Species sheet · The Edible Ocean
European barracuda
The Mediterranean barracuda, already thinking about the next one.
- Grilled whole over coals
- Steaks on the plancha
- Raw, thinly sliced, with lemon and olive oil
- In French
- Spet
- Scientific name
- Sphyraena sphyraena
- In the water
- Coastal open water of the Mediterranean and eastern Atlantic, from the shore down to a hundred metres.
- Season & buying
- Late summer and autumn, when the shoals come inshore.
- Common length
- ~50 cm
- How to identify it
- Long, cylindrical body
Jutting lower jaw with visible teeth
Two widely separated dorsal fins
On the plate
White, firm flesh with a pronounced flavour that stands up to a grill.
Avoid: Very large tropical specimens, which can accumulate toxins.
The Mediterranean barracuda stays modest. It is its Caribbean cousin, reaching two metres, that gave the name its reputation.
In Umay recipes
One Umay recipe calls for it.
