Are these fish good to eat? I have been told that they are really not that great and really not worth eating. Can anoyone shed some light on this?
Of course it depends on who you ask. Personally I’m not a fan but can make a small king work with the right stuff on it.
R.D.S. IV
I like them, but the meat is a little ‘mushy’. I only eat them fresh, usually wrapped in foil with onions and spices on the grill. Small ones I will deep fry the filets. Either way, do not overcook, and don’t try to freeze them.
Edited to add: folks call these things ‘Mercury Missiles’ around here for a reason, not something you want a lot of very often…
B.G.
‘89 Whaler Newport 17’
'92 Evinrude 88 spl
Smoke 'em. Best way to do it
As bgf said, only fresh. I’ll fry, bake, or grill but need to add some flavor as stated. I like to rub with olive oil, and season as so desired then grill on some foil. I prefer to use cajun spices!
BORN & RAISED
206 CC Sea Pro
150 Yamaha
Cook them the night you catch them.
If a man wakes up early to go fishing he 's sleep deprived, If a man wakes up late to go fishing he’s fish deprived
Ok thanks for the advice! And thanks for the heads up on the mercury.
I will eat a small “snake” king sometimes.I leave the skin on the filets,wash and pat them dry,grease a baking pan with olive oil,lay filets skin down in pan,rub on a little fat-free italian dressing,sprinkle on some Cavender spice,sprinkle on a little shreaded parmesian, and broil 2nd rack down in oven for ~8min until cheese is dark brown on top.Then just scoop the meat off with a thin metal spatula and leave the skin in the pan.My wife is especially fond of this and it has justified alot of summer days away from home for me:wink:.I am also supposed to be eating oily,sw fish to raise my good cholesterol and I suck at tuna fishing.Good Luck!
“Give war a chance!”
wrap in bacon with a little ginger sauce make you slap your mama i am a chef only good fresh then grill
We use to eat them all the time growing up. Big ones as well. Before all the mercury talk. I’ve always been a fan of king steaks on the grill. Marinate in Zesty Italian and wrap in bacon. Good stuff.
all the sushi joints sell it RAW it is ok a bit fishy, wait it is fish so why wouldn’t it be fishy, shouldn’t we be suspisous of all the fish that don’t smell fishy 
Peace And Ease
Everyone should believe in something, I believe I’ll go fishing !!!
the steaks that i grilled last night were excellent. i marinated them in zesty italian and put them on foil. i also fried up some grouper and snapper fillets to go along. there were also some hush puppies made out of beer and buttermilk with onions in every bite . even put a few chopped up jalapenos in the puppies. lip smackin good!
Now i try to stay away from eating gray meat. It can be done though and it ain’t that bad if cooked correctly.
Kings are kinda “by-catch like” in my book.
I second the Italian dressing method. I cooked up somed filets a little while back–Marinated in the dressing for a few hours, then broiled in butter w/fresh garlic and sprinkled with some parm cheese towards the end. I went in cautiously optimistic, and ended up having thirds at dinner!
SCG
“Quit being nasty!!!”
A fresh caught snake is pretty good deep fried. If they are big enough to grill - I don’t care for them - no matter what you smear on them.
pbunn
agree on the caught that day thing. I just kept one to give half to my friend. Forgot I had late shift this week, so immediately gave rest to someone who could cook it right away.
For the bigger steaks, sometimes I quarterloin them to get the blood out before cooking. Makes nice size morsels for the grill. I don’t keep over 12 -15 lb fish.
23 wellcraft fishrman
driveway ornament
King mack fresh is great. Marinate in italian dressing and grill or cut in cubes batter and deep fry.
They taste like mergansers, just ask Scoutin4doodoo sharks. He’s a big duck “hunter” and can tell you exactly how fish ducks taste in relation to king mackeral. I always heard you could marinate a turd in Italian salad dressing and throw it on the grill…then I tried king mackeral steaks. Have fun, but I’d rather kick myself in the crotch than eat a stinkin kingfish.
24 Scottie Craft
Twin Chrysler 454’s
Semper Fi - USMC 67’
Italian marinated dressing is good on kings. Highly recommended.
If a man wakes up early to go fishing he 's sleep deprived, If a man wakes up late to go fishing he’s fish deprived
Tha absolute best recipe for kings.
Steak up king.
Soak cedar plank(s) in water (or apple juice) for an hour. Lightly drizzle some olive oil (good stuff) to coat. Season with your favorite fish spice mixture.
Get the grill going on med-high. When smoke first appears place steaks oil down. As soon as they start to firm up (3 minutes) and smoke is going well-flip. Cook till the steak is easily finished (4 minutes)and handled.
This is the most important part. Remove the plank carefully from the grill and set on a clean plate. Remove all steaks and any residue you can (get the plank as clean as you can. Put salt and pepper on the plank. Use the kings as fertilizer and eat the cedar plank!
That is the only recipe I use kings for.
23’ Boston Whaler Conquest.