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Red Drum Fish
Red Drum Fish Flavor Scale
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Red Drum Fish Flavor Profile 

 Red 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 Red Drum has a finer texture and more tender flesh than the Black Drum.  The smaller fish of both species tend to be sweeter and flakier.   

Alternate Names

Redfish, Channal Bass, Spottail Bass, Red Bass, Spotted Bass, Bull Redfish, Oyster Drum, Sea Drum

Red Drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) Description

Red Drum general coloration is iridescent silvery-gray overall, with a coppery cast that is usually darker on the back and upper sides. The Latin name sciaenops ocellatus means "shady eye-like spot (on tail)," and indeed, most red drum have a single distinctive black spot at the base of the tail. 

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.

Wild Drum Fish can grow to nearly 5 feet and 95 pounds, but average size is 5 - 30 pounds.  Farmed Red Drum is generally in the 2 - 4 pound range.

 Red Drum Fish by Duane Raver USFWS

Red Drum Fish by Duane Raver USFWS

Fresh Red Drum Availability

Fresh seafood availability chart: green areas show peak availability, light green show limited availability, gray indicates not available fresh.  Wild Red Drum is commercially available in very limited supply.  Although it is caught recreationally in many states, it is fished commercially in only a few states.  Farmed Red Drum is generaly available.

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

 

 

Red 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

Red Drum are available along the coasts of the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Coast of the United States and Brazil.

Red Drum Range and Location
AquaMaps     Data sources: GBIF OBIS 

 

 

Typical Wholesale Products

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

 

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. 

Red Drum Recipes

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

 

Red 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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