They're NOT Mahi Mahi, they're dolphin!
 

This is one of those things that somehow irks me. I grew up calling them dolphin, or dorado. I knew when I was about 7 or 8 years old, that Mahi Mahi referred to a specific, very strongly spiced way of preparing them, and to be absolutely correct, of preparing spotted Pompano dolphin fish . My grandfather (WWII Navy man) told me that Mahi Mahi means "strong strong" in Hawaiian, and refers to both the strength of the fish in fighting and the subsequent preparation of the fish in cooking. If you cooked it any other way, it might be "Mahi", or a strong fish, but it wasn't Mahi Mahi.
The common nickname of the common dolphin fish became "Mahi Mahi" in the mainland US because people didn't know the difference between dolphin and dolphin. Or between Coryphaena hippurus and Tursiops tursiops

I hate politically correct junk that messes with my vocabulary!! They're dolphin

What do you think?

Re: They're NOT Mahi Mahi, they're dolphin!
 

I am with you!
They're Dolphin.Bulls,cows,peanuts,gaffers,schoolies,etc.. .. but still Dolphin!

Re: They're NOT Mahi Mahi, they're dolphin!
 

Fr. Frank, you have to agree ever since Flipper aired
way back when is when all this political correctness
started, Just like trying to change the name of a
Jew Fish to Goliath Grouper and Jew Fish Creek in the Keys!!
I'm with you. DOLPHIN!!!! Fried, broiled or grilled... :eek:
See ya, Ken

My name is NoBones and I approve this message :rolleyes:

Re: They're NOT Mahi Mahi, they're dolphin!
 

It's those idiots who stopped the manatee harvesting :mad:. Quality manatee burgers are pretty amazing. ;)

Re: They're NOT Mahi Mahi, they're dolphin!
 

They are peanuts, gaffers, slammers!!!

Re: They're NOT Mahi Mahi, they're dolphin!
 

I'm all for consistency. If we're going to nitpick about dolphin vs. mahi vs. dorado, then we'd best shine a light on the fact that all those "bonito" that are being caught in Florida are Little Tunny, not bonito or false albacore or albies.

Re: They're NOT Mahi Mahi, they're dolphin!
 

If I ever catch one then I'll call it a dolphin.... just for you guys :D Of course that means I would actually have to go fishing again :rolleyes:

strick

Re: They're NOT Mahi Mahi, they're dolphin!
 

Strick said Yep. Taste something like Flipper, Uhh, DOLPHINS!

Re: They're NOT Mahi Mahi, they're dolphin!
 

I've heard the little ones called "Grasshoppers" or "Lifters" and the big ones called "Doe-Doe's"

Lets hope "Imus" doesn't join in on this tally http://floridasportsman.com/art/eek.gif

Re: They're NOT Mahi Mahi, they're dolphin!
 

I never did understand how the term "bonito" or "bonita" became assimilated with false albacore, a.k.a. little tunny, albies, Fat Alberts, etc. Bonito (sarda sarda) are their own species.

Re: They're NOT Mahi Mahi, they're dolphin!
 

one more-we call the really small dolphin "flipflops",

Re: They're NOT Mahi Mahi, they're dolphin!
 

It is pretty simple having this conversation with my 6year old daughter;

"There are dolphin fish and dolphins. I love dolphins, and i love to eat dolphin fish" - Sophia

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...k/MVC-795F.jpg

Re: They're NOT Mahi Mahi, they're dolphin!
 

Yes. But you'll go blue in the face trying to convince anyone in South Florida that little tunny aren't bonito. The same goes for trying to convince Mexican captains in Baja that black skipjack aren't bonito.

I'm thinking those yellow blunt-headed fish ya'll are trying to call dolphin might ought to be called "bonito" too - let's make it easy right?!

Bonito:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...dua/ML9074.jpg

Re: They're NOT Mahi Mahi, they're dolphin!
 

Sure! We'll just say that if it swims, it's a bonito! :D

No size or possession limits on Bonito in Florida! :cool:

Re: They're NOT Mahi Mahi, they're dolphin!
 

Yeah, but boneheads make great strip baits...and blue marlin eat strip baits.Heck they eat them live even better and they love the little dolphin too,but you can't live bait with them so you have cut there bellies out and rig them panama style.Bottom line is... forget the bonita and dolphin,CATCH MORE BLUE ONES!!!

Re: They're NOT Mahi Mahi, they're dolphin!
 

My experience indicates that those critters only come up on teasers after every hooked lure has been cranked in and put away :mad:

Re: They're NOT Mahi Mahi, they're dolphin!
 

