Trigger Fish

[SamFamAustin]

I learned something new about the triggerfish the other day. As many know, the triggerfish has a nasty spine that they stick up when aggravated. They are not good to get stuck in your hand.

But a boat captain showed us how there really is a second "trigger" behind the first spine. It locks up and the front spine is solid as a rock. Push down on the second spine, and the offending spine closes down like a pocket knife.

I never would have believed it is he didn't show up like 4 times. Push this down, and fold down the big spine like this. Gee, so simple. Anyway, we just get the grey triggerfish in our neck of the woods, but in the Abacos there is another beautiful variety - all extremely good table fare, may I add. /Sam

[Charlotte Couple]

Besides being beautiful, the Triggerfish are also delicious. Here's another interesting fact we learned about them while in Abaco. As anyone who has tried to clean a triggerfish knows, their skin is extremely tough and has an abrasive texture. In earlier times the islanders used those skins to scrub their floors and scour their pots and pans. They said it was better than any commercial products, and lasted forever.

Cliff Claven

[DrRalph]

Years ago a guide up at Walker's Cay showed me a neat way to clean triggerfish. The skin is made difficult to cut by the presence of dense overlapping scales in the surface. They offer much less resistance if you cut them from the inside of the skin.

Use a knife with a sharp point to make a narrow incision on the shoulder. Work your knife into the incision, then cut up and outward, slicing just through the skin from the inside. Work your way completely around the fillet. Next, slice the fillet away from the body of the fish, follow the incision line you made in the first step. You have a nice fillet, an intact knife, and you haven't said one bad word.

[SamFamAustin]

Cool, I'll try it next time, DrRalph. Sounds like how some old-timers cut up flounder.

Oh I did catch a distant relative of the Triggerfish, the Atlantic Spadefish. These honeys can get fairly large and are determined fighters all the way to the top. When cooked it is not quite as sweet but is definitely a treat.

The ID is more like an aquarium Angelfish but without the long fins. Anyone seem many yonder in the Abacos? /Sam