Are bluegills etc....

[flytire 0]

....good eats?

 

I catch a lot of them but never taken them home to eat

 

any hints at preparation and cooking is appreciated

 

norm

[Knuckledragger 0]

I love em. Can be scaled, gutted and deep fried with the fins on, filleted then fried, blackened, baked or even in ceviche.

[FlaFly 0]

I've eaten bluegills all my life and prefer them to almost everything else. I prefer white crappie, but BGs are so easy to catch. Like FB, above, I don't fillet the bones out, since they're so small... I just partly split the body to butterfly it, or cut one side off completely. I purposely leave the fins on... when fried crisp, they're wonderful in their own right. Use corn meal.... not flour.

[flytire 0]

I think we have black crappie up here in connecticut

 

any difference between the white and black? same good eats?

[mikechell 0]

In Southern vernacular ... I love me some bream.

I DO fillet them. My motto: If they're big enough to keep, they're big enough to fillet. You get a nice slab of meat along the back, and if you're a good fillet cutter, a nice thin piece down along the ribs that fries up really crisp. I do like the fins, but I don't like picking out bones from my fish.

We always fry sunfish. You CAN fix them other ways, but panfish are MADE for fish fries. I use "Drake's Mix".

 

I freeze 20 fillets for one meal. With a few fixin's, that can be enough for 4 people. (Big fish ... with smaller fish, you might need a few more fillets)

 

We have Black Crappie only, in Florida. Up North, I think you can find both. As far as I can tell, there's no difference in taste.

[add147 0]

Kuckledragger,

How to do prepare bluegills ceviche style? I be that is yummy!!!

[bellevue.chartreuse.trout 0]

egg wash the fillets then dunked in a breadcrumb (now rice krispie crumb for the gluten free version) mixture with a bit of oregano, salt and pepper, then fried in a little olive oil.

BCT

[mikechell 0]

Oh ... fry up the eggs, too. Delicacy. My whole family fights over who gets the eggs when there aren't enough to go around.

[Knuckledragger 0]

Kuckledragger,

How to do prepare bluegills ceviche style? I be that is yummy!!!

I just fillet and debone, then just add em into the ceviche mix. Its perfect summertime beer food.

[Philly 0]

I fillet mine. Dip them in an egg or milk wash. Mix up a combination of fine white flour and fine cornmeal seasoned with salt and pepper, sometimes onion and garlic powder. Dump that in a large zip lock bag, dump in the fillets to coat them then fry them in peanut oil. Doesn't get as smoky as olive oil when using high heat. Another way, which I haven't done in a while, is get out my steamer, pour in a couple of bottles of whatever beer I have in the house. And some dried garlic and hot pepper flakes, some Old Bay seasoning, steam them then serve with either melted butter and or cocktail sauce. A poor man's shrimp.

[flytire 0]

I'm getting hungry!

[Kudu 0]

Flytire

My favorite freshwater fish next to walleye. I like them filleted and then soaked in buttermilk (can add Louisiana Hot Sauce to buttermilk) and then roll them in spiced cornmeal and flour and then fried in a deep iron skillet. Go well with hush puppies, fried green tomatoes, cole slaw, and a cold beer.

 

I saw Babe Winkelman make a bream chowder once and Ive always wanted to try it. They are a delicate fish.

 

As to ceviche which I love, I would not do with any freshwater fish. Freshwater fish should be cooked.

[Fisherboy0301 0]

Freshwater fish can be eaten raw, at your own risk...

 

Parasites in freshwater fish can live inside you.

 

Parasites in saltwater fish can't. That's why most sushi is tuna!

[Knuckledragger 0]

I like my wild pork a little on the rare side too!

[Fisherboy0301 0]

I like my wild pork a little on the rare side too!

 

If it don't squeal/moo/bleat when you poke it with a fork it's over cooked. Especially true with venison lol.