Is fugu worth trying? Tell us about your experience. What does it taste like?
Is fugu worth trying? Tell us about your experience. What does it taste like?
by Ordinary_Ad7826
30 Comments
Flewey_
Never had it myself so I couldn’t tell you from experience, but I’ve heard some say *it’s to die for…*
panzerxiii
Everything is worth trying imo.
It doesn’t have too much taste on its own from my experience, it’s super subtle and rather mild. Both raw and cooked.
It’s also really not that serious, just go to a spot that specializes in it and try some; it should be pretty inexpensive.
jermo1972
I read that as, is Fugu worth dying…
ReceptionLivid
It’s not mostly a novelty like whale/dolphin or horse for some people. I think it can hold its own as a very mellow sweet kinda chewy whitefish like hirame.
I don’t ever crave it but will order it if the restaurant specialize in it. It’s nothing exotic tasting
LucoaKThe2AHashira
I really want to try it but only if it’s affordable and if the chef is certified and skilled at it. I have never seen it prepared on rices like sushi is at the market is that not a thing in Japan? How much would that be in U.S dollars if i visited Japan and asked for it?
kadzack
フグ美味いよ、食べた方がいい。 他の魚と似てる味はないかな、あっさりしてるけど甘味が強くて美味い。
salohcinseah
Mild & slightly chewy texture ( kind of like eating ika but way milder in taste) Had mine at osaka market though it very tourists oriented
lemeneurdeloups
I have had it several times. It is very light and unremarkable. I never think twice about it being any danger. That incidence is so rare and the standards for chef and preparation are very high. All restaurants take the utmost care.
No restaurant wants sick or dead patrons.
I would say it is only worth it for the chance to say one tried it. Otherwise I would not go out of my way.
I have only ever had it when taken to such restaurants by someone wanting to impress or please me.
Dazzling-Shallot-309
There are a lot places that serve it and to get really tasty fugu you need to spend some bucks. I’ve had cheaper options and they tend to be a little flavorless and chewy. The full fugu meal I hade was about $200 per person with about 7 different dishes from sashimi to soups to tempura and it was great but if’s rather spend that much on a decent sushi night out. lol
And as others have noted, the danger is pretty overblown. Cases of poisoning from it are extremely rare
menntsuyudoria
In my experience the flavor is quite mild but the texture is fairly unique. Some might find it a bit chewy but I personally enjoy it quite a bit! Worth trying both raw and cooked
patrickthunnus
It’s quite mild, a bit chewy and only slightly rich. I wasn’t impressed, something inexpensive like even sea bream (porgy) sashimi is better IMO.
I wouldn’t recommend it as you can have a massive sushi dinner for the price of a fugu platter in Japan.
chefsoda_redux
For me, it’s purely a novelty. The possibility of dying is a thrill to some people, though the chances of it are absolutely tiny. Calculations are hard for such toxins, but the training a saw listed about 12 oz of puffer fish liver (from a toxic one, of course) to reach high risk of death. That would mean eating the organs of a half dozen fish in pneumonia sitting, when the usual amount in sashimi is zero. They do make a huge show of the process, with the toxic parts of the fish removed, transferred to a special container, to be verified by proper authorities.
The fish itself is mild, and not terribly interesting. A skilled sushi chef will allow the tiniest bit of the toxin to touch the flesh, just enough to make your lips tingle when you eat it, but that’s the extent of the thrill. It’s a usually a good show, but that’s the good part, otherwise it’s a pretty innocuous fish, IMO.
lchen12345
I tried fried fugu at Sushiro 2 years ago, it was a seasonal special. It’s a firm white fish with a mild flavor. In expensive fugu restaurants they would do a multi course meal of fugu cooked a variety of ways. While I’m sure it would be tasty and interesting, I don’t think it would be worth the price for me. If you don’t mind spending the money it could a fun experience.
macross1984
Tried it once. The taste is subtle but for me, it was okay. Nothing to be excited about. But I heard that to connoisseur the taste is divine so maybe I need to try a few times before I really start appreciating.
Marsupialize
The sashimi didn’t have much flavor on its own, nice firm texture, the skin was like rubber bands and made my mouth tingle and I felt a little bit high for about an hour.
Wanderingjes
Not very flavorful. Also relatively expensive. Could be worth trying at least once. I see the appeal but it’s not really for me.
patience_notmyvirtue
It is nothing special at all. Neither the presentation or the taste is worth the price
faylinameir
From what I’m told it’s almost flavorless and more a novelty than anything. I haven’t tried it though and I’m not sure I would risk it. I prefer tuna 🙂
realmozzarella22
If you ate a similar tasting fish but without the poison factor then you wouldn’t think much of it.
It’s not a fish that is great tasting and people keep coming back for it.
Tranbert5
It’s worth it to say you did, but the experience is no big deal. The fish has very little flavor and your lips may tingle a tiny bit after. That’s really all there is to it. You can get it off the streets in Kyoto and Osaka for not too much.
gray_grum
Super underwhelming honestly, it is a pretty boring white fish and I love fish. Things that are way more interesting tasting than fugu: camel, squirrel, lamb testicles.
