What’s Biting: I’ve had a change of heart about jack crevalle

I’ve had a change of heart about jack crevalle

By David Rainer

As for jack crevalle, I’ve had a change of heart. Don’t get me wrong about the fish that is prevalent in the south ends of the bays and beachfront waters this time of year, jack crevalle still provide some of the best drag-stripping fun around.
Where my mind was changed was in the food value. Previously, jack crevalle was one of those species that was hooked for the fight only. When the fight was over, a picture was taken and the fish tossed back in the water.
Chef Haikel Harris of Flora-Bama Yacht Club and Chef Chris Sherrill of SALT at SanRoc Cay have totally changed my mind about eating jack crevalle. The flesh of the jack crevalle is definitely red. Not bonita red, but red nonetheless.
What Harris and Sherrill discovered was that if you treat the red meat like other red meat, the result is a delicious treat. The top loins (shoulders) of the fish are cut into 1.5-inch squares and sprinkled with your favorite steak seasoning (of course, the chefs do a much more elaborate seasoning blend, but Montreal works, too), and toss in your favorite marinade for a few hours.
Take skewers and make kabobs. Add onions and peppers if you desire to the kabob and then plop them on a hot grill. Sear nicely but don’t overcook. Slightly pink in the middle is perfect. Drizzle with garlic butter while the kabobs are cooking.
Of course, you’ve got to catch one before you start thinking about cooking one. This time of year, the jack crevalle can be anywhere. The main tactic is to keep your eyes peeled for the feeding frenzy that happens when the jacks surround a school of menhaden or other bait fish. The water turns to a froth, and if you toss a bait in the middle, you’re sure to get hooked up.
As most experienced anglers on the Alabama Coast know, it’s best to be prepared when you head out on the water this time of year. If you’re speckled trout fishing with 12-pound test line, you need to carry along a heavier spinning rod and reel loaded with 20-pound test line if you spot a school of jacks.
If you’ve got a cast net, add a few pogeys (menhaden) to the livewell before you head out. When you spot the school, hook the bait through the lips and toss it in the middle of the schooling fish. If your cast is true, a jack will grab it. If you don’t have live bait, just toss anything that looks like a baitfish into the middle of the school and hang on.
A good drag system on your reel may be the most important factor when fighting a jack, which will make a line-stripping run when it feels the hook. If the drag system can’t handle the pressure, your line won’t either. If the drag is in good order, you’ll have to hang on and wear the fish down, pumping and reel when the fish gives ground. After several runs, the fish will begin to tire, but once it sees the boat, it’s likely to zoom away again. He won’t have much left after that, and you can bring him alongside the boat. If you’re going to try some for dinner, you can gaff the fish. If you don’t have a gaff or want to release the fish, grab it by the tail and quickly swing it in the boat.
If you’re going to eat the jack, Harris and Sherrill recommend bleeding the fish by cutting off its tail.
The folks in the Caribbean and South America have been eating jack crevalle for many, many years, so we’ve got a lot of catching up to do with this abundant species.
David Rainer has written about the great outdoors on the Alabama Gulf Coast for more than 20 years. The outdoors editor at the Mobile Press-Register for 14 years, he is past president of the Southeastern Outdoor Press Association and currently serves on the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council’s Outreach and Education Advisory Panel and the Alabama Gulf Coast Reef & Restoration Foundation