Bluegill Perch Cooking?

[bustin]

How do other people here cook Bluegill or Perch I have released all that I have caught this season, but I have kept some larger Bluegill in the past, but there is usually not enough meat to fillet one. Do some of you cook there entire bodies? Do you scale them? Etc?

[gpc]

There is a wy to do that. First you scale the fish, the crappie are a lot easier than perch and bluegill. Then you cut off the head and in a half circle not like a trout where you you just cut straight down. Then you pull the guts out, some people cut up the belly too. Then you cut off all the fins. I dont do this too often but I have and its easier than filleting but takes longer. But the bad thing is picking out all the bones when eating the fish. Thats why I like to fillet, but a lot of people do it the other way becuse you waste more meat when filleting and there isnt a lot of meat in the first place. I use one of those fish baskets so if I catch less than 10 I can through them all back but is better to have 20 or 30 fish for a meal

[bigastrout]

I was given a recipe a while back that I have been wanting to try.

Bluegill Burgers

15 to 20 blugills, filleted, boiled then chopped

1 cup bread crumbs

1/4 cup diced onions

1/4 cup mayo

2 Tablespoons horseradish

1/8 tsp. pepper

Butter


Mix all ingredients except butter
Make into patties
Fry in butter until browned
Serve on buns of choice


If anyone gives this a try please let me know how it turned out.

[beerman1981]

There is a wy to do that. First you scale the fish, the crappie are a lot easier than perch and bluegill. Then you cut off the head and in a half circle not like a trout where you you just cut straight down. Then you pull the guts out, some people cut up the belly too. Then you cut off all the fins. I dont do this too often but I have and its easier than filleting but takes longer. But the bad thing is picking out all the bones when eating the fish. Thats why I like to fillet, but a lot of people do it the other way becuse you waste more meat when filleting and there isnt a lot of meat in the first place. I use one of those fish baskets so if I catch less than 10 I can through them all back but is better to have 20 or 30 fish for a meal

I agree, filleting is the key! It is so nice to not have to worry about picking through any bones. The way I do it, is I use a sharp knife, and make two cuts along the length of the fish, starting from the head and ending at the tail. Do this directly along both sides of the dorsal fin. Next, starting from where I make my first two incisions (see diagram), I cut straight down along the pectoral fin, clear to the belly. (Note, make sure these incisions are JUST THROUGH THE SKIN, NOT THROUGH THE MUSCLE). Next comes the fun part. The cuts made allow you to peel back all the skin on the fish. Using a pair of pliars and starting at the top of the fish, on the head side (where the two cuts meet), begin peeling back the skin. Do this on both sides until all the white meat is exposed. Now, starting at the tail, and using a SHARP knife, begin cutting the meat from the skeleton. Follow the skeleton. You will be able to feel it with your knife, just make sure to take your time and not cut into it, and you will have a bone free fish. Continue cutting the fish from the bone. The rib cage is a tricky area. They actually portrude out from the skeleton, and if you continue cutting straight, you will cut right through it and get bones in your boneless filet. Just take your time and cut away from where you feel the bones.




There are a lot of variations out there, but for me, this works best. I use it on all white meat fish -- bass, crappie, catfish, perch, etc.

As far as cooking the filets, deep fried is awesome, so is breading them and cooking them in a skillet with some butter.

Joe

[bustin]

Thank you very much. I have tried with using a very sharp filet knife cutting away against the skin, but you probbaly would save more meat with the plier idea as long as the meat did not pull away with the skin. I will try this.

[beerman1981]

Thank you very much. I have tried with using a very sharp filet knife cutting away against the skin, but you probbaly would save more meat with the plier idea as long as the meat did not pull away with the skin. I will try this.

Nope, you don't pull meat off w/ the skin. The skin comes off easy, especially on perch.

[fishnislife]

Great diagram beerman. I will have to try that. Thanks for the detailed info.


fishnislife

[Basshunter046]

To Filet my fish, I have to different electric filet knives. A smaller one I keep at home and a Battery operated one I take camping. It doesn't take to long to whip thru about 30 panfish. Also on panfish there's not a lot of meat on the rib area so I just cut it out and you end up with a nice little snack for the fryier =p~

[gpc]

To Filet my fish, I have to different electric filet knives. A smaller one I keep at home and a Battery operated one I take camping. It doesn't take to long to whip thru about 30 panfish. Also on panfish there's not a lot of meat on the rib area so I just cut it out and you end up with a nice little snack for the fryier =p~

I have a mister twister fillet knife. I want to get a batery opertaed one really bad. At some fillet stations they have a plug in but I have a little portable generator I bring with me and hook the fillet knife up to it

[hewesfisher]

