Does anyone clean their panfish whole, and if so has anybody ever used a spoon to remove the scales.
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Does anyone clean their panfish whole, and if so has anybody ever used a spoon to remove the scales.
why would you want to clean them whole?:)
That's how we did it when I was young....many years ago. I like to eat bream on the bone once in a while. Love the fried tails.
That's how my grandpa taught me to clean fish many years ago. I remember scaling them with a spoon and scales flying all over the place. I only fillet my fish now. But I miss my grandpa. He taught me how to fish.
Lots of people here in the (USA) like whole pan fish,or whole cat fish... Do you like yours with the scales on?:confused: Yes people do use a spoon or a fish scaler to clean panfish.:DQuote:
Originally Posted by pwbuilding
Here's how I do it, scaled with a spoon, head off, belly cut from behind the anus and gutted. These are sitting on 12" tiles on the counter in my shop ready for the last washing.
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3...9/100_2733.jpg
Man, I cleaned many a bluegill and crappie like that when I was a kid. In the 60's though I learned to fillet and I'd never go back. I hate picking bones. THen I picked up on skinning, and I'd never go back to scaling. Earlier this year I had a mess of 60+ bluegill one Saturday and thought I'd sclae them for old times' sake. Took #*$&^@ forever, yes I did use a spoon, and didn't taste any better than skin off. But that's just me. Anyone that likes then as pictured... More power to you, keep on fishin'.
That is how my father in law cleans them... uses a spoon for the scales. Ever since I have been fishing with him I just fillet them ... with the electric knife I can fillet them faster than he can clean them and scale them his way. He just lets me fillet them all now.
Just depend's on how many I catch. If Just get a few I clean them hold. I like them better that way but if we have a lot I use the electric knife. Way faster.
look in the archives, theres a very detailed how-to on preparing bluegills in such a manner.
As much as i hate to admit it, i prefer bluegills filleted, but with the skin on. And just the simple step of scaling, will take over twice as long to clean them. I try to limit my bluegill harvest now, so i dont spend the rest of the day scaling.
Side note, i have an old fish scaler with a red wooden handle, its called "ACE fish scaler" it says specialty co. middletown OH(actaully local for me, go figure).
dunno how old it is, but its the bee's knees for scaling fish. Just basicly a curved blade, but it dosent fling scales everywhere, actualy just rolls them up under the blade, way cleaner than any spoon or bait store scaler.
Imagine a paint scraper, now curve the metal scraping blade part 90 degrees, thats what this looks like.
HB:cool:
I have that same one you are talking about Hillbilly910. I had it for a long time and it doe's work very well.I did find that the fish are easyer to scale with it before you put them on ice too.
I prefer them that way, for myself ... Crappie or gills/bream/sunfish/etc. (I clean them like Blackhawk's pic shows) That's the way I cleaned the last mess of Gills & Shellcrackers I caught ... last month. ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by limbhook
Now, when I clean them, and there's a possibility that someone else may be eating them .... I use a elec knife and filet them.
The trick with using a spoon to remove scales, and not have the scales flying all over the place ... is to not let the scales dry out. Scaling them with a spoon, under running water, will also keep the scales from flying.
... cp :cool:
I fillet my fish now, but many years ago i didn't know how so i would dress them whole, and use a spoon to remove the scales. It is in deed a drawn out process, but now and then we like to eat our fish whole, i think they taste better whole, but they also taste good fillet i was just wondering how many used a spoon as opposed to a knife. I think the tail taste the best.
when i clean small fish like brim, crappie or white perch, i fillet one side off and leave the other side intact. around here fried fish tails are a delicacy and is my favorite bite on a small fish. filleting one side of give you two different cuts to offer, which also satisfies those that dont wanna deal with bones.
I like to filet mine, like some others, my father taught me to cut the heads off, gut em & lay 'em to the hot grease. He loved them that way. Now to me, that's alot like work, picking out bones, I do have a small metal scaler, but have used a spoon.
Most the time it depends on the size, if I have a good mess of good sized fish, I'll filet them, if I have a few & they are small, I'll just cut & gut and away we go. :)
:D me too.Quote:
Originally Posted by willk
Ehhh, I dont' know, my Grandad and my Dad made the transition to fish I'd fileted and seemed to enjoy them.
When it comes to gills I think they have more taste if scaled & fried whole. I use a hack saw blade folded in two then wrapped with cord to hold together & is the handle also. Crappie are filleted. Gills tail is cats meow.............:D
Whole, skin on scales off, no rib bones, cut on each side of dorsal. Tail is good, so is eggs.
http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/f...h/100_0386.jpg
http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/f...h/100_0387.jpg
http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/f...h/100_0392.jpg
INGrandad, Are you talking about skinning with one of those things that remind you of a sardine can opener?? If so, do you have any pictures or a video to post?
If I scale, I hold the fish underwater in a five gallon bucket using an old butter knife. Scales can't fly out and easy to get rid of the mess.
Good Lord no, just use the fillet knife.Quote:
Originally Posted by hang_loose
I can eat a whole one as fast as the filets. I just ignore the little bit of meat there is on the ribs and then you're basically eating the filets off the bones.