And to the OP, Magikarp may not be entirely edible, as though Ash and Brock imagined it sliced like a ham, Meowth bit into it and its scales were so hard, Meowth's fangs broke.
That could just imply it can't be eaten raw.
I think it was mentioned in the episode that the scales are impossible to break and in the boys' fantasy, Magikarp wasn't skinned. It seems more like cuisinal ignorance on the part of our main characters. Especially considering that Misty, the water type specialist, showed no inclination of wanting to eat Magikarp, probably because she knew it wasn't edible to begin with.
I'm honestly a little confused about Magikarp in the edible regard. On one hand, we have this example from the anime. But on the other hand, there's several Flying-Type Pokemon whose PokeDex entries state that they prey on Pokemon like Magikarp, which would imply that they can be eaten raw. As of now, the only possible explanation I'm coming up with is that the Magikarp James had was likely domestically raised by the Magikarp Salesman and, therefore (due to the nature of that man), not likely an ideal condition specimen. Maybe healthier, wild Magikarp are more edible?
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