Difference in taste of Skipjack and Bonito

[Loggoog]

What is the difference in their tastes?

[SanDimasLMB]

Theres really no difference probably because they're in the tuna family. There is a diference in Yellowtail vs. Albacore though.

[sansou]

Tastes like chicken, One tastes like grilled chicken, the other tastes like baked chicken.



Just joking, I've never had skipjack, cause I was always told to toss them overboard on the cattle boats.

[pdrfish]

In Japan, they use skipjack (katsuo) for a number of things, including making soup stock (katsuo dashi - a staple), tataki (seared sashimi) and a number of other things (katsuobushi - dried bonito flakes). Our pacific bonito is commonly mistaken as katsuo, and from my perspective, it doesn't taste that good. Skipjack on the other hand, is pretty nice (although not to the standards of yellowfin or bluefin, or bigeye for that matter) but I still prefer it over albacore. But then again, that's just my preference.

[Fisher-of-Men]

Bonita actually comes from the Tuna family. Bonita tends to be fairly oily; but if you don't mind a little grease, it can be quite good.

Fisher-of-Men

[valhalla_1_2000]

No difference, they're both just absolutely awful and not suitable for human consumption. However, they can both be used for catfood, garden fertilizer, catfish bait, etc.

[ymin72]

I think most of the canned tunas are skipjacks.

With that being said though, I still have not cooked or brought home a skipjacks myself.

[Ambassadorhawg]

Sorry to burst your bubble guys, but BONITO are in the MACKEREL family just like WAHOO, yes, WAHOO. But yes, a "relative" of the tunas.

I would tend to think that Skipjack would taste a little better simply because they swim offshore in "cleaner" waters.

[valhalla_1_2000]

True A-hawg, but wahoo actually tastes very good.

[Ambassadorhawg]

Yessssss...I know, those long bodied, giant toothy mackerels are DEEEELICIOUS!!!

[ONEKID]

brought home skippys and bonitos from my ensenada trip last weekend. I made tuna salad with both and you really can't tell the difference between them and albacore tuna salad tastewise. (The albacore was from a different trip). Albacore has a firmer dry'er texture which you can only differenciate in the cooking process. But after incorporating it into the MAYO, its all the same shiet. It doesnt matter that the bonies or skippys are greasy once you drown em in the mayo.

BUT, if your planning on just pan frying or bbqing the fish, skipjack or bonito are not that great unless you like mackeral, which I do.

serisously, its how you cook it and what your used to.

[Tracker]

Bonito are a great fish. They take a bait or lure readily, they fight like a mofo, and they are good to eat. I've heard them called the "poor man's tuna" which is pretty accurate to me. It's getting expensive to get offshore these days. Like any wild food- How you take care of it can make a big difference. Ya gotta bleed these guys quick. Oh yeah- They're heavy too, (JP) This was a $100 fish.