Quote Originally Posted by Bronson View Post
Great catch. Excellent sized gills. Here's good recipe you might want to try that I picked up from a Euell Gibbons book.

BLUEGILL TEMPURA

You can make a batter of two beaten eggs, one-quarter cup of water, one cup of flour and 1 teaspoon of salt. Mix well, then dip each fillet giving each a thin coat of batter. Drop into hot oil and let cook to a golden brown in about two minutes. When you take them out put them on a paper towel to absorb any extra grease.

The advantage to making bluegill tempura is it seems to trap the moisture causing the fish to puff up and stay moist inside. It also makes a small amount of fish go a little further. Usually the wife and kid love this recipe too as there is no strong fishy taste. We enjoy them as much as crappie.
I've used batter over breading for years for just that reason. I cut the fillets into pieces about as big as your middle finger and dip and fry like you described. My kids always left the fries that went with em, but never any fish. Put a little cayenne and dried garlic in the flour and it gets very good.