Barracuda fish

Scientific name : Sphyraena
Teochew/Hockien : Sua Coon
Malay : Ikan Kacang

Barracuda is a large, predatory fish known for its fearsome appearance and ferocious behaviour.

I have often been asked by those who are ignorant of this fish whether it could be eaten?

Up till the eighties, it was the preferred fish by those Teochew or Hainanese Tze Char hawkers and restaurants. There’s a lot to get from this fish. Only a short length of its snout is discarded. The belly is also very small. More than 90 percent of the whole fish could be eaten.

Unlike most fishes, Barracuda has a very mild fishy smell. Most kids and non-fish eaters could accommodate it. The fish is as sweet if not better than the Spanish Mackerel (Batang fish). In those days, the latter was a low-end fish. Only Horse Mackerel (Tenggiri) and Indo Pacific Mackerel (Tenggiri Papan) are commercially restaurant grade.

The texture of matured Barracuda fish can be very firm, almost like chicken breast. Most sliced fish when cooked usually breaks to smaller pieces and not presentable. Barracudas are similar to sliced meat or chicken, they don’t breakup easily.

In those days, the usual ingredients for wet stir fry noodle are pork, squid, pig stomach, pig liver, prawn, sliced fish (Barracuda) and cai xin (菜心). The soup version usually excludes the prawn, pig stomach and liver will cost slightly more than street pedaling hawkers. Nevertheless, the taste, ingredients and portion justify the higher cost.

Another favorite back then is Barracuda fish porridge. For most teenagers, just like poultry and meat, Tze Char food was then a luxury.

Two weeks ago, I was invited to congregate in the evening at Elias Mall foodcourt for “Happy Hour”. On the same day, that morning, my fisherman friend serendipitously caught a 3.2kg Barracuda. It is huge but slaughtering it was a cinch. Sadly, the Tze Char stall at Elias Mall Foodcourt refused to cook for us.

I happened to come across a package of ma po doufu paste in the kitchen. The main ingredient of the paste is fermented soy beans which is an excellent appetizer or rather very taste enhancing condiment. Together with fresh chili, spring onion and celery, I had it home cooked. It was more than 1.5 kg of boneless fish. 6 of us finished the whole pot with big thumbs up!

Infant Barracudas which usually gather in a big school is also very good for making fish balls.

In Singapore water, there are 2 species of Barracuda. The “yellow fin” is tasty and sweet. The other which I will not recommend is the “black fin.”

As Barracuda is not fishy, it is versatile and can be cooked and consumed in many variations. But it has not been known to be served as sashimi.

Sashimi is a Japanese culture and for others, an acquired taste. The divine truth is, all fishes can be eaten raw as long as they are fresh.

Written by Freddie Tan