Fisherman Cooks 'Incredible' Blue-Fleshed Fish After Reeling It in Off Alaska Coast

A fisherman documented cooking a fish with naturally occurring bright blue flesh that he caught off the coast of Homer, Alaska, in late August.

Joe Chmeleck, owner of The Lodge at Otter Cove, caught the eye-popping rock greenling and posted photos to Facebook.

Chmeleck also documented how the fish’s flesh turns from blue to white as it is cooked.

“We caught the fish in 40 feet of water while rock fishing,” he said. “When we are rock fishing, about 1 in 40 are these blue fish. They taste like a trout.”

According to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, the fish are “always blue or blue green in color, but when cooked the meat will turn white.”

Alaska Department of Fish and Game biologist Donald Arthur told Alaska News Source the color is caused by “a green bile pigment called biliverdin,” and scientists are unsure why fish produce it.

“Mother nature is incredible,” Chmeleck wrote on Facebook. Credit: Lodgeottercove.com via Storyful

Video transcript

JOE CHMELECK: So here's our blue fish. So we put it in oil, put little seasonings on it. So it's starting to saute a little bit. I'm gonna keep pausing so you can see it turn white.

Could see the edges starting to turn white a little bit. OK. Now I'm gonna flip it over. And you could see how all the blue goes away. Really cool, delicious fish-- rock greenling.