The wahoo and the cobia are both great eating fish from the warm waters of the ocean. The wahoo from Hawaiian waters and the cobia from the Atlantic.
WAHOO
Because of its long sleek body with a shape similar to a torpedo, the Wahoo is one of the fastest fish in the ocean reaching speeds of up to 75 miles per hour. It is related to the tuna and the mackerel and can be found in tropical and subtropical waters throughout the world. It is also found under the names of kink fish, peto and the most common one being, ono, which is the Hawaiian word which means good to eat. It is believed that the name Wahoo came from the island name Oahu, where the fish is plentiful. The Wahoo has very small scales with a large mouth and very sharp teeth. It is iridescent blue with silver sides and has blue vertical bars that extend the length of the fish. It is a colorful fish, but like the mahi mahi, it fades in color very fast after death. It looks very similar to the barracuda although the barracuda has larger teeth and larger scales. The Wahoo is important as a sport fish because of its speed and great taste but is not as important commercially. The majority of the marketed fish comes from the Hawaii area. It is a fast growing fish and average catches range from 8 to 30 pounds but it has been known to reach 180 pounds and over 8 feet in length. The Wahoo has a white to light-grey colored meat that is lean, delicate in texture and mild in flavor. The best way to cook Wahoo is to bake, broil, grill, sauté, pan fry, oven fry or poach.
COBIA
A fairly new entry into the U.S fish market, the cobia is found in warm waters throughout the world and in U.S. waters on the Atlantic coast. It has a slim body with a flat head and a protruding lower jaw. It is a dark brown with a white belly and a dark stripe from the eye to the tail. It has a smooth skin with small scales and has been known to reach 150 pounds and 78 inches in length. Cobia can be found under many regional names with some of the more common ones being black king fish, ling and lemon fish. Because of their size and great tasting meat they are prized by sports fisherman. They do not travel in large schools so their commercial importance isn’t as great. Because of this, the majority of cobia on the market is farmed in Asia, Panama, Mexico and recently the United States. It can grow to over 10 pounds in the first year which makes its future in fish farms very promising. Cobia meat is light tan and turns snow-white with cooking. It has a rich sweet flavor with a taste compared to mahi mahi and an oil content compared to salmon. The best way to prepare cobia is to bake, broil, grill, sauté or poach.