Is There a Taste Difference Between Male and Female Fish?

This is a great question.

The answer is “Yes,” there is a difference.

So, if that is the case, you may be wondering, “Which one is tastier (or taste better to humans) ?”

The short answer is this: it is based on the following two categories

1. Type of the fish

2. When the fish was caught

Octopus

(Image from Wikipedia)

Many Japanese fishermen and chefs say the female Octopus is tastier because of its softer meat. Its fiber is thinner than the one of the male Octopus.

However, the female Octopus may not taste better right before the spawning season. Since all the nutrition goes to its egg, the meat becomes tougher.

Unagi (freshwater eel)

(Image from Wikipedia)

It is said female is better.

Sea Bream (鯛）

(Image from Wikipedia)

The male Sea Bream before the Spawning season develops a beautiful cherry blossom pink. The female snapper loses some of its taste as most of its nutrition goes to the eggs.

Black scraper (ウマヅラハギ) & Thread-sail filefish（かわはぎ）

(Black Scraper, Image from Wikipedia)

(Thread-sail filefish, Image from Wikipedia)

For some fish such as Black scraper and Thread-snail filefish, there is no taste difference between the male and the female, according to some Japanese blog posts.