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This might be stupid, but there is a thread in the recipe form about frying fish whole, you do scale them first right? Just making sure.
I prefer to filet them out myself, but might not mind frying the whole thing, but it takes about the same effort to scale as it would to filet.
All you do or what i do is cut off their head, scale them then cut open thier stomach and clean out the cuts. Its optional to cut of tall fin top fin and bottom. Watch out for the bones and check the spot right behind where his head would be because it takes longer to get it fried.
That spot on the top of the skull is some of the best meat.
I like whole fish better than my husband, but I always fry trout whole - including the head. You can do the same with any fish.
I'll sit the scaled and gutted fish in a pie plate of evaporated milk, then dredge it in flour or cornmeal before frying.
The trick to eating whole fish is to lift the skin with the edge of your knife and remove it.Then use your knife to lift the meat off the bones (don't stick your fork into the fish or you'll come up with a bunch of bones!). Once you've eaten that side of the fish, grab the tail and pull all the bones out, prettymuch inone piece, leaving you with the other side of meat. This method works best if you leave the fins intact. Bon apetit! - Roberta
I do the same, I fry the small fish whole, gutted and scaled, on bigger fish I cut the heads off, or look for a bigger skillet. Melt some butter salt n pepper with a little bit of lemon juice. :)
'Gills and Redears are my favorite for table fare. Have any of you guys tried scaling your panfish with a water hose? You can scale a fish in less than 15 seconds with good water pressure. Hold the fish tightly and spray from the tail to the head to get the scales off. Be advised you can get wet until you get the hang of it, but it keeps you cool in the summer!! :D
labill that is how i scale mine when i do scale them, i also skin them just like a catfish. it depends on my mood and where i catch them on how i clean them.
Never scaled em with a water hose BUT I can see how it would work . Do you have a speical attachment ya hook on to the hose ? O was thinking maybe reducing the hose down to 1/4 copper & flatten it ?? This way you SHOULD have PLENTY of pressure?
Allen, I use a good hose nozzle with a fine stream, one that you squeeze a "trigger" to get various patterns all the way to a fine hard stream. And like you said, more pressure. My water pressure here at home is only just below the average, but the nozzle more than makes up for it. I'm making a board now with a strong clip to hold the fish on it, I'm thinking it should make it easier and faster to scale 'em.Quote:
Originally Posted by Allen42
i use a air hose :eek: . especialey in the winter :D . i like my fish and all other meat cooked with the bone in it .
I never thought about using air, papasage. I have a good compressor and I'll give it a try when I go fishing again. Thanks!
:rolleyes: Where do all the scales end up? Well, 2 questions.... And who cleans them up?:D
Gotta agree - seems like using a hose of any type would make for a big giant mess. It only takes me a minute to scale fish with my dad's old Pfleuger scaler. Scales come off a bunch at a time and I shove them off the cleaning table into my flower bed. And I'm neither wet nor coated with fish scales. - Roberta