Powerful-Scratch1579
My first night in Japan I had Fugu tail karaage at an Izakaya, it was good, but not too different from any clean white fish. I later worked in a kitchen that prepared Fugu for special patrons, there I was able to try some right as it was being sliced into sashimi. It has a very subtle flavor, and it’s far chewier than a lot of white fish and that’s why it’s often sliced so thin, it’s more of a textural experience than a flavorful one.
That’s the extent of my experience, but I would try a fugu restaurant one day. The risk of death is almost non existent at a restaurants. Incidents are limited almost exclusively to people trying to make it at home for thenselves.
Coochiespook
I recommend trying it for the experience. I’ll say I don’t plan on trying it again though. It was very chewy and a mild fish flavor. It’s just fun because of the story behind it.
SomeGuyGettingBy
A fun excerpt from Anthony Bourdain’s “A Cook’s Tour” which first came to mind: > “Had I not been expecting a brain-bending, lip-numbing, look-the-devil-in-the-face dining adventure, I would have been thrilled with the meal. That it was only excellent was not enough. I had gotten it wrong.”
I say go into it looking forward to something new to try, but perhaps with the forethought it’s another fish at the end of the day. Still, one man’s fish may be another’s treasure and I say it’s worth trying most things at least twice.
icantdodrugsanymore
I thought it was pure hype. Most things are worth trying once. It was chewy and light. I rather would’ve spent my money on otoro.
bilbul168
It’s quite clean so raw its nice with citrus or ponsu or even olive oil
Nothing unbelievable
SmokyTeacup
When I was living in Osaka, they had an amazing akamiso fugu soup (almost a stew) at Nakanoshima fishing port. The place no longer exists, but anyway, the chewy texture of fugu works really well in stews. Other than that, it’s not my go-to whitefish as a sashimi.
Pepemala
We went to this restaurant hyped by Paolo in Tokyo.
We got the max set. They showed us the fish was kinda dead it was supposed to be lively.
Neutral taste and almost meat like texture. I can see how it evolved from poor mans food. The milt/m (or ovaries not sure but it was reproductive organ) was the nest part!
They even did this hotpot thing with rice.
Worth a try but I wouldnt seek it out.
BungeeGump
I tried it at some Michelin starred place in Tokyo that specializes in Fugu. The fish itself doesn’t have much of a taste so I wish I used that money on something else.
sumfish
Walking around Osaka I saw a number of restaurants that advertised they served fugu by having live puffers in tanks outside. The tanks were too small and the water quality looked poor and the fish all looked unwell, many appeared on the verge of death. It was pretty sad.
Even if I had wanted to try it for curiosity’s sake, I wouldn’t want to eat such unhealthy looking fish.
30 Comments
Never had it myself so I couldn’t tell you from experience, but I’ve heard some say *it’s to die for…*
Everything is worth trying imo.
It doesn’t have too much taste on its own from my experience, it’s super subtle and rather mild. Both raw and cooked.
It’s also really not that serious, just go to a spot that specializes in it and try some; it should be pretty inexpensive.
I read that as, is Fugu worth dying…
It’s not mostly a novelty like whale/dolphin or horse for some people. I think it can hold its own as a very mellow sweet kinda chewy whitefish like hirame.
I don’t ever crave it but will order it if the restaurant specialize in it. It’s nothing exotic tasting
I really want to try it but only if it’s affordable and if the chef is certified and skilled at it. I have never seen it prepared on rices like sushi is at the market is that not a thing in Japan? How much would that be in U.S dollars if i visited Japan and asked for it?
フグ美味いよ、食べた方がいい。
他の魚と似てる味はないかな、あっさりしてるけど甘味が強くて美味い。
Mild & slightly chewy texture ( kind of like eating ika but way milder in taste)
Had mine at osaka market though it very tourists oriented
I have had it several times. It is very light and unremarkable. I never think twice about it being any danger. That incidence is so rare and the standards for chef and preparation are very high. All restaurants take the utmost care.
No restaurant wants sick or dead patrons.
I would say it is only worth it for the chance to say one tried it. Otherwise I would not go out of my way.
I have only ever had it when taken to such restaurants by someone wanting to impress or please me.
There are a lot places that serve it and to get really tasty fugu you need to spend some bucks. I’ve had cheaper options and they tend to be a little flavorless and chewy. The full fugu meal I hade was about $200 per person with about 7 different dishes from sashimi to soups to tempura and it was great but if’s rather spend that much on a decent sushi night out. lol
And as others have noted, the danger is pretty overblown. Cases of poisoning from it are extremely rare
In my experience the flavor is quite mild but the texture is fairly unique. Some might find it a bit chewy but I personally enjoy it quite a bit! Worth trying both raw and cooked
It’s quite mild, a bit chewy and only slightly rich. I wasn’t impressed, something inexpensive like even sea bream (porgy) sashimi is better IMO.
