Triggerfish would have to taste very good for its flavor to be the most memorable thing about it. Almost everything about it is unique, beginning with its name. The large family from which triggerfish come have two spines that the fish can suddenly evert when a predator tries to attack. The spines hurt enough that the predator usually lets the triggerfish go. The fish is unusual in appearance, too, with its gill slits all but hidden on the top of the fish. The more colorful triggerfish species are beautiful enough that they're popular aquarium fish. But we're less interested in what the fish looks like than how it cooks and tastes. In food terms, the most important triggerfish species is the gray triggerfish, which is found widely in the Atlantic Ocean and in the Gulf of Mexico. It has a good deal of pretty white flesh with a fine flavor that comes across as vaguely sweet. But it has the same problem that sheepshead have: it's hard to clean, because the head takes up so much of the body and the skin is so tough. A problem not shared with sheepshead is that triggerfish are being threatened by overfishing. For that reason, you will not likely encounter triggerfish in a restaurant. It does happen, however. I've had it a few times and always found it excellent.
