ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ZACHERY DYKE
Spearo, fisherman, and passionate home cook. I enjoy harvesting my food from the ocean and sharing it with my friends and family. Follow along as I use species local to Florida to make incredible meals you can make at home.
Why Save Those Yellow Jack Backbones?
One of the most overlooked parts of the fish is often the backbone! I’ve been guilty of wasting these pieces on several occasions, especially on smaller fish. Often overwhelmed by the amount of meat that came off the fish, I would just throw this part back into the canal at the fillet table. It wasn’t until I realized how moist and juicy the meat was, since it’s all connected to bone, that I really started utilizing this part of the fish. This method works best for those bigger fish, this one came in just under 20lbs, my biggest Yellow Jack to date.
How I Got This Yellow Jack
I was out diving off Long Key after work in about 55ft when I saw this guy cruise in solo. The water was crystal clear, so I could see him from the surface. I made a dive and went down to try and put a head shot on him and when I shot the spear just bounced right off his head! I was able to reload my Rob Allen roller pretty quick. Somehow, he stuck around for me to go back down and get another shot.
I decided to go for a shot I knew would penetrate the second time around, so I aimed right behind the gill plate for a holding shot. He took off like a maniac and after dragging me around for a little bit, I finally secured him. Once I got my hands on him I knew he was my biggest by far! I’ve shot a few over 10lbs, but nothing close to this!
Once I got back to the dock, I let the fish chill in the cooler overnight (as I usually do). I wanted it to be as cold as possible when I went to fillet it, especially because of how hot it was in the Keys. Even though I pride myself on getting almost all the meat off the bones when I break down my fish, there’s really no way to get all the meat between the bones of the backbone.
Normally with fish backbones, I make a broth for ramen or pho, but because of the size of this one, and the amount of meat on it, I decided to smoke it. If you happen to have a big enough pot for the backbone, it will still make an incredible broth!
Smoking Your Yellow Jack Backbone
I’ve included other methods in this recipe, for those of you that don’t have a smoker. Keep in mind, the cook time will vary based on the size of your fish. If you have a 40lb Black Grouper backbone it’s going to take a lot longer than a 10lb Mutton Snapper backbone, so keep that in mind. Also, because so much of the meat is exposed, I’d recommend eating this part of the fish a day or two after you shot it.
While you’re cooking it, you’ll probably have to check it a few time to make sure it flakes off the bone and isn’t raw. The first time I did this was with a 32lb African Pompano that I shared with a group of people, it took about 45 minutes to smoke at 275.
Once it was done I just stuck it on a platter and put it out on the table. Everybody just scraped some meat off the bones and put it on their plate. There were a lot of reactions from people saying how cool it was to use that part of the fish. I was also able to share the story of how I got this yellow jack with everyone! They also said it tasted great!
Equipment
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
- You can add just about anything you want to this recipe. Here’s some ideas:
- Drizzle with oil before serving.
- Make a good sauce for dipping.
- Pull the meat off after smoking to make fish dip.
- I’ve made this same recipe with all types of fish. Here’s an African Pompano:
- This particular yellow jack was part of a feast made entirely from backbones, ribs and collars:
