Jack crevalle, despite being a popular game fish, typically do not rank high on the scale of edibility and flavor.
Although this fish is not commonly eaten, especially in western countries, it is perfectly edible and there are some ways to make it palatable…some would even say tasty(?)
But, do jack crevalle have worms? Are they safe to eat?
Table of Contents
- Do Jack Crevalle Have Worms?
- Are Jack Crevalle Poisonous?
- Are Jack Crevalle Safe To Eat?
- Related Posts
Do Jack Crevalle Have Worms?
Yes, unfortunately, it’s very common for jack crevalle to have worms.
The most common parasites to infect the jack crevalle, and most other members of the Carandig family, are the Stephanostomum ditrematis and Bucephalus varicus worms, known commonly as trematode worms.
S. ditrematis live in the jack’s rectum and are common in many species found off the coast from Massachusetts to Florida.
B. varicus are also common and can colonize the jack’s entire intestine.
Jacks can also have several roundworm, tapeworm, and gill worm varieties.
Many anglers have described filleting a jack and discovering clumps of roundworm or other hairlike worms between the skin and the meat, or throughout the meat itself.
It’s impossible to identify the exact species of any of these by sight, but none of them should be eaten when they are still alive. Many of these parasites are as capable of infesting a person.
Are Jack Crevalle Poisonous?
Jack crevalle are not a poisonous fish like the Japanese pufferfish, whose organs contain so much toxin that a tiny sliver could kill an adult human quickly, the jack crevalle has no innately toxic meat or organs.
However, larger and older jack crevalle can subject someone who eats it to something called ciguatera poisoning.
A person contracts ciguatera poisoning by eating fish that has ingested too much of an algae called Gambierdiscus toxicus.
The jacks don’t ingest the algae themselves, but their prey does, and quantities of the algae toxin can build up in the jacks over time as it gets concentrated by moving higher in the food chain.
A person who eats a jack crevalle that has a high build-up of this toxin can come down with ciguatera poisoning.
While rarely fatal, ciguatera poisoning isn’t pleasant. It has gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, and neurological symptoms.
These can include nausea and vomiting, tingling in the fingers and toes, and confusing sensations of cold and hot.
The symptoms often go away in weeks or days, but they can last for years in some cases.
Are Jack Crevalle Safe To Eat?
Although they are not a popular food source and they have potential for parasites and toxicity, jack crevalle can be safe and enjoyable to eat if you know what to do.
By following some basic precautions below, you can take steps to minimize the dangers from both parasites and ciguatera poisoning.
(You may also be asking yourself, are jack crevalle good to eat? What do they taste like?) Good question!
Basic Precautions
Ciguatera Poisoning
The best precaution against getting ciguatera poisoning is to only eat smaller jack crevalle.
This works because the toxin builds up over time. Environmental toxins build up and concentrate as they move up the food chain.
The algae have a little toxin, the crustaceans that eat the algae have more, the fingerlings that eat the crustaceans have even more, and the mullet that eats the fingerling have more yet.
Finally, the jack crevalle that’s eating large amounts of mullet has the highest concentration of all.
The big jacks have eaten many, many more mullet than the little ones, so they have higher amounts of the algae toxin.
Fortunately, it’s generally recommended to eat only small jacks anyway because they have a milder taste.
You should also avoid the liver, intestines, head, or roe because the toxin appears here in the highest concentrations.
Worms
Don’t eat raw, fresh jack crevalle because you don’t want to be eating the live worms. The worms are fairly easy to kill, and you don’t even have to cook the fish to do it, so you can still have your jack sushi with just a little work!
There are two ways to deal with worms in the meat of a jack crevalle: freezing or cooking.
Before starting either, visually go over the meat and remove any worms or cysts that you can see.
To kill any worms by freezing, you need to freeze the fish at -32 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 hours or -5F for seven days. Once that’s done, you can thaw it and eat it raw if you want to.
The other and faster way is just to cook it to an internal temperature of 145 degrees. Once you’ve done that, you can eat it without fear of worms.
See Also: Are Jack Crevalle Dangerous? Heres What You Should Know
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