Wahoo (Ono) Flavor Profile
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Ono fish gets its name from the Hawaiian word “ono” which means “good to eat”. It is closely related to King Mackerel and is marketed both as Ono and Wahoo fish.
Ono has mild-sweet tasting flesh with a firm texture, moderate fat, and large, circular flakes when cooked. Their flesh is a beautiful white color and remains white when cooked. Fillets have less blood-line than similar pelagic fish which means they have a higher yield from purchased fillets to useable portions. Shelf life for Wahoo is relatively short…up to 10 days if properly cared for.
Typical Cooking Methods
- Bake
- Broil
- Deep-Fry
- Grill
- Poach
- Saute
- Smoke
- Steam
- Sushi
Alternate Names
Ono, Kingfish, Tiger Fish, Ocean Barracuda, Ono Fish, Peto, Guarapucu, Thazard Barard
Wahoo Fish Description (Acanthocybium solandri)
Wahoo fish is a member of the Scombridae family and is characterized by its very elongated, tuna-like body, dark blue-green on the top and silver on the sides, with a very short snout, a massive set of teeth, and a very elongated continuous dorsal fin. It also has 24 to 30 distinguishing blue bars, some of which are double Y-shaped, on its sides. Wahoo (Ono) have been recorded at up to 2.5 meters (8 ft) in length, and weighing up to 83 kilograms (180 pounds), but average commercial weight is 8-30 pounds. Wahoo can swim up to 75 kilometers (47 miles) per hour.
image source – SamanthaTours
Ono photo by www.honolulufish.comFresh Availability
Fresh seafood availability chart: green areas show peak availability, light green show limited availability, gray indicates not available fresh. Frozen available all year long.
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Ono Butchering Yield Percentage and Recovery
| Item | To Skin/On Fillets | To Skin/Off Fillets | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whole Round ungutted | — | — | To Dressed H/On = 75% |
| Whole Round ungutted | 60% – 65% | Skin/Off yields also have the Blood Line removed.If you have additional yield info on this fish please leave a comment below. | |
| Whole Head & Tail/Off gutted 37 lb up | 78% | 65% | |
| Skin/On Fillets | — | 85% | |
| Yield % varies according to a number of factors including: size of fish, season, sex, and the skill of your fishmonger. | |||
Range & Habitat
Wahoo fish are found in the tropical and subtropical waters of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans, including the Caribbean and Mediterranean seas.
Typical Wholesale Products
Whole, H&G, Fillets, Steaks
Sustainability Info
| Name | Alternate Names | Catch Method | Catch Region |
Seafood Watch |
Ocean Wise |
Sea Choice |
Mercury Concerns |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wahoo, Acanthocybium solandri | Ono, Ocean Barracuda, Pacific Kingfish | Wild – Troll | Hawaii |  |
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Elevated |
| Wild – Hook & Line, Longline | US Atlantic – Southern Stock, Gulf of Mexico | |
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| Disclaimer: The sustainability info above is accurate to the best of our knowledge. However, each program randomly updates their information without our knowledge. We therefore recommend that you verify the current accuracy of this information. | |||||||
| = Best Choice/Recommended = Good Alternative = Avoid/Not Recommended |
Updated August 2013 |
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Nutritional Informationbased upon a 6 oz (171 grams) raw edible serving.
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Comments from before Site Migration
Thanks Chris for the feedback and link. I think that “good to eat” and “delicious” are close enough to the same meaning that I’ll leave it as it is. I also spoke with someone who had lived in Hawaii and asked her what ono meant, and she replied “good to eat”.
The first sentence is incorrect. (Ono fish gets its name from the Hawaiian word “ono” which means “good to eat”.) `ono delicious I copied this from alohafriends.com feel free to stop by the website too.
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I live in Hawaii and my wife and kids are Hawaiian. maika`i is good, `ai is eat so good to eat in Hawaiian would be said . maika`i `ai ….. not `ono ….. `ono is delicious….