Sometimes ! :eek:
http://www.frenzie.com/1143.5marlin_small.jpg :D :eek: :cool:

Scream'n Reels'

Re: They're NOT Mahi Mahi, they're dolphin!
 

t'was a bit of an inside joke Brad ;) We dragged a pretty spread all over creation one day this past Summer out of KW. When the ONLY remaining thing in the water was a teaser the size of a bowling pin, a blue one came up and tried to eat it. Fun seeing it, would have been even more fun winding it in :(

Re: They're NOT Mahi Mahi, they're dolphin!
 

Your right about the fun thing seeing it,I'll leave the cranking to anyone but me.Heck I don't think I'm ever comming out of the tower :D!(might get off there this afternoon,suppose to be a right fair wahoo bite)

Re: They're NOT Mahi Mahi, they're dolphin!
 

yeah, just rub it in while you're at it! I'd bring up the Mexican YFT next week but I know how excited you aren't about those. Gotta go get my dose of pain [img]/forum/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

Re: They're NOT Mahi Mahi, they're dolphin!
 

Atlantic bonito:
http://ms.cc.sunysb.edu/~ffowler/int...bonito2005.JPG




Little Tunny

http://www.saocf.com/7-29-04%20Johan...le%20Tunny.JPG

We in Florida Call have it backwards......We catch little tunny...and call them Bonito......all we really know is they are trash fish here unless you want strip bait or chunks. :D

Re: They're NOT Mahi Mahi, they're dolphin!
 

At least try tunny once correctly before declaring them trash fish. If you know you are in an area thick with them, use a lot of drag, get them to the boat in under a minute (yeah, a lot of drag), cut them deeply through the gills on both sides and put back in the water (still hooked). They'll bleed out very well and the results will have your guests complimenting you on the yellowfin sashimi you served:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3.../TunnyLoin.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...abiWillEat.jpg

Re: They're NOT Mahi Mahi, they're dolphin!
 

Oh, Man - that looks good! :D

Re: They're NOT Mahi Mahi, they're dolphin!
 

In Hawaii we call the little ones "rats" :D. Aloha to everyone, Greg

Re: They're NOT Mahi Mahi, they're dolphin!
 

Ikan that looks fantastic. In Hawaii we call that a KawaKawa (pronounced Kah va kah va). We don't bleed them at all. They are excellent eating and very oily here in Hawaii. They are the best sashimi if you can get it. They aren't as plentiful in our waters as they used to be. Pacific Bonito would be a close second then Big Eye and Yellowfin Tuna. They used to get up to 15+ lbs. in the mid 80's. Bon apetit, Greg [img]/forum/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

Re: They're NOT Mahi Mahi, they're dolphin!
 

How you fight them from the moment they are hooked until they are bled makes a HUGE difference in food quality. When I decide to keep one, it's decided when it's hooked, not when it's landed. Crank down the drag, get it in RIGHT NOW, cut it, bleed it, straight onto the ice. Only the top two loins are kept and those are only eaten raw - cooked isn't nearly as mild.

I'll agree: take 6-10 minutes to land the thing: worth nothing more than fertilizer.

Re: They're NOT Mahi Mahi, they're dolphin!
 

Guess You can eat anything, Remember way back when~ The 1st thing ever "Blackened" was a "RED FISH" Heck you had to season the hell out of it then Burn it to a crisp!Opossum pretty good to , just over the jowls,Coon just make sure you get the Glands & par-boil 22 min. Armodillo,I gotta great way to cook them if Ya want to hear(No pot needed)! Oh yea, I once ate a Raw "Crawfish"! I think maybe the "turkey" cooked it when they met. :cool: I think the Only thing you can eat raw is oysters & anything that looks like em' :o Bon' Temp'
Brad :cool:

Re: They're NOT Mahi Mahi, they're dolphin!
 

Well, we can get blackfin's here no problem, so we see no reason to eat the tunny. They do fight extremly well, like any tuna, Ive caught a 13 lbr, on an 8lb outfit!

Re: They're NOT Mahi Mahi, they're dolphin!
 

I may have to try it though...considering that looks mighty tasty....lol :D

Re: They're NOT Mahi Mahi, they're dolphin!
 

On the Vineyard they are almost always referred to as False Albacore or "Albies". "Little Tunny" sounds grandfatherly. No one I know eats them but I like Bonito on the grill just fine. Funny thing is, up here, "Bones" are Bonito, 'cause we don't have Bonefish. It's still Dolphin though.

Re: They're NOT Mahi Mahi, they're dolphin!
 

We still call bonefish,bonefish here in the keys,but I grew up in OC Md and caught more bonita then I care to remember.On the charter dock we affectionately referred to them as "boneheads",again great strip baits!

Re: They're NOT Mahi Mahi, they're dolphin!
 

I had fish biologist tell me to cut them at the tail to bleed them. It allows the fish to bleed and breathe.