I use a mthod similar to Beerman's except I don't pull the skin off until after I've gotten the fillet removed. I make my cuts along the backbone and behind the gills on both sides of the fish. It's much easier to do your initial layout work with a whole fish than one with a fillet removed. Then, I remove each each fillet from the skin by laying my knife flat on the board at the tail end. With a very slight slicing action, I literally pull the skin off the fillet. A quick wash in cold water and the fillet is ready for the freezer or the fryer!=p~

[beerman1981]

I use a mthod similar to Beerman's except I don't pull the skin off until after I've gotten the fillet removed. I make my cuts along the backbone and behind the gills on both sides of the fish. It's much easier to do your initial layout work with a whole fish than one with a fillet removed. Then, I remove each each fillet from the skin by laying my knife flat on the board at the tail end. With a very slight slicing action, I literally pull the skin off the fillet. A quick wash in cold water and the fillet is ready for the freezer or the fryer!=p~

My brother in law uses that method. Fileting fish is just like anything else though, everyone has their own method. I'm so used to my method I can't imagine doing it any other way, but that's just me. Nothing beats some good filets in the fryer though, eh? Good stuff!

Joe

[bustin]

Thank you very much. Great information. On my last trip out to Fish Lake in Cheney I caught some larger than normal Bluegill, but I still threw them all back. I think I will keep at least a couple next time and try this.

[tnj8222]

bqCoph-C6Jo thats the method i use for most fish. havent had one yet that this didnt work on.

[Milobikeage]

I fillet them, cutting the fillet off the body stopping just short of removing it from the tail, flipping the fillet over the tail and sliding the blade under the fillet and above the skin.

Some snoqualmie pancake mix (dry), a good portion of fresh ground garlic salt, seasoned pepper, and a touch of fresh ground red pepper flakes.

with the fillets just moist, flip em over a few times for a nice even dusting, and plop em straight in a frying pan full of hot virgin olive oil.

wait three minutes, flip, wait two minutes, eat.

Yuuummmmmm........

[littleriver]

OK.. I've fileted as many fish or possibly more than anyone on the board..

not bragging... I've just filleted and cooked a heck of a lot of fish over the years...



but I've had some social contact (business driven) with a lot of chinese and hispanics
over the last 8 or 9 years and have learned a few things.....


If you catch a smallish kind of panfish (perch, bluegill, crappie), the meat you end up with after
you make the cuts with the fillet knife isn't all that impressive and it requires you to throw away some of the best
eating material in the fish.. (e.g. the skin.. which is loaded with Omega 3 oils)....



here's what I now do....


scale the fish and cut off the fins and the tail and pull out all the gillatious stuff...

Leave the head on....


use some "aromatic" spices (ie. the tumerics and cumins and garlics and stuff like that.... mix according to your preferences.. personally I like lots of tumeric and a little garlic and a little cumin), grind whole spice in coffee grinder if you have one set aside for the purpose (the freshest spice is obtained by buying the dry seeds and then grinding just before use) and use your freshly prepared spice mixture for a rub...

rub the "rub" on the skin and then cook in a shallow pan with olive or some other kind of oil heated up to 350F......

don't cook too long, but when the fish is done the meat and skin will just peel off the bone (it's boneless and you get a lot more to eat than if you go the fillet route) and it's really great eating..

best part is the eyeballs (loaded with omega 3s) and the meat behind the head... (that's why you leave the head on)...

try this one time and I guarantee you will be looking at those little panfish you used to always let go in a totally different light...

[gpc]

EYEBALLS ?!? Do you really eat the eyeballs?

[hewesfisher]

EYEBALLS ?!? Do you really eat the eyeballs?

Believe it or not, they are a delicacy in many parts of the world. I've never eaten any, and don't know if I ever, will, but I wouldn't be surprised to learn they are great tasting. I know about the meat behind the head, and on bigger fish, the cheek meat. Scrumptious!

[bustin]

Great Youtube video. I really want to get a power filet knife know. I have the standard hand knife. The guy in the video made it look so simple.

[gpc]

EYEBALLS ?!? Do you really eat the eyeballs?

Believe it or not, they are a delicacy in many parts of the world. I've never eaten any, and don't know if I ever, will, but I wouldn't be surprised to learn they are great tasting. I know about the meat behind the head, and on bigger fish, the cheek meat. Scrumptious!

The walleye cheeks are very good tasting. The barely legal walleye arnt good for any real meat but neither are the big walleye. A nice size "walleye cheek" is only about the size of a 50 cent piece but is is VERY VERY good tasting

[gpc]

bqCoph-C6Jo thats the method i use for most fish. havent had one yet that this didnt work on.

That is a very helpful video. I do it the second way. Iv never seen it done the first way and I really like how that works. So you can say I use to fillet my fish the second way LOL.