The most missunderstood and incorrectly identified species in Florida waters is the fish locals call the "Bonito." We caught several of these fish which gave a powerful fight. The large Bonito we caught resembled small Tuna and were brightly colored and very plump. We were told they are not good to eat and received conflicting information on it's status as good table fare from many people. We were involved in several debates amongst seasoned anglers on 2 forums that consider the Bonito a trash fish, only suitable for bait! We weren't convinced, so we did some research. What we found after doing some research is there are 2 very different species of what Floridian anglers call "Bonito", one with superior taste, the other not. So we went with our research, figured out we caught the sushi-grade species in the Tuna family, bled it in ice water, had some raw, grilled the rest and had a fantastic cookout with our friends. We were fishing a mile out of Fort Lauderdale the end of July 2012 and hit several schools of Little Tunny, pictured below on the left.

Both species called "Bonito" travel in large schools and are very powerful swimmers giving anglers an exciting fight. Once caught, most anglers think the following two very different species are the same fish and toss it for bait, discarding the sushi-grade fish because they do not realize what they caught. So let's compare the two common Bonito's of Florida. The Little Tunny (False Albacore) pictured to the left has horizontal markings on the top and is a shinny turquoise color when first caught. See more pictures of the Little Tunny (False Albacore) on our Facebook Album. We caught many Little Tunny's off Fort Lauderdale the end of June 2012. There were large schools that gave us a furious fight. Once onboard, the fish were a stunning blue-green color topside with spots on their belly, they averaged around 30 inches and were very proud of our catch. The picture on the left is freshly taken from the body; the picture on the right is of the fillets after soaking in ice water 24 hours, notice how the fillets turned white on the outside and when cut the inside is still a nice red color.

We started by filleting the red colored flesh and tossing all the meat in a cooler full of ice water. We let the fillets sit for several hours, a process called "bleeding the meat". This step is necessary, this is a very bloody fish and we think it is the key to enjoying your sushi. After soaking in ice water a few hours we removed the meat then cut out the dark blood line down the middle of the fillets, cutting up and freezing the blood line meat for our next fishing trips bait. The keeper filets were the size of pork tenderloins with a reddish hue. Next we finely sliced some of the meat and enjoyed a little sushi - it was fantastic and tasted identical to high priced Tuna, no fishy taste or smell at all. The rest we threw back in the cooler to bleed some more. 24 hours later, the water in the cooler was very bloody and the fillets had a whitish hue indicating the bleeding process was complete. Next we marinated the fillets for a few hours in a mixture of soy sauce, honey, brown sugar, fresh chopped garlic, ginger, and pepper then grilled them for about 3 minutes each side.

They were fantastic, not a piece left over. Now try a Little Tunny, you won't regret it! As of this writing in August 2012, the Little Tunny are schooling on inshore waters on the Central and Southeast Atlantic coasts of Florida. jogo sushi magico zumaWe took a trip during Mini Lobster Season out of the Port Everglades and caught quite a lot. sushi tei menu mississaugaThe Little Tunnys were attracting Shark too, we had a few stolen by a Hammerhead Shark and a Shortfin Mako - it was an exciting trip! where to buy sushi grade fish in des moinesSee the pictures on our Facebook Albums. There have also been reports of thick bait masses of Red Minnows off Jensen Beach where the Little Tunny are coming inshore, even to the beaches, to feed on the bait.

This powerful fish will surely give you a good fight. Survey started 8/8/2012 — Last Updated 09/07/2016F&W Taste Test: Best Caramel Sauces Editor's Choice: F&W's 10 Best Dessert Recipes of 2015 The Best New Gift for Gin Drinkers The Baller Way to Travel to Pebble Beach Food & Wine Now You Can Buy The Meatball Shop’s Awesome Tomato Sauce Top 10 Food Products of 2012 Bid Now in MOFAD’s Epic Online Auction Editor Picks: Top 5 Coffee Splurges of 2012 These Ultra-Cool EVERCUT Knives Will Stay Sharp for 25 Years Best Super Bowl Drinks, or How to Hide in the Kitchen Eating Nachos and Lighting Fruit on Fire to Avoid Football Sushi nerds, the time has come to stop lamenting that you can’t drop by the Tokyo fish market every morning. Sushi nerds, the time has come to stop lamenting that you can’t drop by the Tokyo fish market every morning. One of America’s top suppliers of pristine, meant-to-be-eaten-raw fish is now selling directly to consumers.

Until now, seafood from the Honolulu Fish Company went only to top restaurants like Michael White’s Marea. For years, chefs have prized the company’s wild, line-caught fish (all of which comes from Hawaii) for its smooth, buttery texture and glassy, shimmering appearance, as well as its amazing flavor. It’s all sashimi-grade, which (though the term isn’t regulated by law) connotes a specific, labor-intensive way of processing and preparing the fish for raw consumption. One of the prime offerings is rich, steak-red ahi tuna (which is, by the way, sustainable), but the company also sells lesser-known varieties that are rarely seen on the mainland. Fish like ono (a.k.a. wahoo), opah and kajiki (Hawaiian blue marlin) are less pricey than tuna but just as incredible, served raw as sashimi or poke, a classic Hawaiian dish of marinated raw fish. This amazing fish isn’t cheap—it starts at around $100 for three pounds—but shipping is included and it arrives in specially designed packaging that reflects heat.