Are Tarpon Fish Good to Eat? Tarpon are rarely eaten because their flesh is filled with small, hard to clean bones. In the United States, the tarpon usually is caught for sport — and then released. As a bony, strong-smelling saltwater fish, it may be more trouble than pleasure to eat.

How do you eat tarpon?

The safest way to eat tarpon is to make sure you cook them to at least 145 degrees Fahrenheit. Cooking them all the way through will destroy any parasites that spread foodborne illnesses. During the poaching and deboning process, you will have to pull the meat off of the bones by hand.

Is it legal to keep tarpon?

​Tarpon is a catch-and-release only species in the state of Florida. You cannot keep any tarpon unless you have a special permit to harvest them. It is considered harvesting if you lift a tarpon larger than 40 inches out of the water.