Can you eat a Stingray? (3 Facts)

In this brief guide, we will answer the question, can you eat a Stingray? We will discuss some traits of a Stingray that impacts how they are cut and cleaned. We will also discuss some recipes to cook Stingrays. 

Can you eat a Stingray?

You can eat a Stingray. The fleshy wings, cheeks, and liver are the widely eaten parts. The rest of it is discarded because it has rubber-like consistency that could not be prepared.  Stingray tastes like shark meat or scallops. Stingray is part of the Malaysian, Eastern Venezuela, and Singaporean cuisine. The most popular way to cook Stingray is over charcoal after marinating in either soya sauce or Sambal. 

What are the characteristics of a Stingray?

Stingray is a flatfish with a tail on its back. Stingrays are found in the shallow waters of Africa and South America. To catch a Stingray can be tricky because of its unique shape, and they are a bottom feeder.

 A Stingray belongs to the family of cartilaginous fish; hence, they do not have bones or skeletons in their body.  

Some things you need to know before you eat Stingrays:

The stinger and the barbs that run along the body of the fish, are venomous that can cause harm to you if it stings or touches your skin. Stingray is fatty fish that can have concentrated amounts of heavy metals. Being big fish, they can have excessive amounts of mercury and lead that can have serious health consequences. Also, some may advise not to eat a Stingray if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Stingray comes with a lot of protein, carbohydrates, and even vitamins. Stingray is a rich source of Vitamins D, E, B1, B2, niacin, B6, B12, Folate, and even a bit of vitamin C, which all contribute to a healthy brain, immune system, and heart.

The minerals in Stingrays are also present in abundance ranging from potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, zinc, and copper.

How to clean and fillet a Stingray?

To carry out the process, you need pliers and a fillet knife. A fillet knife is used to mark cuts on fish so that the filleting process is efficient and minimum meat goes to waste.

Use the pliers to pull the stinger out. Be careful when you handle the stingers because they can be poisonous. 

Start by cutting the tail off and then get rid of the stingers. Dispose of the stingers with care; seal them in a container, and then throw them away. To peel the skin off, you can use tweezers.

Steps to Fillet

1. First, get rid of the wings. Start from ¼ inch from the base and cut. Keep a safe distance from the body of the fish and snip off the wings.
2. You can discard the body and start working on the wings where most of the meat is.
3. Take one of the wings and make a mark on the skin.
4. Slice the meat while you pull the skin away from it. 
5. To prepare your fillets, put the wing on a surface and cut laterally to prepare fillets of your desired sizes.

How to cook a Stingray?

To cook a stingray, you can either sauté, parboil or bake a Stingray.

1. To sauté, take 2 tablespoons of butter in a pan and let it simmer. Add the fish and some garlic. Cook for a few minutes and add pepper, salt, and seasonings of your choice. You can also deep-fry, first bread and then cooking in a wok at high flame for a few minutes. 

2. To boil a Stingray, let it cook in boiling water for 5 to 10 minutes. You can eat a Stingray with cold salads and pasta sauces.

3. To bake or broil a Stingray, set the broiler at medium. Take a bowl and add lemon juice and some butter. Take a foil sheet to cover the broiler, and then use the mixture to cover it. Mix garlic, salt, parsley, paprika, and white pepper, on both sides of the fish. Let it broil for 10-20 minutes, and then take it out of the oven. Then brush the fish again with lemon butter and sprinkle with paprika before serving.

4. Some people like to make stingrays into mock scallops. They are cut into circles, and the taste already resembles that of a scallop. There are many different recipes to cook the Stingray; some of them are sambal stingray in banana leaf, chargrilled Stingray in lemongrass and chilly, pan-fried Stingray with tomato and chili salsa, steamed Stingray with soya sauce, and oven-baked sambal stingray.

In this brief guide, we answered the question, can you eat a stingray? We discussed some traits of Stingray that impact how they are cut and cleaned. We also discussed some recipes to cook stingrays. 

Citation

http://www.floridasportsman.com/2012/08/13/cooking-stingray-and-skates/