So, Can You Eat Ladyfish for Survival?

When you’re in a survival situation, a real one, all of your actions will be dictated by what you need to do, not what you want to do. At least, they will be if you want to actually survive…

One of the first things you’ll have to get used to is eating food that you normally wouldn’t eat, and food that you might not even normally consider edible. Luckily, nature can furnish us plenty of wholesome food if we know where to find it and know how to catch it.

How about ladyfish? Can you eat ladyfish to survive?

Yes, you can eat ladyfish safely. Not well regarded for its taste or texture, it is nonetheless completely safe and nutritious making it a reliable resource in a survival situation.

Ask anyone who has tried one of the various ladyfish species, and you’ll probably see them compare it unfavorably to their own preferred, firmer fish for eating.

But despite the relative shortcomings of the meat, ladyfish can definitely keep you alive and it will go down a whole lot easier than eating bugs or taking your chances with unknown mushrooms.

Learn more about eating Ladyfish and a survival situation here.

Where Can Ladyfish Be Found?

Ladyfish are not a species under themselves but instead a family of multiple species of ray-finned fish, variously called skipjacks, ten-pounders, jack fish, jack rashes or just simply ladyfish depending upon the species and where you are in the world.

Speaking of where you are in the world, ladyfish as a family are found everywhere throughout subtropical and tropical coastal waters, and periodically they can be found in warm, temperate waters.

If you live near the coast and particularly if you have access to a worthy ocean-going boat, ladyfish might prove to be an excellent addition to your survival food plan if you have the skills and the equipment to catch them.

Nutritional Facts about Ladyfish

Detailed nutritional info on ladyfish is difficult to come by, and further will vary slightly depending on the exact species you are dealing with.

Despite this, we know that ladyfish, like most fish, provides plenty of protein and a little bit of fat, making it a great source of short-term and long-term energy even when compared to other kinds of animal protein.

Also, as with all fish you’ll find a great assortment of vitamins and minerals that a hard-working body needs, including lots of B vitamins and plenty of minerals like iron, phosphorus, manganese and more.

Omega-3 fatty acids are also found in abundance in ladyfish and these have many health benefits.

It’s easy to discount the entire nutritional profile of any given food in a survival situation when you are only concerned with the raw bulk of it in the form of calories, but this is a mistake.

Though undoubtedly important, because calories are the basic fuel that your body needs, going without any particular vitamin or mineral for an extended period of time can it quickly result in deficiencies that can compound into various maladies.

That is the last thing you want when you’re already struggling to survive! Luckily, fish is always a great and healthy protein option, and Ladyfish is no exception…

Can You Eat Ladyfish? Taste Test Ep:9

What Does Ladyfish Taste Like, Anyway?

Compared to other, firmer kinds of fish, ladyfish usually stacks up poorly. Is often described as oily, slightly mushy, and sometimes grainy.

Although the taste is rarely anything truly offensive, the texture is something of a hang up for people.

Worse, ladyfish are extremely bony, meaning that prep is a laborious chore or eating around the bones if you are cooking whole fish is problematic.

Despite this, careful, proper preparation and the benefit of seasonings and other ingredients can go a long way to covering these flaws, and you can depend on any ladyfish species to provide you a wholesome if not delicious meal so long as the fish itself is healthy.

Is Raw Ladyfish Safe?

No. Eating any kind of raw animal protein, including fish, and even including wild-caught fish, puts you at significant risk of foodborne illness.

Some of these illnesses can be extremely serious, be they bacterial, viral or in the form of parasites.

Now, if you were in a truly desperate situation and had no way to cook the fish that you caught prior to eating it, you’re probably better off eating raw, fresh fish than any other kind of animal protein. That being said, it is still a very bad idea.

Food poisoning is likely, and fish often play host to flukes and various types of parasitic worms.

Your best bet, as always, is to thoroughly cook your fish completely through prior to eating it. Exposure to sustained high temperatures of at least 160 degrees Fahrenheit is the only way to ensure that these dangerous organisms are killed off prior to consumption.

Ignore this advice at your own peril.

Can You Eat Ladyfish Scales?

You can, but once again you are far better off cleaning and scaling the fish properly prior to consuming it.

The scales are edible, and not too hard to eat so long as they are cooked thoroughly until they are crispy and brittle but most people do not find them palatable at all and they will add even more unpleasant texture to what is already commonly described as an unpleasant fish to eat.

Are Ladyfish Eggs Good Eating?

Ladyfish eggs are technically edible, but in all likelihood you’ll never find them. Spawning takes place far out at sea.

Can You Eat Ladyfish Bones?

Generally no. As mentioned above, ladyfish are very bony, and this is what has led to the general dislike of them as food in addition to their middling taste and poor texture.

You’ll have to clean the fish carefully to remove all of the bones and this can be a lengthy process compared to other fish.

You shouldn’t try to eat the bones as they are because they pose a risk of choking you or puncturing your insides.

If well cooked, smaller bones may be eaten without hazard for considering that these fish top out and a little over 3 feet, most of the bones cannot be safely eaten from larger fish.

However, it is possible to make use of the bones as food in a couple of different ways. The first and easiest way is simply to simmer or boil the bones to extract the nutrients from the marrow within in the form of a nutritious, fortifying broth.

This conserve as a great basis for soup, for adding to a stew or drink as-is for a boost of nutrition.

Alternately, you can split or crack the bones open and scrape out the marrow from the inside before gently cooking it and eating it or adding it to something else that you are cooking.

Bone marrow is absolutely packed with nutrients, and though extracting a good quantity of it from the relatively small bones of a ladyfish will take time, it might well prove to be a worthwhile effort in the end.

Is it Safe to Eat Ladyfish Organs?

Ask most Americans if they would ever consider eating fish organs and they are probably going to turn green at the thought, but as it turns out it is possible to safely eat most organs of your average fish, including ladyfish.

The choice organs are now, as always, the heart and liver, but it is also possible to make a meal out of the intestines if they are carefully cleaned, soaked for a time and then well cooked.

Keep in mind, you should never eat the meat of any animal that seems diseased or unwell, but you should especially never eat the ordinance and deliver in particular if it appears unusual, has visible parasites, spots or a strange color. If in doubt, throw it out!