out the shoulder meat and found it to be pretty clean.
I believe grouper also have worms if I’m not mistaken?
2016 Boston Whaler 230 Vantage w/300 Merc Verado
Red grouper out of the Gulf sometimes have a very small black parasite in the meat. I have never seen worms in a scamp or a local gag . And I have fillet thousands of them. Can’t see killing a 50 or 60 pound AmberJack to pull a 5 pound strip of meat out of its back. Besides that they take up too much room in the fish box that I could put good fish in
.
PROUD YANKEE
Oyster Baron
NMFS = No More Fishing Season
“Back home we got a taxidermy man. He gonna have a heart attack when he see what I brung him”