Barracuda is the firm, dense, meaty flesh of the barracudas (genus Sphyraena) — long, silver, torpedo-shaped ocean predators of warm and temperate seas, fanged ambush hunters that strike in a blur of speed. Cut into thick steaks or loins, the flesh grills, broils and smokes well and carries a clean, full-flavoured marine taste; but the large tropical great barracuda is a leading cause of ciguatera poisoning and is widely avoided as food in much of its range.