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Black Drum Fish
Black Drum Fish Flavor Scale
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Black Drum Fish Flavor Profile 

  Black Drum Fish have a mild, sweet flavor with firm flesh and large, moist flakes.  It is comparable to Red Snapper.  Very fresh Red Drum Fish have an emerald green tint to the raw flesh, while larger fresh Red Drum Fish have a red tint.  The flesh of Black Drum Fish lack these hues of color and are simply white.  The flesh of both species cooks up to pure white.

Both the Red Drum Fish & Black Drum Fish have similar flavors, but Black Drum has a coarser, meater flesh than the Red Drum.  The smaller fish of both species tend to be sweeter and flakier.   

Alternate Names

Banded Drum, Oyster Drum, Sea Drum, Drummer, Gray Drum, Pompey Drum, Drumfish, Puppy Drum (small Drum Fish 1-9 lbs)

Typical Wholesale Products

Dressed Head-On, H&G, Skin-On Fillets, Skin-Off Fillets

Black Drum (Pogonias cromis) Description

Black Drum are gray or black colored with a high arched back with slightly angled verticle light black stripes.  They lack the spot on the tail which the Red Drum has.

The common name "Drum fish" comes from their ability to make a drumming sound during courtship or when pulled from the water.  they do this by rubbing special muscles against an air bladder thus producing the drum-like sound.

Drum Fish can grow to nearly 5 feet and 95 pounds, but average size is 5 - 30 pounds.

  Black Drum Fish by Diane Rome Peebles

Black Drum Fish by Diane Rome Peebles

Fresh Black Drum Availability

Fresh seafood availability chart: green areas show peak availability, light green show limited availability, gray indicates not available fresh.  Black Drum is more readily available than wild Red Drum.  

Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
                                                                                               

 

 

Black Drum Yield Factors, % and Recovery

Item To Skn/On Fillets To Skn/Off Fillets Notes
Whole Head/On ungutted 46% 40%  
Whole Head/On gutted   33%  
Skin/On Fillets -- 87%  
 

 

Range & Habitat

Black Drum are available along the coasts of the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Coast of the United States and South America.

 Black Drum Range and Location
AquaMaps     Data sources: GBIF OBIS 

Black Drum Recipes

Visit our recipe database page and search our favorite seafood recipe sites. 

 

Additional Culinary Notes

Drum Fish carry Trematode parasites and so they must be cooked to an internal temperature of 145°.  Do not use Drum Fish for sashimi or ceviche.

 

Black Drum Nutritional Information

based upon a 6 oz (171 grams) raw edible serving

* Calories/Calories from fat 204
* Protein grams  30
* Fat grams 8.4
* Saturated fat grams 1.9
* Sodium milligrams 129
* Cholesterol milligrams 110
* Omega-3 grams 1.2
 

 

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