I wouldn’t recommend it as you can have a massive sushi dinner for the price of a fugu platter in Japan.
For me, it’s purely a novelty. The possibility of dying is a thrill to some people, though the chances of it are absolutely tiny. Calculations are hard for such toxins, but the training a saw listed about 12 oz of puffer fish liver (from a toxic one, of course) to reach high risk of death. That would mean eating the organs of a half dozen fish in pneumonia sitting, when the usual amount in sashimi is zero. They do make a huge show of the process, with the toxic parts of the fish removed, transferred to a special container, to be verified by proper authorities.
The fish itself is mild, and not terribly interesting. A skilled sushi chef will allow the tiniest bit of the toxin to touch the flesh, just enough to make your lips tingle when you eat it, but that’s the extent of the thrill. It’s a usually a good show, but that’s the good part, otherwise it’s a pretty innocuous fish, IMO.
I tried fried fugu at Sushiro 2 years ago, it was a seasonal special. It’s a firm white fish with a mild flavor. In expensive fugu restaurants they would do a multi course meal of fugu cooked a variety of ways. While I’m sure it would be tasty and interesting, I don’t think it would be worth the price for me. If you don’t mind spending the money it could a fun experience.
Tried it once. The taste is subtle but for me, it was okay. Nothing to be excited about. But I heard that to connoisseur the taste is divine so maybe I need to try a few times before I really start appreciating.
The sashimi didn’t have much flavor on its own, nice firm texture, the skin was like rubber bands and made my mouth tingle and I felt a little bit high for about an hour.
Not very flavorful. Also relatively expensive. Could be worth trying at least once. I see the appeal but it’s not really for me.
It is nothing special at all. Neither the presentation or the taste is worth the price
From what I’m told it’s almost flavorless and more a novelty than anything. I haven’t tried it though and I’m not sure I would risk it. I prefer tuna 🙂
If you ate a similar tasting fish but without the poison factor then you wouldn’t think much of it.
It’s not a fish that is great tasting and people keep coming back for it.
It’s worth it to say you did, but the experience is no big deal.
The fish has very little flavor and your lips may tingle a tiny bit after. That’s really all there is to it. You can get it off the streets in Kyoto and Osaka for not too much.
Super underwhelming honestly, it is a pretty boring white fish and I love fish. Things that are way more interesting tasting than fugu: camel, squirrel, lamb testicles.
My first night in Japan I had Fugu tail karaage at an Izakaya, it was good, but not too different from any clean white fish. I later worked in a kitchen that prepared Fugu for special patrons, there I was able to try some right as it was being sliced into sashimi. It has a very subtle flavor, and it’s far chewier than a lot of white fish and that’s why it’s often sliced so thin, it’s more of a textural experience than a flavorful one.
That’s the extent of my experience, but I would try a fugu restaurant one day. The risk of death is almost non existent at a restaurants. Incidents are limited almost exclusively to people trying to make it at home for thenselves.
I recommend trying it for the experience. I’ll say I don’t plan on trying it again though. It was very chewy and a mild fish flavor. It’s just fun because of the story behind it.
A fun excerpt from Anthony Bourdain’s “A Cook’s Tour” which first came to mind:
> “Had I not been expecting a brain-bending, lip-numbing, look-the-devil-in-the-face dining adventure, I would have been thrilled with the meal. That it was only excellent was not enough. I had gotten it wrong.”
I say go into it looking forward to something new to try, but perhaps with the forethought it’s another fish at the end of the day. Still, one man’s fish may be another’s treasure and I say it’s worth trying most things at least twice.
I thought it was pure hype. Most things are worth trying once. It was chewy and light. I rather would’ve spent my money on otoro.
It’s quite clean so raw its nice with citrus or ponsu or even olive oil
Nothing unbelievable
When I was living in Osaka, they had an amazing akamiso fugu soup (almost a stew) at Nakanoshima fishing port. The place no longer exists, but anyway, the chewy texture of fugu works really well in stews. Other than that, it’s not my go-to whitefish as a sashimi.
We went to this restaurant hyped by Paolo in Tokyo.
We got the max set. They showed us the fish was kinda dead it was supposed to be lively.
Neutral taste and almost meat like texture. I can see how it evolved from poor mans food. The milt/m (or ovaries not sure but it was reproductive organ) was the nest part!
They even did this hotpot thing with rice.
Worth a try but I wouldnt seek it out.
I tried it at some Michelin starred place in Tokyo that specializes in Fugu. The fish itself doesn’t have much of a taste so I wish I used that money on something else.
Walking around Osaka I saw a number of restaurants that advertised they served fugu by having live puffers in tanks outside. The tanks were too small and the water quality looked poor and the fish all looked unwell, many appeared on the verge of death. It was pretty sad.
Even if I had wanted to try it for curiosity’s sake, I wouldn’t want to eat such unhealthy looking fish.