Croaker fish get their name from their habit of croaking underwater. Are these fish safe – or tasty – to eat?
Croaker is a delicious and versatile choice for many fish dishes. It can be steamed, grilled, pan-fried, deep-fried, braised, or roasted. It tastes great with different sides, as well as on its own. However, we don’t recommend eating it raw as it may contain trematodes.
This article discusses what croaker fish is, how you can serve it to your guests, what nutrients it offers, and what you should be cautious of. Read on!
Is Croaker a Good Eating Fish? Taste Guide
Croaker is reported to have a mild taste that won’t compete with other herbs, spices, or flavors you cook it with.
Croaker is also great on its own and has a mild, slightly sweet flavor. Just add a bit of salt, pepper, and a spritz of lemon. The meat or flesh is firm and white with a bit of red.
People online compare croaker fish to juvenile white seabass, spot fish, yellow perch, red drum, black drum, sea mullet, and yellowtail snapper.
Croaker fish come in different types. There’s Pacific Croaker, also called White Croaker, and there’s Atlantic Croaker, also known as Yellow Croaker.
Interestingly, Asian fish markets in Los Angeles don’t call or acknowledge Atlantic Croaker as Yellow Croaker. Instead, they recognize it as Corvina (source: Clove Garden). There’s some debate as to whether or not the two are actually different.
Another source states that Corvina is the generic name of croaker varieties. Corvina is sweet and is commonly made into ceviche (source: Chefs Resources).
While this is the case, we don’t recommend eating croaker fish raw because trematodes (a type of parasite) can live in this fish and be transmitted to humans (source: American Oceans).
Trematodes are flatworms or flukes. Human infections caused by this parasite, such as Schistosomiasis, are very rare. Still, we don’t recommend eating croaker fish raw.
Does Croaker Have Lots of Bones? Is it Hard to Prepare?
Atlantic croaker fish is categorized under the class Osteichthyes. This means that they are bony (“ostei” means bone) (source: Salt Marsh Guide).
Croaker fish can be bought whole, fresh, frozen, skinned, fillet, or halved. Fresh croaker tastes better than its frozen counterpart. The closer it is to its fresh condition, the better it will taste.
If you bought your croaker whole, you will need to remove the bones yourself. Dishes that use whole croaker fish are usually steamed, braised, baked, or roasted, and they need to be eaten with caution because of the bones. If you prepare croaker whole for guests, be sure to tell them to carefully remove the bones, which are quite small.
Croaker Recipe Ideas: The Best Way to Cook it
Croaker is great when oven-roasted, oven-baked, pan-fried, grilled, and fried, whether with breading or not. It is a white-fleshed fish with a mild flavor, which is most probably why it goes well with many different flavors, or as a stand-alone dish.
You can roast croaker in the oven with vegetables such as carrots, onions, and parsley. You can also braise it in a red sauce made with peppers and onions, or Asian style with ginger, scallion, chilies, and soy sauce.
Not a fan of adding too much flavor? Try steaming the croaker for a short time, then adding freshly scrunched black pepper and salt with a splash of lemon. Finish it off by steaming, pan-frying, or grilling it.
You can also deep fry croaker for that crispy and satisfying dinner. However, don’t prepare it this way regularly because of the fat content. To balance out the grease, serve this dish with a salad or fresh vegetables.
You can also make fish and chips with croaker, but keep in mind it is moderately fatty. Fish and chips recipes usually call for meaty and less fatty fish.
Another serving suggestion would be fish fingers with a sour cream dip or plain Greek yogurt.
Is Croaker Healthy? Nutritional Benefits
Both Atlantic croaker and Pacific croaker are good and safe seafood choices.
Atlantic croaker has a mercury concentration mean of 0.069 PPM (parts per million), while Pacific croaker has a mercury concentration mean of 0.287 PPM (source: FDA).
According to the FDA, the highest mercury concentration allowed when eating a serving of fish per week is 0.46 µg/g (source: FDA). 1 ug/g is equivalent to 1 ppm.
One serving of fish is around 4 ounces. The FDA recommends adults eat 2–3 servings or 8–12 ounces of fish a week (source: FDA).
Taking into consideration the mercury content of croaker fish, Atlantic croaker can be consumed twice, while Pacific croaker can only be consumed once a week.
The FDA also classifies Atlantic croaker under the “Best Choice” fish category, while Pacific croaker (also called White croaker) is classified as a “Good Choice” (source: FDA).
Since Atlantic croaker is the better fish when it comes to mercury levels, let’s see what nutrients it contains. Atlantic croaker is rich in protein and also contains considerable amounts of potassium and vitamin D (source: USDA Food Data Central).
Protein is vital in the diet because proteins make new cells or repair damaged ones. They are particularly essential for the growth and development of children and also in pregnancy (source: MedlinePlus).
Unlike protein from a plant source, protein from an animal source is complete. The body requires it every day because it uses protein almost immediately, unlike carbs or fats, which it sometimes stores (source: MedlinePlus).
Phosphorus plays a role in healthy aging due to its role in bone metabolism. Too much phosphorus loss can lead to rickets (weak bones) in children and osteomalacia (softening of the bones) in adults (source: Nutrients).
In the same way, vitamin D makes your bones stronger and prevents rickets and osteomalacia (source: CDC).
Croaker is a moderately fatty fish, but it won’t add much to your dietary fat unless you fry it. When fried (complete with breading), its fat content is about four times higher than if you steam, grill, or pan-fry it without anything other than salt and/or pepper (source: USDA Food Data Central).
We hope we’ve answered all your inquiries about croaker. Go make a delicious dish today!
