Their ravaging teeth and beautiful iridescent colors make King Mackerel a sight to behold when you reel them up from the deep and finally coax them alongside the boat.

On a recent charter, my fisherman from Virginia hooked into a nice King Mackerel on light tackle. The light line gave the big fish a distinct advantage as he ran the fisherman around the boat a few times. Fortunately the braided line was tough enough and we finally were able to get the feisty fish in the boat.

The instant the fish hit the bottom of the boat, the guy turned and said, "That's the biggest fish I have ever caught... Are they good to eat?" I explained that I thought they were pretty good -- as long as they were fresh and were quickly iced down as soon as they were put in the box. I told him that that my favorite way to eat Kings was smoked, as they are a little oily making them perfect for smoking because they do not dry out during the smoking process. Kings make a great smoked fish dip.

At the fish cleaning station he had a chance to actually assess the King Mackerel, Snapper, and Cero Mackerel filets. I watched as he compared the darker meat of the King to the other lighter filets of the other fish. The following day he told me that he enjoyed eating all three types of fish, but he, like most fishermen, preferred the lighter flavor of the Cero Mackerel to the King.

World-wide there are almost 20 types of Mackerel swimming around out there. Some of these toothy critters are a lot better than others when it comes to food value, most likely due to their diet. In the Keys we are fortunate to have three primary types of Mackerel: King, Cero, and Spanish. I enjoy eating all three as long as they are properly cared for once in the boat. While everyone enjoys catching the big and flashy Kings, I personally prefer to target the Cero and Spanish which have lighter filets. Plus, these aggressive fish are a heck of a lot of fun when caught on light tackle! If you are new to the Keys, check out the current Florida Fishing Regulations magazine as they have a nice graphic guide designed to assist you in identifying the various types (and size requirements) of these Mackerels.

One thing you should never do is underestimate the sharpness of the teeth on any of the Mackerels. During a chaotic fish bite, one of my fishermen got so excited that he started just flinging Spanish Mackerel into the boat. One of the fish flew off the hook and skittered across the deck resulting in a glancing blow on my lower leg. A few moments later my fisherman was astounded to see how much blood was flowing down my leg. I wiped off the blood and exposed a clean "surgical slice" running across my leg where the fish had "bounced off." His teeth were so sharp that I never even felt the cut.

Mackerel are in the Scromberorus family, which also includes other pelagics such as Wahoo, Tuna, and Bonito. The meat of these fish has a tendency to spoil rapidly. Therefore it is essential that these fish be cooled down as quickly as possible. If the meat is allowed to start breaking down you may be at risk for developing Scombroid food poisoning. This type of seafood poisoning is second only to Ciguatera poisoning.

Most food poisoning occurs due to the proliferation of bacteria. Thankfully many of these bacteria can be rendered harmless by thorough cooking. However, Scombroid food borne illness is caused by the development of histamine like chemicals that occur as the fish tissue starts to break down. Unfortunately this chemical is not inactivated by cooking.

Scombroid food poisoning can easily be misdiagnosed as the symptoms are more consistent with an allergic reaction. Typical reactions can include wheezing, bronchospasm, abdominal pain, heart rate changes, rash and hives, as well as gastric distress.

Therefore, all fish, and especially those in the Mackerel family, should always be immediately immersed in an ice slurry, or at the very least completely covered with ice. This also helps when it comes time to clean the fish, as the thin skin and soft filets found on Mackerels can make filleting a little tricky if they are not really cold.

I can't wait to get out and catch some Mackerels so I can try out my new smoker!

Capt. Pete Peterson welcomes comments and suggestions sent to petersonventures@aol.com.